Queen Convention 2011

Was very excited to attend the Queen Convention on the weekend of the 26th and 27th March. I gave a talk about the Queen in Cornwall project on the Sunday. I also tried taking some photos but they didn't come out as well as these by Marco Mercury which include a couple of slides from my powerpoint presentation...

 

Mike Grose

Mike Grose - Queen's first bassist and still living in Cornwall - was one of the first people I spoke to when I started this project nearly a year ago. We had another chat yesterday - and he recalled visiting Kensington and the King's Road with Freddie whilst preparing for his first gig playing as bassist for Queen. Freddie and he actually went shopping together for stage gear and Freddie had insisted that he buy the tightest possible black trousers...In the photo above Mike is on the far right.

see link to Mike Grose page above right...

Roger Taylor new interview for The West Briton

The West Briton is a Cornish local paper that, back in the sixties and seventies, featured articles and ads relating to The Reaction, Smile and early Queen. Last week Roger Taylor, forty years on, gave a new interview to Lee Trewhela - and Lee kindly let me add some historical context to the article.

Below are photos of the cover and two-page spread which should be legible if you download (and rotate) it...

Stormtroopers in Stillettoes

Went to London for the Queen exhibition in the old brewery buildings off Brick Lane on Wednesday. There was lots of very interesting stuff there including some of Freddie's sketchbooks and drawings. Although they were described as having all been done at Ealing - I wondered whether one or two (especially the one above) might have been done when he was younger and still at school.

There were some new photos of Smile  - inlcuding this one where theyre playing on a small stage that looks a bit like Imperial College Union...Roger is set up in front of another kit so they must have been the support act.

But my favourite photos were these ones of the band playing tennis whilst recording A Night at the Opera. Brian is wearing his white clogs and John Deacon is wearing 5 inch stack heels on the tennis court. Not quite Wimbledon is it!!!?

Q Magazine Reaction photo

There was a good interview with Brian and Roger in the March 2011 edition of Q magazine. This was the photograph that most interested me because it is one that hasnt' been published before...It's The Reaction somewhere in Cornwall - but the question is where (and when?)

Mike Dudley is playing the guitar slightly cropped out on the left of the picture, Roger is on the drums, Rick Penrose is on the right playing bass and hidden behind him is 'Acker' Snell...Although Acker isnt really visible but the bottom of his sax is...

UPDATE 5/2/11 I've e-mailed Rick Penrose and John Snell re this image and they reckon it was either taken in the Penmare Hotel (Hayle) or the Blue Lagoon (Newquay)

UPDATE 7/2/11 Here is a scan of the original image - its a bit kinder to Mike Dudley who has half his face missing in the magazine. His rather lovely white Stratocaster is more clearly visible....its easier to make out the details in the background too. Looks like what may be a covered fireplace behind Roger. Interesting too that the gear (guitar cases etc) are there on stage - rather suggests the venue had no dressing room etc therefore perhaps more likely to be the Penmare????