He loved being on the stage, the whole world in the palm of his hand. He created the most incredible pieces of music. But there was the other side of Freddie, at home. Freddie was a serious collector. I thought of his flamboyant costumes, the things that we associate with him. What I didn't quite realize
though was how considered some of his collecting was. This was a private world that nobody has ever really seen before
except those very close to him. I was Freddie Mercury's personal assistant
for the last 11 years of his life. The very first time I saw Freddie,
he was in the fox fur jacket, with the black-painted fingernails,
and Mary was with him. For me, that's one of the iconic costumes,
but it wasn't only a costume. He wore it, day to day. One thinks of my outfits as Freddie. I probably did about six
or seven costumes for him. He was a founder of the movement
of looking towards women's clothes. He showed the clothes off
so wonderfully as he was performing. It makes my clothes remembered in an almost religious way. He loved being on the stage. He didn't want to let down the fans,
all the people that were there. But there was the other Freddie,
the shy Freddie. I mean, he really was shy. A wonderful, shy personality that then developed into other things once he put his disguise on. You see him in interviews,
and if he's going to smile, you see the top
lip coming to cover the teeth. But at home,
he didn't care about his teeth. He was with friends, and he could laugh. Whenever someone says the name, I see him sitting on the edge of the
settee looking at this hound. He would be laughing. Garden Lodge was Freddie's home. It was a refuge, a place he could go to when he returned
from the rigors of being on tour. He could close those doors,
be within those spaces, and they were his own world. He could explore his own
taste, his own memories, you know, through the objects
that he choose to have around him. He was a huge fan of buying at auction. He's worthy of respect when it comes to thinking about the things that he chose and acquired, because it's often
a very considered process. You often see this with people
who are extraordinarily creative in their own right —
their understanding of technique, form, color, shape and line. He just loved seeing beautiful things.
There's a quote saying something about surrounding
himself in glorious clutter. Freddie's own experience and his life seem to appear
in the collection. There are moments that sort of pop out,
be that a lacquer box from Japan. You open it up, you discover something else,
you find something else. It's really joyous. The cats were absolutely
a vital part of the collection as well. There were always
at least two cats with him. He loved their independence,
and I suppose it reflected him. When he was on tour,
he would phone, and Mary Austin would hold up a cat to the receiver
so he could hear it. Freddie Mercury was the kindest, most generous, loyal friend. His friends came from all walks of life. In the last year, year and a half, I mean, Elton knew what was going on. Freddie came home from Switzerland
on the 10th of November, having already made the decision
he was not going to take any more drugs that would keep him alive.
Elton said, “I'm coming round,” and parked outside the front door
with all the press looking, and they're all shouting,
“Why are you here? What's happening? Where's Freddie?” And all he did, he just turned around
and said, “I'm here to see my friend.” So how do you describe Freddie here? Loyal, amazing genius. An extraordinary human being, a creative force of nature, and he had a superlative eye. Sharing this remarkable collection
with the world in a way that Freddie would approve
is really, really important. The everyday objects, the sublime,
the beautiful, the wonderful, the humorous, the things that he chose to live with — they explore different facets
of a truly extraordinary man's life.
