INTERVIEW WITH JOHN S. STUART

First of all, this is his self-profile:

Paradoxically, while I contribute freely to Queen notice boards and write under my real name, I am in reality a very private and shy person, and prize my privacy above all. I have degrees in English literature and Media studies. I read a lot, and my favourite authors would be George Orwell and the poet Robert Burns. My favourite film director is Stanley Kubrick.

I like football and support Aberdeen Football Club, along with my native Scotland. I also like Manchester United because of the Sir Alex Ferguson connection. I prefer music from the 1960’s and 70’s, especially heavy rock music. I also enjoy classic (mostly British) television: Doctor Who, The Avengers, Randall and Hopkirk, The Prisoner, Thunderbirds, etc.

I am not religious, but I am a very moral/ethically minded person, and strongly believe in both marriage and family values. I do not smoke, and drink moderately.

And now, this is the on-line interview with John on 16th September 2006:

- Why isn't there any website or book by you yet?

First, there is no good reason to publish – unless I had something new or unique to say. When I wrote my 'Record Collector' features on 'pre-Queen', that ground was not covered before. The material was new and exciting. I could enter this terrain and discover loads of interesting material – pushing the Queen envelope forwards. Now, most books are just regurgitations of old material with nothing new or insightful to offer. So why reheat old soufflés? That, I leave to others.

As for an internet site – Apart from the fact that I am too busy, and technically incompetent – again what new ideas could I offer? Some general sites like 'Queenzone' and 'Queen-online' have those markets pretty well sewn up. Specialist sites like Martin's excellent 'Queen Concerts', or the newly 'released' 'Queen-cuttings' offer further research for the more 'academically' minded. However, I do hover the internet, and contribute positively to many sites – mostly without credit. (In that sense I feel like the We Will Rock You beat – sampled by many – credited by few!). Usually I can tell if a web-site has my 'fingerprints' on it though!

Secondly, in these days of instant internet updates – most books are out-dated before they are printed, with every small Queen detail being shared almost live as it happens. Sadly it is this immediacy which has left the Old Queen Fan Club in such a negative position.


- Do you remember your first collective item? Do you still have it?

Ah yes. The UK 7” single Seven Seas of Rhye – bought simply for the unreleased B-side See What a Fool I’ve Been. (I already had a copy of the UK 7” Keep Yourself Alive). A little later, I discovered that Queen had actually released I Can Hear Music under the pseudonym of 'Larry Lurex'. I back-ordered that disc from my local record shop, (there were no huge mega-stores in those days), and received it about a week later. It cost me c65p (c0.96 Euros). After that I too had wait for 'Sheer Heart Attack' like everyone else. I still have those singles, in their original wine EMI sleeves, with the huge EMI logo on the disc – Happy days!


- What would be your advice for amateur collectors?

Keep out of my way!

Seriously, look under every stone, and kiss a lot of frogs. Look in places – not thought suitable. Car boot sales, jumble sales, garage sales, fire sales, second-hand shops. It’s like panning for gold – a lot of dirty back-breaking work, for minimal return. Then of course, there is always e-bay!


- Sometimes it seems that collecting isn't as respected as other fields. Do you think it's because people ignore how difficult is to be an elite collector or because there are very few people relying on it as sole source of income rather than a non-profitable hobby?

I never collect anything for money. I have always collected because I enjoy the hunt, and/ or I enjoy the final product. The problems for those entering the new world of collecting are many. Items are too expensive and vastly over-priced. Why pay £2,000 for a Bohemian Rhapsody, when you can download from the internet for free? Besides, once upon a time, people were forced to collect (for example) Roger Taylor’s I Wanna Testify – or else they did not hear it. But for me, nothing beats the sexiness of owning an original item.


- Internet is in most ways a double-edged sword. It provides thieves with more useful tools and a much wider range of people to rip-off, but at the same time offers collectors to interact with each other easier. Do you think the gains are worth the losses?

Yes I do. Thieves can only rip-off the gullible. Most sensible collectors know that the real gems do not fall from trees – and give the dishonest dealers a wide berth.


- What do you think about currently available books on Queen?

Regurgitated tripe. They all re-hash the same stories – without checking sources. What it needs is a definitive biography from the inside – from the people who were there - rather than another out-siders ill-informed interpretation.


- It seems that elite collectors tend to work apart from people connected with the band. Is it a matter of habit (you're either in one side or the other, not both) or egotism from either one of the sides?

Just accident. To be honest some of the insiders you talk about do not know what they own – let alone know what they are doing. I just feel that anything official can be censored, edited, lost or erased. Real collectors collect mistakes, outtakes and all sorts of material the band would rather forget about or deny exist. Insiders must tow the party line – for fear of their livelihoods. Independents do not suffer from that paranoia, and with that freedom, can be a bit more critical.


- Which celebrities have you met through the years?

Freddie's mum. I kissed her on the back of the hand. She really was a genuinely nice old lady.


- It's quite obvious that most documentaries and reissues could be a hundred percent better if the ones producing them were humble enough to ask outside experts and collectors to contribute. One side's got the resources; the other's got the sources. What's the problem?

Laziness and cost. Why pay £1,000 to make a good product – when you can release tat for peanuts? The profit margins are bigger. Who cares if fans are ripped-off? Everything bows to the great god of money.


- What would you like to see in upcoming Queen webs and books?

New material. 'The Complete Queen recording Sessions' by an expert like Mark Lewisohn. His 'Complete Beatles Recording Session' is both seminal and inspirational. Besides, Mark is a real author and has his way with words.


- Going back to the "official vs unofficial" bit, it seems that fans from elite bands such as Queen and Beatles have proved to do better works than their counterparts. In the case of Queen, it seems reinforced by some brilliant emerging websites this year (queencuttings, queenarchives, queenautographs). Do you think it's the beginning of a new era where people may be able to trust non-connected sources instead of lazy grumpy liars?

That is a double edged sword: Yes and No. Let’s look at Queenzone. When asked for information, I replied that I knew about Bohemian Rhapsody out-takes. I do not own these, so I can not sell – or produce copies. Yet, I was called a liar. So I think the more unofficial sources grow – the more they can be refuted by officialdom. Certainly with the passage of time, the truth of such stories will either be confirmed or denied – as if these out-takes ever appeared (even unofficially) they could no longer be denied.


- The mix-competition is a very generous and interesting project you've encouraged, but it's not the first and certainly not the last. Would you consider supporting theoretical upcoming ambitious projects such as documentaries or a Queen museum?

Yes, I would. I want to hear more Queen. Different Queen. I mean what is the point of another Radio Ga Ga mix, when an inventive fan has created a Play the Game orchestral version – which actually sounds very good? I would love to get hold of Gary Mullen (The Freddie Mercury sound-alike) and have him karaoke to versions of Smells Like Teen Spirit, Crazy or Angels. I know he is not Freddie, but it would give us a flavour of what Freddie may have sounded like on some of the great songs which were written after his death. Why his management have never come up with such an idea – I do not know. He could call his disc 'Smells Like Freddie Mercury' – lol!!!


- You've certainly faced loads of aversion and offences by many, quite often out of jealousy. Is that side of collecting harder to cope with than getting rare acetates?

No: I am a very rare person myself. My privacy protects me. After all, it’s only a few words on the internet. Life could be much worse. I guess I do get upset, but then I see orphaned babies in Rumania on TV. So what – someone thinks or calls me an arse. They do not know me. All they are really calling an arse is a few words on a screen, or, disagreeing with my last e-mail. They can not disagree with me as a person because of the privacy I protect myself with.


- What would you regard as the biggest hoax in Queen collecting world?

The "release" of the one-channelled mono-mixes as demo tracks. I still see things like the left channel of Misfire being uploaded or sold as a genuine demo, when in fact it is no more than the stereo track – missing the right sided material.


- How did you get into Queen music?

I first heard Queen on the radio. Who knows – it may have even been one of the first Queen BBC sessions. Even now, I get shivers down my spine when I hear the opening riff of Keep Yourself Alive… great stuff! In those days Queen was an 'alternative' band – respectable to listen to. Now, they are seen as more mainstream – a bit like Abba or Madonna.


- Besides Queen do you own enviable collections of any other acts?

No. But I do like acts like the 'Beatles' and 'Led Zeppelin'– the rarest material I have is the studio bootleg stuff. I really like listening to how a track was developed or evolved. Two of my favourite examples of this are Strawberry Fields Forever and Stairway to Heaven. Many early takes have been released on both CD and the internet, and it is really fascinating to listen to how both tracks evolved. It is a pity that Queen has not allowed this sort of material to escape – or be legally published. I would love to hear the demos of Love Of My Life or Bohemian Rhapsody and follow those tracks through their various stages of development. (If anyone has those – please get in touch!).


- Any Queen lyric that particularly affected you?

I was really affected by the part in the 'Highlander' when Connor sits by his dying wife – Heather, (I think Paul McCartney also stole that story), but then again Who Wants To Live Forever is a rather special song. It was one of the first songs I heard after the news Freddie died, so I too shed a silent tear. However, for sheer beauty, nothing beats Love of My Life, that really is a special love song. As a heterosexual, it is still difficult for me to believe that it was written by one man for another man, but in my mind, it was written especially by Freddie for my wife and I.


- Any Queen-related person that particularly affected you?

None. I do not know any of the band personally, so everyone else is immaterial really. I do know Tim Staffell and Barry Mitchell – and they are both lovely people. I admire their honesty and integrity. Of the outer circle, I found Jim Jenkins both a very genuine and gentle man.


- Which album would you like to see issued in DTS?

Without doubt 'Queen II', followed closely behind by 'Sheer Heart Attack' and 'A Day at the Races'. I would also love to hear the Queen Debut album. So fresh – so full of ideas and energy. So alive. But I guess low sales would prevent the Queen Debut album ever being released in this format.


- If offered, would you take a job running a music-related programme on radio or telly?

No. I am really happy with my life, and what I do. I also love where I live. The remoteness, the beauty, the serenity. I hate big cities, I hate crowds, and I hate the fat-paced rat-racing. It’s just not me either. I am too laid back for that sort of life-style. However, Ego suggests I would like to take part in a programme – but after the fifteen minutes of fame – I would be happy to leave and return home to my beautiful wife and a glass of wine.