Are Queen Fans Completely Barmy?

unknown British magazine

The Queen Fan Club has a membership of around 21,000, says Jacky Gunn, who's about the only person out of her bed when Bitz arrives on the Saturday morning of the convention. Jacky does the fan club spot on Going Live and also runs the Queen Fan Club. "There are about 15,000 in Britain and the rest are spread out all across the world. You name me a country and I'd guarantee there's at least one member of the Queen Fan Club living there. There's a core of fans called The Royal Family who've been fans even before there was a fan club, and they've seen Queen absolutely everywhere - South America, Japan, everywhere! Freddie gave them the name, because he was so sick of seeing the same faces down the front of gigs everywhere that one night he said, 'Oh God, The Royal Family are here again'. But we've got people here this weekend who've travelled from America just for this and then they'll be flying back straight afterwards. They're a very dedicated bunch, Queen fans."

Indeed, so dedicated are they that one Dutch girl has brought along an epic cartoon book she's written and drawn about Queen's history. And there are loads of unofficial fanzines (i.e. cheaply made magazines) floating about the place - one, called Brighton Rock, has a rivetting article under the title "Dress Freddie" which entails adorning a paper cut-out of Sir Frederick of Mercury with paper clothing! Queen fans have their own pen-pal network going called Queen Bee and groups of fans meet up regularly for Queen Afternoons. The thing that perplexes Bitz however, is that there aren't more people dressed up as members of the group. Where are all the Sir Frederick imitators, Jacky?

"Well, our favourite Freddie isn't actually here this weekend," she explains. "He's a miner from Yorkshire called Neil and his wife's just about to have a baby, so he couldn't make it. He looks so like Freddy that he actually makes money out of it by opening bingo halls and fetes and things!!"

Even if there is a distinct lack of people who look like Queen, there is certainly no absence of "fun" events to keep Queen fans on their toes for the three days. Not only is there a unique television service by the name of QTV piped directly into the chalets which shows round-the-clock videos of Queen live in Brazil, Argentina. Japan, Rio, London's Hyde Park, Paris. and a variety of other exciting locations, but there's also Fancy Dress! Football! Tug O' War! Mime Competition! Table-tennis! Aerobics!(?) and lots of other great things besides.

Most of the really exciting activities though, occur at night - starting with The Dutch Mime Group who took Pontin's by storm the night before with their imitation of Queen (now there's a surprise) and have agreed to repeat their performance for the benefit of the "press". They deliver a vigorous rendition of "It's A Kind Of Magic , which is all dreadfully good apart from the tact that they look nothing like Queen whatsoever. The "Freddie" doesn't have a real moustache (it's painted on), the "Brian" is actually blond, but has a curly black wig on, the "Roger" is actually blond, like the real one, but the "John" is unmentionable. "We have perform on a video for Freddie!" yodels the "Brian" (whose real name is Eric) "And we have send it to Freddie," adds the "Roger" (who's actually called Jos), "and he say it is fantastic, yes!"

The Queen Mastermind Competition at 7pm is a gripper! The field has been narrowed down from 100 original contestants to just four finalists who between them probably know everything there is to know about Queen, and the questions are fiendishly difficult. Did you know, for example, that the only other language Freddie can be heard singing in apart from English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Hebrew and Arabic. is Hungarian? That's one of the easier questions.

The eventual winner, Cathy Gallagher, is an old hand at these things. She won it two years ago as well "I spend all my money on Queen stuff," she pipes. "I'm unemployed, so sometimes I starve for them. But it's worth it! I've met them several times outside recording studios and the like and I've got an umbrella that Brian gave me, and a Christmas card from his mum. It's those sorts of things that make it all worthwhile."

The big event of the whole convention is the charity auction which starts late on into the Saturday night. All manner of Queen memorabilia items are being bid for; A Polish "Greatest Hits" LP with a different track listing from the UK one (which goes for £50), a Czechoslovakian Freddie Mercury And Montseratt Caballe album "with a different back cover!" (£85), the very first pressing of Queen's new LP "The Miracle" (£385), Brian May's tour case which he reputedly! his sandwiches in when Queen supported Mott The Hoople in America in 1973 (£60), John Deacon's Hilda" Ogden T-shirt (£200), Roger's drumsticks ("E's had a good bang wiv these, gels! har har!!") (£200), and the most famous breeks in pop, belonging to Sir Frederick ("As worn on The Works Tour!") which were bought by one Corinne Parker from the Isle Of Wight. A snip at £550!!?! Is she mad?

"Oh I'd have paid up to £900 for these!" she breezes. (She is mad.) "l've saved up all year, these are my holidays! But I'm really chuffed!! Look, All his dirt! All his sweat! I can't wait to get home and try them on."

Rock'n'roll? Phew!!