Freddie Mercury loved this town so much, Queen bought the local studio

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? I’m strolling along the shore of Lake Geneva in the Swiss resort town of Montreux, admiring the placid waters, when I see a silhouette of a man next to the path. It’s a statue with arm upraised, the sun behind it.

Freddie Mercury’s statue on Lake Geneva captures the flamboyant singer’s dynamic defiance.Credit:

My eyes adjust to the glare and I see it’s a representation of none other than flamboyant Freddie Mercury, much-loved frontman of British band Queen, whose music was a staple of my youth. It’s a brilliant representation, capturing the late rock star in a dynamic pose: right arm raised with clenched fist, left arm grasping a microphone stand, his jacket with its multiple buckles flying free. But what is it doing here?

Montreux’s connection with Queen is more than skin deep, I’m about to discover, for I’m joining a Freddie tour. This walking tour led by Lucien Muller will take our group along the waterfront, abetted by devices playing film and audio. A highlight is the personal commentary of Peter Freestone, Mercury’s personal assistant for many years.

As we pass grand art nouveau hotels along the lakeshore, Freestone fills us in on the star’s biography: from his birth in Zanzibar to his rise to music stardom in the UK. The connection to Montreux began, we’re told, in 1978, when Queen came to the town to record the album Jazz at the recording studios in the casino. The song Bicycle Race on the album was inspired by Freddie watching a passing stage of the Tour de France.

According to Freestone, Freddie was surprised and delighted by how residents of Montreux would leave him alone rather than bothering him, making it a refuge from overenthusiastic fans.

Pausing at the gleaming modern casino, with its glass and steel exterior, we discover why its recording studio was so up-to-date when Queen recorded there. In 1971, the original building had burnt down after a flare launched during a concert ignited the rattan ceiling. This was a disaster that had a musical silver lining, as the smoke drifting across Lake Geneva inspired visiting band Deep Purple to create the classic Smoke on the Water.

The Queen museum, in the recording studio in the city’s casino, has costumes, photos and other memorabilia.Credit:

Queen liked the new recording studio so much that they bought it in 1979, sealing their connection with Montreux, and recorded several albums there. The space hosts a free museum in honour of Queen, exhibiting costumes, photographs and other band memorabilia. Given how long a fan could spend there, a visit is not included in the walking tour, but we’re encouraged to drop in later.

The tour takes us to the original entrance of the recording studio, where an external wall has become a vast Freddie memorial, with scrawled messages from fans. Taking a red marker pen from our guide, I write a message from Australian fans and remember how huge the music of Queen was when I was growing up in Perth. The love endures on the wall and around the globe.

On the lakefront, we stand on a short pier as Muller points out Freddie’s former apartment on a nearby hillside. Images of the interiors show it was just as colourful as the occupant.

There’s a sad side to this story, of course, as Freddie died in 1991, aged just 45. As we walk back to his statue, the commentary takes us to his final visit to Montreux, and we listen to one of his last recorded songs. It’s very moving, a reminder of both the talent we lost and the great music that remains.

THE DETAILS

TOUR
The standard Freddie Tour takes an hour and costs CHF29 ($50). Extended versions are also available, see freddie-tours.com

FLY & RIDE
Emirates flies via Dubai to Geneva, from which Montreux is an easy train ride. See emirates.com

STAY
Mona is a comfortable hotel overlooking Lake Geneva, from CHF 171 a night. See mona-montreux.ch

MORE
myswitzerland.com, montreuxriviera.com

The writer travelled courtesy of Switzerland Tourism.