Freddie Mercury Channel Debuts Archival Clips Around ‘Mr. Bad Guy’ Reissue

2025 marks the 40th anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s debut solo album, Mr Bad Guy. Alongside a previously announced vinyl reissue of the record, the Freddie Mercury Youtube channel is celebrating this milestone with the re-release of a 1985 interview given to journalist David Wigg in support of the album’s initial release. The first two parts of this three-part mini series are available to watch now.

The newly-shared second episode focuses on Freddie’s approach to songwriting, and shows viewers an intimate look into the mind of an oft-enigmatic frontman. Wigg opens the clip by asking if songwriting comes easy to Mercury, who lights a cigarette and takes a moment to consider his answer. “The actual structure of the melody comes easy to me,” he concludes, “it’s the lyrical content I find hard.”

In his opinion, “I’m not a poet and I hate writing lyrics anyway. I wish somebody else could do it.” He then cheekily adds, “I wish I had a Bernie Taupin,” referring to Elton John’s songwriting partner, “but I’m not like that. I like to do it all myself, I’m a greedy bitch.”

Freddie continues by asserting his songs always come back to timeless emotions. “I’d love to write songs about something totally different,” he explains, “but they all seem to end up in a very emotional and tragic way. Maybe I’m a very tragic person. I don’t know why, but there’s an element of humour at the end. I’m a very loving person, you know.”

Wigg draws the conclusion that Freddie’s songs reflect the state of his life, and the singer concurs: “I’m a man of extremes, you know? [I] change from day to day, like a chameleon. Each day is very different to me. I look forward to that. I don’t want to be the same person every day.”

Reflecting on the interview in 2025, Wigg shared: “He was very keen to make Mr. Bad Guy because he had a selection of songs he felt wouldn’t have worked with Queen… He wrote some wonderful songs that were full of both pain and beauty for that album, songs like ‘Made in Heaven.’”

Speaking of “Made in Heaven,” the clip concludes with Wigg asking Mercury if he believed he was going to get to heaven. “No, I don’t want to,” Freddie declares, quipping, “hell is much better. Look at the interesting people that you’re going to meet down there.”

Order the 40th anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s Mr Bad Guy now.