Freddie Mercury's *Real* Name
India Currents
himself was never very out about it, that Freddie's *real* name was
Farrokh Balsara. Farrokh became Freddie, and Balsara literally means
the heavy metal "mercury" in several North Indian languages.
Freddie was of Parsi heritage, from Bombay, India. (Parsis are ancient
Zoroastrians who fled Iran at the time of the Islamic conquest and
settled in Gujarat, India. Most present day Indian Parsis are
culturally and religiously distinct from other Indians, although they
have adopted Indian languages and manner of dress.)
From what I know, Mercury was never terribly open, comfortable, or
assertive about his homosexuality. And he was even less comfortable
about his Indian roots. He never encouraged reporters who asked him
about his early years. To some, he vaguely boasted about his parents
working for the British Raj, but he never spoke openly to his rock
fans about his racial heritage. Indeed, when he was approached by
fellow rockers to join and support Rock Against Racism, he declined.
It is clear to me that Freddie lived in two closets, one a gay closet,
another an Indian closet. As an gay Indian fan of his, I find it
particularly bittersweet and ironic. With his talent and success in
the Western world, he could have been a very positive role model for
millions of Indians. But it seems he passed on that opportunity.
- Arvind Kumar
--
India Currents
The Complete Indian American Magazine * Since 1987
P.O. Box 21285 Phone: (408) 274-6966
San Jose, CA 95151-1285 Fax: (408) 274-2733
Rattan J
>It's a fact little known to Queen fans, partly because Freddie Mercury
>himself was never very out about it, that Freddie's *real* name was
>Farrokh Balsara. Farrokh became Freddie, and Balsara literally means
>assertive about his homosexuality. And he was even less comfortable
>about his Indian roots. He never encouraged reporters who asked him
>about his early years. To some, he vaguely boasted about his parents
>- Arvind Kumar
>India Currents
>The Complete Indian American Magazine * Since 1987
>P.O. Box 21285 Phone: (408) 274-6966
>San Jose, CA 95151-1285 Fax: (408) 274-2733
I was under the impression that his name was Fredun Balsara .
He studied in bombay ( I think it was Campion High School )
and if my memory serves me right , went to Zanzibar (or some
such exotic place) before going to Britian . Consequently
when he was asked by the media about his origins , he said he
came from Zanzibar and not India . I remember the first time I
heard the he was Indian , I was quite shocked because I'd never
have guessed it . I was pleased to by his success . His death
was such a great loss to the music world . I really enjoyed
his music . I wonder WHY he denied his roots......?
Rattan
.
Dan Blanchard
>>assertive about his homosexuality. And he was even less comfortable
>>about his Indian roots. He never encouraged reporters who asked him
>>about his early years. To some, he vaguely boasted about his parents
>>- Arvind Kumar
>I was under the impression that his name was Fredun Balsara .
>He studied in bombay ( I think it was Campion High School )
>and if my memory serves me right , went to Zanzibar (or some
>such exotic place) before going to Britian . Consequently
>when he was asked by the media about his origins , he said he
>came from Zanzibar and not India . I remember the first time I
>heard the he was Indian , I was quite shocked because I'd never
>have guessed it . I was pleased to by his success . His death
>was such a great loss to the music world . I really enjoyed
>his music . I wonder WHY he denied his roots......?
I'm sorry, but whoever wrote that original post is high. Freddie Mercury
did not "deny" his roots. His father was a British diplomat in Zanzibar,
*that's* why Freddie Mercury was born in South Africa.
And about this, his homosexuality, his HIV status, and another parts of his
private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
They were irrelavent to him when he was the lead singer and frontman of
Queen.
-dan
--
-Dan Blanchard (blan...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu) I speak for me,not CSSO or U of I.
"I face the facts and lock myself into a life alone" EJ&BT,1984
Dan Ross
>And about this, his homosexuality, his HIV status, and another parts of his
>private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
>sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
>homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
>They were irrelavent to him when he was the lead singer and frontman of
>Queen.
Sounds a little too defensive to me. Puuh-lease.
Andrew Young
>>I was under the impression that his name was Fredun Balsara .
Bulsara - this was quite a revelation, as before that every source
had said his real name was Fred Bulsara or Frederick Bulsara.
The fact that Bulsara means mercury in India languages is very interesting.
Any idea which languages?
>I'm sorry, but whoever wrote that original post is high. Freddie Mercury
>did not "deny" his roots. His father was a British diplomat in Zanzibar,
>*that's* why Freddie Mercury was born in South Africa.
Just to stop any confusion - Freddie was *NOT* born in South Africa, but in
Zanzibar (west Africa, now part of Tanzania). He went to school in Bombay
and spent his summers on his uncle's estate in Dar-es-Salaam (also west
Africa, also now part of Tanzania).
Andy.
Greg Parkinson
In article <2djv9k$p...@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>, barfm...@uiuc.edu (Dan Blanchard) writes:
|> dso...@acsu.buffalo.edu (Rattan J) writes:
|> And about this, his homosexuality, his HIV status, and another parts of his
|> private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
|> sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
|> homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
|> They were irrelavent to him when he was the lead singer and frontman of
|> Queen.
Translated: I don't care if he was a fag, as long
as he keeps it hidden.
Proper response: Fuck off.
"flaunt and promote"? Wow. Almost frightening.
--
Greg Parkinson Phone: 212-657-7814 Fax: 212-657-4599
Citibank,111 Wall Street E-Mail: g...@fig.citib.com
New York, New York 10043
The opinions expressed are my own and not those of the big 'ol bank.
justin e stodola
>Just to stop any confusion - Freddie was *NOT* born in South Africa, but in
>Zanzibar (west Africa, now part of Tanzania). He went to school in Bombay
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Actually, Tanzania is on the EAST coast of Africa, not the west.
It is just south of Kenya.
Justin Stodola
david woodman
>Rattan
>.
My claim to fame here is that Freddy Mercury aka Faroukh Balsara, may
have studied in Campion in Bombay, but at some time was also a student
of St. Peter's High School in Panchgani, Maharashtra with my brother.
I know this because my brother told me this when Queen first became known
years ago with the BOhemian Rhapsody containing album ( became famous in
India that is) and as one knows any news takes a while getting there.
According to my brother, when other students were out playing football
, Freddy was inside playing the piano. Incidently he was known as
"Bucky" Balsara for obvious reasons.
dwoodman
Pedro Soria Rodriguez
Dan Blanchard <barfm...@uiuc.edu> wrote:
>dso...@acsu.buffalo.edu (Rattan J) writes:
>
>>>assertive about his homosexuality. And he was even less comfortable
>>>about his Indian roots. He never encouraged reporters who asked him
>>>about his early years. To some, he vaguely boasted about his parents
>>>- Arvind Kumar
>
>>his music . I wonder WHY he denied his roots......?
>
>
>And about this, his homosexuality, his HIV status, and another parts of his
>private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
>sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
>homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
>They were irrelavent to him when he was the lead singer and frontman of
>Queen.
>
>-dan
I have to say that I agree completely with Dan. The only thing
that Freddie was to the public was a 'rock star'. He was *also* a person
and as such he had his private life, which he did not have to share with
anybody.
He had his private life, and he wanted to make it know with
"Scandal", from "The Miracle".
--
'''''''''''' Pedro Soria Rodriguez '''' sor...@wpi.edu ''''''''''''''''''''
" Worms in the garden more real than McDonalds
Drain your blood and let the Exxon spill in
Look around here, you see nothing is very real" - Manic Street Preachers
Michael Bryan
>private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
>sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
>homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
Um, strictly speaking, Freddie was bisexual...
--
Michael Bryan mic...@resonex.com +1 510 249 9600 Ext 325
Resonex, Inc. ____ ____
47911 Westinghouse Dr. \ / \ /
Fremont, CA 94539 \/ Absence makes the nose grow longer. \/
Rattan J
Hello ! You there , you watch it when you are deleting stuff
from the original post . The way yo have referenced the post
it seems as if I've written the homosexuality bit . I don't
care about his sexual preference . It's his music that I liked.
Rattan
tfar...@lynx.dac.northeastern.edu
>In article <CHDno...@rahul.net> indi...@rahul.net (India Currents) writes:
>>It's a fact little known to Queen fans, partly because Freddie Mercury
>>himself was never very out about it, that Freddie's *real* name was
>>Farrokh Balsara. Farrokh became Freddie, and Balsara literally means
>
I don't know about him, but on a smaller scale I have ceased telling
people who inquire that I'm from New Jersey, and now tell them I'm from
Boston. If they press me for more info I ask them why they're being so
nosy. It's not because I love Boston so much (although I do) but because
I was not at all happy in New Jersey, and have no desire to live there
again, and feel that my only real connection to the place is some
friends and relatives who still live there. So, perhaps he just felt no
connection to India. Also, much as the fact says something unpleasant
about our culture, I somehow don't see a rock singer becoming popular
with the name "Farrokh Balsara." I don't even know how to pronounce it.
Tom
--
If homosexuality is a disease, let's | I'm 6'3", 200#, Brown hair, red beard,
all call in queer to work. "Hello, | hazel eyes, pale skin, single, male,
can't work today, still queer." | looking, and GAY. Email me!
-Robin Tyler | tfar...@lynx.dac.northeastern.edu
Greg Parkinson
In article <CHFBH...@acsu.buffalo.edu>, dso...@acsu.buffalo.edu (Rattan J) writes:
|> In article <2dl44j$6...@merlin.fig.citib.com> g...@fig.citib.com (Greg Parkinson) writes:
|> >
|> >In article <2djv9k$p...@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>, barfm...@uiuc.edu (Dan Blanchard) writes:
|> >|> dso...@acsu.buffalo.edu (Rattan J) writes:
|> >
|> >|> And about this, his homosexuality, his HIV status, and another parts of his
|> >|> private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
|> >|> sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
|> >|> homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
|> >|> They were irrelavent to him when he was the lead singer and frontman of
|> >|> Queen.
|> >
|> >Translated: I don't care if he was a fag, as long
|> >as he keeps it hidden.
|> >
|> >Proper response: Fuck off.
|> >
|> >"flaunt and promote"? Wow. Almost frightening.
|> >
|> >--
|> Hello ! You there , you watch it when you are deleting stuff
|> from the original post . The way yo have referenced the post
|> it seems as if I've written the homosexuality bit . I don't
|> care about his sexual preference . It's his music that I liked.
I've been dealing with twits all day; I responded
to this incorrectly.
I've canceled the response, I apologize. Rattan J did
not write the quoted text above, Dan Blanchard did.
Jacob Huebert
In a previous article, dr...@cambizola.cs.wisc.edu (Dan Ross) says:
>In <2djv9k$p...@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> barfm...@uiuc.edu (Dan Blanchard) writes:
>
>>And about this, his homosexuality, his HIV status, and another parts of his
>>private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
>>sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
>>homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
>>They were irrelavent to him when he was the lead singer and frontman of
>>Queen.
>
>Sounds a little too defensive to me. Puuh-lease.
>
As Brian May put it, Freddie loved life too much to go around bothering
with "gay rights", etc...
--
"My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, | Jacob Huebert |
where fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die, | aa...@yfn.ysu.edu |
I can fly, my friends." - Queen |||||||||||||||||||||
AC Reddy
>It's a fact little known to Queen fans, partly because Freddie Mercury
>himself was never very out about it, that Freddie's *real* name was
>Farrokh Balsara. Farrokh became Freddie, and Balsara literally means
>the heavy metal "mercury" in several North Indian languages.
>Freddie was of Parsi heritage, from Bombay, India. (Parsis are ancient
>Zoroastrians who fled Iran at the time of the Islamic conquest and
>settled in Gujarat, India. Most present day Indian Parsis are
>culturally and religiously distinct from other Indians, although they
>have adopted Indian languages and manner of dress.)
I read an article on Freddie Mercury soon after his death in Nov'91-
his original name was Firdun Balsara and his mom was proper Iranian
and his dad Indian, and if I remember right, the family left for
England when he was 7 years old.....
AC
John G. Wilkinson
> And about this, his homosexuality, his HIV status, and another parts of his
> private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
> sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
> homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
> They were irrelavent to him when he was the lead singer and frontman of
> Queen.
1) Acknowledging one's HIV status has nothing to do with seeking
sympathy.
2) Merely acknowledging one's sexual oreientation is NOT
"flaunting" it.
3) There is no such thing as "the homosexual lifestyle," just as
there is no such thing as the hetereosexual lifestyle or the
African American lifestyle.
4) None of the attributes mentioned were flaws.
J.N. Dijkhuis
> I have to say that I agree completely with Dan. The only thing
>that Freddie was to the public was a 'rock star'. He was *also* a person
>and as such he had his private life, which he did not have to share with
>anybody.
> He had his private life, and he wanted to make it know with
>"Scandal", from "The Miracle".
Hmmm, but if I'm not mistaken, Scandal was about BRIAN being annoyed
by the press all the time...
DJ
Frank W. Elliott Jr.
>private life were just that -- PRIVATE. He didn't need the world's
>sympathy when he had AIDS, nor did he choose to flaunt and promote a
>homosexual lifestyle, or any other "flaws" you may know about his life.
>They were irrelavent to him when he was the lead singer and frontman of
>Queen.
Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Freddie's stage persona varied from a drag queen to the
quintessential San Francisco clone. He was the greatest promoter of homosexual
images of his time. One would have to be incredibly dense not to realize this.
>
>-dan
>
>--
>
>-Dan Blanchard (blan...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu) I speak for me,not CSSO or U of I.
> "I face the facts and lock myself into a life alone" EJ&BT,1984
--Frank
Prem!
|> It is clear to me that Freddie lived in two closets, one a gay closet,
|> another an Indian closet. As an gay Indian fan of his, I find it
|> particularly bittersweet and ironic. With his talent and success in
|> the Western world, he could have been a very positive role model for
|> millions of Indians. But it seems he passed on that opportunity.
|> - Arvind Kumar
I don't disagree with you Arvind, but as a straight, Indian fan of
Queen, I feel it is better this way, because I appreciated their
music long before I learnt that Freddie had Indian roots and long
before I learnt that he was gay.
Neither of these revelations made any difference to my appreciation
of their music. The group had tons of musical talent, and I believe
they should be recognized for that more than for their racial roots
or Freddie's sexual preference.
Prem!
Straight, but not narrow.
S. Ramakrishnan
writes:
|> indi...@rahul.net (India Currents) writes:
|>
|> >It's a fact little known to Queen fans, partly because Freddie Mercury
|> >himself was never very out about it, that Freddie's *real* name was
|> >Farrokh Balsara. Farrokh became Freddie, and Balsara literally means
|> >the heavy metal "mercury" in several North Indian languages.
|>
|> >Freddie was of Parsi heritage, from Bombay, India. (Parsis are ancient
|> >Zoroastrians who fled Iran at the time of the Islamic conquest and
|> >settled in Gujarat, India. Most present day Indian Parsis are
|> >culturally and religiously distinct from other Indians, although they
|> >have adopted Indian languages and manner of dress.)
|>
|> I read an article on Freddie Mercury soon after his death in Nov'91-
|> his original name was Firdun Balsara and his mom was proper Iranian
Firdaus, and he was a Parsi !
|> and his dad Indian, and if I remember right, the family left for
|> England when he was 7 years old.....
|>
|>
|> AC
--
India Currents
article in Calcutta's Sunday magazine December 8-14, 1991, which goes
into great details about how Bombay's Parsi community reacted to his
death from AIDS. Some sort of service was held for him at one of the
Parsi temples.
In terms of self-identity, Freddie's life was a big lie. He hid his
homosexuality, and he hid his Indian roots (All that stuff about his
dad being a British diplomat is a fabrication invented by Freddie to
deny and escape from his Indian origins - the man has friends and
family in Bombay still).
I am amused but not surprised by one netter's difficulty in accepting
this, but journalists better than I have dug up this information. The
only people who don't seem to know this are the Western music press
and Freddie's Western fans. No one in the West seems to have ever dug
into his past, or questioned his line that he was not Indian. Who
knows, had he told the truth about his heritage, he may not have
attracted as many fans as he did.
- Arvind Kumar
--
Jacob Huebert
In a previous article, indi...@rahul.net (India Currents) says:
>My source on Freddie Mercury/Farrokh Balsara is the lengthy obituary
>article in Calcutta's Sunday magazine December 8-14, 1991, which goes
>into great details about how Bombay's Parsi community reacted to his
>death from AIDS. Some sort of service was held for him at one of the
>Parsi temples.
>In terms of self-identity, Freddie's life was a big lie. He hid his
>homosexuality, and he hid his Indian roots (All that stuff about his
>dad being a British diplomat is a fabrication invented by Freddie to
>deny and escape from his Indian origins - the man has friends and
>family in Bombay still).
The point is: Freddie's private life is none of the public's business.
Further, he would, reluctantly, admit to his Zoroastrian roots...
>I am amused but not surprised by one netter's difficulty in accepting
>this, but journalists better than I have dug up this information. The
>only people who don't seem to know this are the Western music press
>and Freddie's Western fans. No one in the West seems to have ever dug
>into his past, or questioned his line that he was not Indian. Who
>knows, had he told the truth about his heritage, he may not have
>attracted as many fans as he did.
Oh, yeah, the press has *NEVER* lied about Freddie or Queen before...
"Today the headlines, tomorrow hard times,
And no one ever really knows the truth from the lies,
And in the end the story deeper must hide,
Deeper and deeper and deeper inside."
Patti Beadles
>In terms of self-identity, Freddie's life was a big lie. He hid his
>homosexuality,
Two points:
(a) Freddie was bisexual, not homosexual. There is a difference.
(b) To the best of my knowledge, he never hid it. I can remember in
the late 70s when my mother (not a big fan) said to me, "Did you
know the lead singer of Queen was gay?" If she knew, it couldn't
be much of a secret.
-Patti
--
Patti Beadles 503/696-4358 | I don't speak for Intel, nor vice-versa.
pat...@ichips.intel.com |
7555...@compuserve.com | If it wasn't for the last minute,
or just yell, "Hey, Patti!" | I'd never get anything done!
Dan Blanchard
>In terms of self-identity, Freddie's life was a big lie. He hid his
>homosexuality, and he hid his Indian roots (All that stuff about his
>dad being a British diplomat is a fabrication invented by Freddie to
>deny and escape from his Indian origins - the man has friends and
>family in Bombay still).
Why is it that he never talked about it "hiding his Indian roots"? He
never talked at all about his private life, that had no relevence to being
the frontman of Queen.
BTW, I'd be interested in reading your sources.
Axl Rose
barfm...@uiuc.edu (Dan Blanchard) writes:
>Why is it that he never talked about it "hiding his Indian roots"? He
>never talked at all about his private life, that had no relevence to being
>the frontman of Queen.
So if the position didn't require a closeted bisexual whose tastes
ran equally to Jimi Hendrix and Liza Minelli, of (possibly) Indian
heritage, descended from [diplomats | well-placed Indian family ],
why did the other three stop when he died?
Wouldn't a dockworker whose voice just happened to have the same timbre
done just as well???
++Sylvia
