A fab five remember Freddie

Joe Elliott, Def Leppard:

"Freddie Mercury was the very acceptable and positive side of pompous and big. He was like a male version of Liza Minnelli. He was this big, old character that was larger than life. I imagine the closest thing you'll ever get to Freddie Mercury is Wrestlemania, and that's including the show, the building, the people inside it and the ring!"

Gary Cherone, Extreme:

"Freddie meant everything to me growing up. For as long as I can remember I've been the biggest Queen fan. There's nothing we don't know by Queen."

Axl Rose, Guns N'Roses:

"Freddie Mercury's death was something I had been preparing for since I had heard of his AIDS...If I didn't have Freddie Mercury's words and lyrics to hold onto as a kid, I don't know where I'd be...I never really had a bigger teacher in my whole life." (excerpted from Rockline)

Billy Squier:

"We were very close friends; he was a very special person to me. Freddie was probably the most creative individual I ever met, and he was really fun. He had a great zest for life. He was also very unselfish and very caring. He put himself out to work with me and it was phenomenal experience. [Freddie sang background on Squier's Emotions In Motion and Enough Is Enough albums; Billy opened Queen's Hot Space tour.]"

Brian May, Queen:

"My tribute really was 'The Show Must Go On.' There's a lot in there. I remember writing this line -- 'my soul is painted like the wings of butterflies' -- and I brought it to him one morning, a little worried about what he would think of it. I said, 'Do you think that's okay? Can you sing that?' And he went, 'Darling, I can sing that and I will give it my all.' Because he knew what it was all about and it didn't need to be said."

by Corey Levitan, Circus, 30 September 1992, p 64 - 73

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