Queen drummer Roger Taylor is planning on installing a 20 foot high bronze statue of Freddie Mercury in the garden of his Surrey home.
Originally created to promote Queen’s hugely successful We Will Rock You musical, the statue was located outside London’s Dominion Theatre from 2002 until the end of the production’s West End run on May 31, 2014. After which Taylor swooped in to claim the piece for himself.
“I said to Phil McIntyre, the [show’s] producer, Where’s the statue?,” Taylor recalled to Classic Rock writer Dave Everley. “And he said, ‘Oh, it's in a warehouse.’ I said, Is that costing money?' He said, 'Yeah, it's costing… whatever’, so I said, Why don't they just put it on a lorry and bring it here and we'll put it in the garden.”
Asked to confirm a rumour that his plan didn’t meet with the approval of his long-time Queen colleague Brian May, Taylor said, “I think he was pissed off that he hadn’t thought of it!”
According to The Sun, Taylor has now lodged a planning application with Guildford Borough Council to officially re-house the statue, as part of an overhaul of the gardens of his 18th century home, to include a pool house, bar and jacuzzi. Council members will vote on the application next month. So far there have been no objections to the plan from the drummer’s neighbours.
“I think Freddie would have found it hilarious,” says Taylor.
All at Classic Rock wish Mr Taylor well with his plans.
