4447485 UK Freddie Mercury Auction
Metadata
- 4447485 UK Freddie Mercury Auction
- August 3, 2023
- Language English
- Transcript/Script TITLE: 4447485 UK Freddie Mercury Auction DESCRIPTION: A lifetime of Freddie Mercury's possessions, including lyrics, pianos and clothing go up for auction and exhibition in London RIGHTS AND RESTRICTIONS: This content is intended for editorial use only. For other uses, additional clearances may be required. No additional restrictions beyond those terms outlined in your license agreement. ORIGINAL PROVIDER: ASSOCIATED PRESS FEED VERSION: 0 =====SCRIPT BODY TEXT===== Editors / Producers please click to view this video on <a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/AlifetimeofFreddieMercuryspossessionsincludinglyricspianosandclothinggoupforauctionandexhibitioninLondon/77f23da684ca41daa82d7bd5842d06dc/video">AP Newsroom</a> <a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/AlifetimeofFreddieMercuryspossessionsincludinglyricspianosandclothinggoupforauctionandexhibitioninLondon/77f23da684ca41daa82d7bd5842d06dc/video">https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/AlifetimeofFreddieMercuryspossessionsincludinglyricspianosandclothinggoupforauctionandexhibitioninLondon/77f23da684ca41daa82d7bd5842d06dc/video</a> SHOTLIST: ASSOCIATED PRESS London - 3 August 2023 1. Exterior of Sotheby's, London, zoom to Freddie Mercury flag 2. Zoom in to window with "Freddie Mercury: A World of his Own" signage 3. Wide of fake moustache on building 4. Wide of Freddie Mercury's cape and crown 5. Pan of cape and crown 6. Close of crown 7. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London: "We felt that making the exhibition absolutely special and unique was very important. And we've been asking ourselves - all the team at Sotheby's- our mantra has been, 'What would Freddie do? What would he say? Yeah, go for it.'" 8. Wide of room featuring art from Mercury's collection 9. Various of artworks 10. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London: "You've got works by Picasso, Matisse, Chagall. But at the same time, you've got fun things. You've got to have a bit of fun with it, too. The big things have got to breathe. Freddie deserves a lot of respect as a collector, but you've got to have fun with it as well. Hence the mustache over our front door." 11. Tilt down of room featuring Mercury's clothing 12. Wide of moustached maniquins wearing Mercury's outfits 13. Various of outfits 14. Medium of kimono collection 15. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London: "I think when I first heard, before we even went to Garden Lodge, his home, I assumed that much of the collection would be the costumes and the textiles. I didn't realize how careful a collector he was, how buying beautiful things they often had to have a story. Everything had to have a background. It had to speak to him on many different levels. Whether that was from his own experiences in his own background, or whether because it was a work of something that keyed into a costume perhaps he wore or, a moment in his professional career." 16. Various of baby grand piano 17. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London: "The piano is like the nuclear reactor within the collection, isn't it? That's that, that's the point. That's the source code. That's where it all comes from. And we know that he loved it. So treating it with respect has been absolutely at the forefront of our minds. Making sure that it's visible and that people can come in and see it and see the tool of his trade, his easel and his palette. That's mega." 18. Close of photo of Mercury 19. Medium of display cases containing lyrics 20. Close of lyrics to "Killer Queen" 21. Zoom in to close of lyrics of "Bohemian Rhapsody" 22. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London: "If you come into the exhibition, put your iPhone on, your earpods in, find the tune and play it, and just follow those lyrics with your finger through the case. And it's quite amazing because you can see the emphasis he's placing on particular words where he's underlined something, That's really cool." 23. Various of lyrics 24. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London: "Well, I think importantly, as I said, Freddie is a collector of note in his own right in so many fields that we sell. So Japanese art I think there'll be serious collectors who recognize that there's standalone pictures and prints and bits of lacquer and porcelain in their own right. But I hope fans come in as well. You don't have to buy something, but just come and see our exhibition. It is glorious and estimates start, I think the cheapest thing is £20 and they go up to £2 million. So there's something for everyone from every department and from every aspect of Freddie's life." 25. Close of kimono, pull out to medium 26. Various of artworks 27. Various of jukebox 28. SOUNDBITE (English) David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales, Sotheby's London: "Freddie's jukebox was in his kitchen. It was beside the kitchen table. Comes down for his coffee in the morning, hits the button, and you've got a wonderful Motown or rock and roll. It's a 1941 Wurlitzer, so nearly 100 years old and it still works. It's called the Peacock. Isn't that brilliant? If Freddie is going to have a jukebox it's got to be called the Peacock." 29. Various of party invites 30. Wide of room featuring Mercury's vintage clothing 31. Various of outfits 32. Various of outfit featuring eyes, known as "The Prawn" 33. Wide shot clothes on rail 34. Zoom in cat waistcoat STORYLINE: More than 1,400 of Freddie Mercury's personal items, including his flamboyant stage costumes, handwritten drafts of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the baby grand piano he used to compose Queen's greatest hits, are going on display in a free exhibition at Sotheby's London ahead of their sale. The vast collection of the singer's personal belongings, which had been left to Mercury's close friend Mary Austin, had remained undisturbed in his west London mansion for 30 years since his death in 1991. Austin, 72, said in a BBC interview in April that she has decided to sell almost all the items to “close this very special chapter in my life” and “put my affairs in order.” Among the hundreds of Mercury's personal treasures were previously unseen working drafts of hits “Don't Stop Me Now,” “We Are the Champions” and ”Somebody to Love." The handwritten draft of “Bohemian Rhapsody” — which shows that Mercury experimented with naming the song “Mongolian Rhapsody” before crossing it out — is expected to fetch 800,000 to 1.2 million pounds ($1 million to $1.5 million.) The star of the show, however, is Mercury's beloved Yamaha baby grand piano, which is set to sell for 2 million to 3 million pounds ($2.5 million to $3.8 million). The piano survived several house moves, took center stage at his mansion, and was the heart of Mercury's musical and personal story from 1975 until his death. David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales at Sotheby's, describes it has "nuclear reactor within the collection." "That's where it all comes from. And we know that he loved it. So treating it with respect has been absolutely at the forefront of our minds and making sure that it's visible and that people can come in and see it and see the tool of his trade, his easel and his palette. That's mega," he added. Many of the highlights conveyed Mercury's love of theatre and showmanship. There were his dazzling sequinned, skin-tight catsuits, leather jackets and the lavish red cape and crown he wore on his last Queen performance in 1986, as well as his collection of Japanese silk kimonos. Other items were more personal and intimate, including a school book with the singer's name, Fred Bulsara, dating from the 1960s when he had just arrived in the U.K. with his family from Zanzibar. Visitors could study Mercury's detailed dinner party seating plans and menus, as well as handwritten invitations to his famous birthday bashes — including one dated 1977 that instructed guests to “Dress to Kill!” Another musical highlight is Mercury's jukebox, which he kept in his kitchen. "It was beside the kitchen table. Comes down for his coffee in the morning, hits the button, and you've got a wonderful Motown or rock and roll. It's a 1941 Wurlitzer, so nearly 100 years old and it still works. It's called the Peacock. Isn't that brilliant? If Freddie is going to have a jukebox it's got to be called the Peacock," said Macdonald. Also on sale is Mercury's art collection, featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Marc Chagall, as well as his eclectic antique furniture and numerous cat figurines. The hundreds of items have turned the auction house's elegant central London building into a shrine to Mercury, with all 15 of its galleries devoted to his story. It is the first time Sotheby's is opening its entire gallery space to the public for the weekslong exhibition, Williams said, adding it is perhaps its “most democratic sale," with objects like Mercury's chopsticks and sewing kit starting at under 100 pounds ($125) each. The exhibition, which is free to view, opens Friday and runs until Sept. 5. The items will then be sold in a series of auctions later that month. Sotheby's expects buyers to include institutions like museums, as well as members of Mercury's fanbase. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Rights This content is intended for editorial use only. For other uses, additional clearances may be required. No additional restrictions beyond those terms outlined in your license agreement.
- Network VOA
- Location (dateline) 3 August 2023 - London
- Expiration Date September 2, 2023 11:30 EDT
- Embargo Date August 3, 2023 12:13 EDT
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America