as addictive in its own way as any narcotic. Like many drugs of that ilk, it grew to dominate Freddie, taking him down the path of the creature, making him live the lifestyle of his creation as that was how he was perceived and how he was expected to live by those who adored the creation.
In bringing his stage self to life, in creating a creature, Freddie guaranteed immortality to himself but, to most people, it was this creation which gained the immortality and the real Freddie was nothing more then a man scattered to the winds and the waters. In the same way that Dr Frankenstein's creation is now known as 'Frankenstein', so too is the stage creation now known as Freddie.
What we know of Freddie as a man is what
is given to us by those who know him and how much of that is the reality
and how much is a front which was presented to them? This is something
that can never be known. Even these friends and experts cannot ever
agree. Many say he hated his mother (and point to lyrics to prove it),
yet he visited here without fail on her Birthday each year, even apologising
when he was too ill to do so. We find out more about his sexual life
then we do about his private life; yet none of this
from him (aside from the quotes that were well and truly in character for the stage persona but perhaps not from the reality) and again the question must be asked 'how much of his lifestyle was Freddie and how much was Mercury? Our interviews with Freddie are those whereby he is again performing. Later in life, Queen would meet when recording or performing: again not the real, private, person. Who knew who he really was? By the end of his life, perhaps even Freddie no longer knew.
It is easy to be submerged in a creation to the point where the reality blurs with the creation. In order to overcome shyness and introversion, it is often necessary to create a character, a being which can be hidden behind and to allow this to take the knocks and the adulation as the real self hides safely within. This would also explain why Freddie hated giving interviews. Certainly the official reason is that he was sick of the negative and often incorrect reports earlier on, yet watching and listening to the few interviews he did shows someone who is nervous and who doesn't want to be there as he has to create the monster without the lighting and makeup and costuming
