By Andy Simon @AndySimon55

Let's not mess about here. Freddie Mercury was an icon, a genius, a master songwriter, showman and towards the end of his life, an incredibly brave man.

Who would have thought a boy from Zanzibar would have made such an impact on so many lives? But he did.

And for many I'm certain; Freddie Mercury left behind a legacy that very few (if any) could equal. Like many of my generation, I too grew up with the music of Queen ringing in my ears. 

I blame this primarily on my older brother, Pete.

Because by the time Queen's third album, "Sheer Heart Attack" was released in November 1974, Pete was already a well established Queen fan, pumping out songs from their previous two albums on my stereo, whenever he took over the bathroom, which was pretty much every five minutes. Not that I minded; far from it.

By the time "A Night At The Opera" came out in 1975, I also was deeply embedded into Queen's music but unlike Pete, I was not fortunate enough to have gone and seen them live.

He did that, at the Hammersmith Odeon, in London, that same year. Lucky git.

However I did manage to see Channel 5's docu-drama, "Freddie Mercury: Who Wants To Live Forever?' that aired on Sunday night, to mark the 25th anniversary of the great showman's death.

To say that the acting throughout this rather tepid story was very poor, with the exception I have to say from the guy who played Freddie (John Blunt) would be a gross understatement.

At least he did some research before playing his part, unlike the others. You see; I got to know Fred pretty well, over the years. Well; his public persona anyway. So I was well aware of those little nuances, traits, mannerisms and Fred's way of talking that made him so unique and indeed, so appealing to the public.

John Blunt certainly did his homework, and for his part, I'm happy to say, it payed off.

I remember when bohemian Rhapsody came out, and how Kenny Everett plugged it to death, on his Saturday show on Capital Radio.

I remember also when Live Aid was broadcast, on that very sunny, warm and beautiful day when Queen stole the show on July 13th 1985 And to this day, I still cannot comprehend just how foolish and irresponsible the BBC were, by losing so much of the original recordings, from that day. Duh!

But that's another story.

These and other memories were recalled as I watched this Docu-drama play out. For me personally, I think it's a good thing if something you are watching, makes you think, "Yeah, I remember that. And "Oh yeah: I remember where I was, when that happened."

So I'm always happy when a programme does this. I was not overly happy however with the acting. Perhaps there was no more room for poor talent on the Children In Need set? Also I thought the focus on Fred's personal life, which I feel sure some would have found inappropriate, was a good way to tell the story.

After all, some would say it was because of Fred's promiscuous lifestyle, that eventually brought about his tragic death. So he was gay . . . so what?

Overall; I felt the production and the direction of this docu-drama, given the fact that this was all about a great man the country still remembers, and loves, was pretty poor.

I cannot fault John Blunt in his portrayal of Freddie, but the other characters, the wigs, costumes and dialogue were in my opinion, simply not good enough. All in all, it was rather amateurish.

One thing was for certain; It clearly put the press at the time in a very poor light. Some things perhaps never change, even after 25 years. But that's the press for you; that's what they appear to do.

Some still remember how they hounded Princess Diana.

Enough said.

However I did find the comments, memoirs and input provided by Fred's friends, colleagues and associates, very interesting.

Freddie Mercury's death was 25 years ago. He would have been 70 now, had he lived. However AIDS is still very much with us. And if this docu-drama could leave us with any moral to this sad and tragic story, it would be to be careful, out there.

Do not be fooled by my Twitter profile picture, I wasn't born middle aged. I too; was young once. And I was just as healthy, and just as red-blooded, as the next man. But that didn't stop me from taking sensible precautions, on those extremely rare, and miraculous occasions, when a woman who fancied me, came my way.

It's already been a bad year for the music, film, radio and television industries. We have lost way too many celebrities and icons.

Don't go adding yourself, to that list.

If there is any justice in the afterlife, I hope that Fred is busy with David Bowie, Lemmy, Keith Emerson, Leonard Cohen, Chopin and Mozart, putting together some wonderful new compositions.

It would be a very poor do indeed, if genius, talent, charisma and showmanship from a guy who was, beneath all the trappings of success, a kind, generous, thoughtful dreamer, and a very brave man, was lost forever. That would indeed, be tragic.

Fred was, what Fred was; and now sadly, he's gone. But what he left behind, will beyond doubt, live forever.

And if I may close this review by quoting (and tweaking) a bit of Shakespeare's Hamlet; Act One, Scene Two . . .

"He was a man, take him for all in all,
we shall not look upon his like, again."

Rest in peace, Freddie Mercury; The Great Pretender.

Thanks for reading.

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