20 December 2023 , 20:36
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Noddy Holder recalled the conversation he once had with Queen frontman Freddie Mercury when he told the late singer he was 'never going to be a pop star.'
In a rare TV appearance, the 77-year-old rock legend opened up about meeting Freddie before he was famous. During his rock music years, Holder visited the singer while he was working at a clothing stall in Kensington Market. There, the pair had a brief interaction where Freddie opened up about his aspirations to one day become a well-known music icon.
Speaking on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, Noddy debunked the myth that he'd purchased his infamous mirror hat from Freddie, saying that he bought the eccentric fashion accessory from another clothing stall. However, the star admitted Freddie had sold him other items including shirts, with the duo later becoming good friends. The music star was known for the elaborate outfits he wore on stage during the 70s.
"I made the top hat with mirrors. I bought the hat in Kensington Market. You know people think I bought it off Freddie Mercury. But I went to Kenny Market [to get it]. Freddie used to have a stall there, him and Roger from Queen selling shirts and paraphernalia" he said.
Noddy Holder opened up about his friendship with the late singer (Getty Images)
Freddie Mercury tragically died at the age of 45 (Getty Images)"I went down to Kenny Market because I used to buy shirts off him, and Freddie used to say to me, ‘Noddy darling I’m going to be a big pop star like you one day’. I said ‘Get off Freddie’, in more colourful language.‘Go on Freddie. You’re never going to be a pop star’… He showed me, didn’t he?”
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He continued, “Anyway two stalls down they used to sell old Victorian memorabilia and I bought the top hat there and stuck my own mirrors on and it became the famous icon of the glam rock era.”
It comes after the singer recently told the BBC about the real source of inspiration behind Slade’s festive 1973 hit ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’. He told the news website: "I went to the local pub in Wolverhampton and went back to my mum and dad’s after and I sat up all night with a bottle of whisky and wrote the total lyrics that night,” he explained.
Holder also said it was the “hardest song we ever had to record” after drummer Don Powell narrowly escaped death in a car crash earlier that year and had to re-learn his instrument.
In 2018, the rock legend was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and told he only had a few months to live. Speaking out about his diagnosis, he admitted: "I was more worried for my missus and my kids and my grandkids than I was for me," he said. "I do live life day to day, and I thought well I've done a lot of good stuff in my life, I've had a lot of fun if the end is within sight in six months I'll see it through."
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