Had things gone differently, Roger Taylor could have been the drummer for a very different hit
band. Though if that had happened, he might have never been involved in that stamp scandal.
Wait, stamp scandal? You heard that right. This is the untold truth of Queen's Roger Taylor.
All the members contributed to writing Queen songs either by themselves or together with other
members of the band. Roger Taylor was responsible for quite a few tracks, some of which were
considered Queen's greatest hits. In an interview with Modern Drummer, Taylor revealed that he
wasn't a good songwriter at first, and that he honed his writing skills by listening to and
watching other artists. Admittedly, he said the first few songs that he wrote were not that good.
One of the songs Roger penned was "I'm in Love with My Car," which, as Song Facts reports,
is supposed to be an ode to his friend, roadie John Harris.
Another popular Queen song Taylor wrote was "Radio Ga Ga." It was inspired by his toddler Felix,
who uttered the words "radio ca-ca" upon hearing a song on the radio that he disliked.
Roger Taylor was also responsible for penning "These Are the Days of Our Lives." The song
is quite mellow compared to Taylor's other tunes, and it would end up having an iconic music video,
as it was the last one Freddie Mercury recorded before his death. Songs he completely wrote by
himself for the band are "Sheer Heart Attack" and "Fight from the Inside."
The four members of Queen studied in university while making music,
and they all earned their degrees, which is an impressive feat for those serious
about being musicians. Mercury had a graphic design and illustration degree.
"I went through art college, and I was going to be a graphics illustrator,
you know. I could paint and do that."
Meanwhile, John Deacon graduated with honors and earned an electronics degree,
while Brian May has a degree in physics and is an astrophysicist.
Though Taylor became passionate about music at an early age, he never let his education suffer.
He finished high school with three advanced level qualifications in physics, chemistry,
and biology. But according to Queen World, he decided to study dentistry after consulting with
his teachers. Taylor initially studied at the London Hospital Medical College with a course
in dentistry. However, he became bored and decided to switch to another course. In an interview with
Modern Drummer, Taylor admitted that he didn't attend classes very often, but nevertheless,
he was able to graduate. He finished his studies with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.
Genesis was an English progressive rock band formed in the late 1960s. They had
different members throughout their history, including Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins.
And during Queen's earlier years, members of Genesis approached Roger Taylor and
invited him to the studio to listen to their recordings.
In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock,
Roger Taylor said that although the band didn't outright ask him about joining the group,
he had a hunch that's what they wanted since their drummer had recently left. So they went
to the studio to listen to some music and then went to a pub afterward. Taylor told the outlet:
"They're all lovely people, but I didn't really get the music,
to be honest. It was a bit too prog for me." Roger Taylor decided to stick with Queen,
even though they hadn't reached worldwide success back then,
and Phil Collins took over as Genesis' drummer soon after.
In 1999, the Royal Mail released a collection of 100 stamps with a theme focusing on 1,000
years of British history. One of the stamps in the collection is an ode to Freddie Mercury. The image
depicted the Queen frontman in one of their live performances, with Roger Taylor visible behind his
set of drums. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the stamp caused controversy, as
many did not agree that Mercury should have been honored, calling the stamp "vulgar." Additionally,
a columnist for the Daily Mail attacked Mercury, saying he lived a, quote, "degenerate lifestyle."
Roger Taylor was also caught in the crossfire, as it was a known rule
that only royals are allowed to be put on stamps while they are still living.
Although Taylor wasn't the focus of the stamp, many people argued that he should not have
appeared there at all. Amid the backlash, the Royal Mail issued a statement saying,
"Every stamp is approved by the queen, including this one,
which was also given the consent of Freddie Mercury's family and by Mr. Taylor."
In 2020, the Royal Mail honored Queen on their 50th anniversary
with a special collection consisting of 13 stamps.
Roger Taylor seems to want to have a reminder of his friend Freddie Mercury,
which is why he chose to place a statue of him in his garden.
"He was the face of our band, the visual focus, and the poor guy had all the fame."
The 20-foot bronze statue was used as a promotional piece for the musical "We Will Rock
You." It originally stood at the entrance of the Dominion Theatre in London for more than a decade.
The statue was moved to a warehouse in 2014, so Roger decided to give it a new home — that is,
his home. When asked about the statue in an interview with the Daily Star, Taylor said,
"[I thought] it would be very funny to have the statue there, and I think
Freddie would have found it hilarious. He would have found it really funny."
As reported by Mirror, both Brian May and Roger performed Queen's music for
the musical We Will Rock You, and the latter amusingly said that Brian may have been angry
that he hadn't thought of claiming the statue for himself. Roger Taylor posted
a photo of the statue in his garden on his Instagram, adding the caption, "old friend."
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