Seraphiel´s blog: Meeting Peter Straker and Mike Moran

It´s been several years since I have met Kashmira Cooke, Freddie´s sister. Nothing else this enormous has occured since then until last night, 23rd November 2019. As soon as I found out these two people are coming over, I didn´t hesitate to buy a ticket. Peter Straker and Mike Moran were the ones. I have known Peter to be one of the closest Freddie´s friends, belonging to the private circle. You could see him pretty much everywhere in the photos from the last years of Freddie´s life. They also colaborated on many music projects, Freddie usually producing Peter´s work and sometimes appearing as a backing vocalist. They have had much fun together, both being very loud, vivacious and never boring. Mike Moran, on the other note, produced Freddie´s famous piece of art, Barcelona. The event I went to was held in Barča, an old underground club in my city. I met Pavel, my best friend from old times and we both went to see what´s all the fuss about.
I was exited to be there with others, some of them familiar to me from previous years of working for Queen fan club, plus I haven´t really seen my friend for past 5 years. We sat under the stage next to a lovely couple from Moravia, whom we made friends with. Then the usual happened. Karel invited Peter Straker onstage, followed by Mike Moran. The usual sort of boring questions like how they´ve met and how they viewed Freddie. I wasn´t as much interested in all these FAQ, but more so interested in this magic persona on stage, Peter Straker. He was now around 70 years old, fragile looking but grandiose and elegant, wearing black outfit from head to toe and being adorned with pearl necklace of some sorts. His gestures were pompous and as though cut out from some old movie of Greta Garbo. I loved him immediately. What a charming, fascinating man. The most beautiful moment was when he got up to sing Love of My life, accompanied by Mike Moran on the piano. I have never heard a voice so moving before. So profoundly hypnotising. So devastatingly sad. He left me speechless. And his gestures and movements were those of an artist from the musical stages of this world, so accustomed to the big audiences. He used to sing in THÉ HAIR musical, which was obviously one of the most successful stage productions of all times. And the piano of Mike…it was a match made in heaven. These two guys were joking, frolicking and messing around like two sweet kids, who were really happy in each other´s presence. You could tell they loved and admired one another like no one else. Just old time buddies, having one special friend in common. Mike Moran introduced a video projection of Freddie singing TIME musical, which he laboriously worked on. After this projection and several more questions by Karel, Peter went off backstage to have a drink (as he joked), while Mike was accompanying Giordano Petrini from Dutch band by name of Miracle,who sang Time as well. After the stage appearance, when both guys went backstage, many people including me and Pavel rushed towards the side entrance and changing rooms to catch a glimpse of these two guys and prepared papers and photos to have them autographed. This turned out to be a total disaster, because lot of people squeezed in a small corridor and kept blocking a way out for the others to enter. Poor Peter and Mike were swallowed by immense crowd, doing their best to sign all handed materials. I got to Peter as well and his bodyguard (or whoever he was, but was by Peter´s side all the time) took a photo of us together just in a moment when Peter looks into the camera with a complete horror in his face. I think it´s the funniest picture I´ll ever have. After this we were pushed out by organisers as it somehow went out of control. The Miracle band started to play onstage and from what I noticed, they were playing mostly songs from Queen´s first album. At this stage, we met Karel (the main organiser of the event and my old time friend), who told us that Peter and Mike are actually signing autographs again in the corner of the room. So we had another chance to get autograph and take a picture with them both. Mike was so sweet when I took a photo with him. He put his face close to mine, cheek on cheek. It was such a lovely gesture. Peter posed with me as well, but we never had a chance to talk much, as there was a queue of people wanting the same. Later on, when I posted my photos on instagram, I got a response from Peter´s bodyguard, apologizing for the terrible shot and saying we can make it up in London. Our Moravian friend, who were actually staying in the same hotel with Moran and Straker, texted me late at 2 am, that they are in the hotel bar sitting with them and the band by one table, but feeling regretful that they don´t speak any English. Well, if I was there, I´m sure I would talk and talk…and never left for bed. Once again, it was very magical night and I´m so grateful to you Freddie, for all those beautiful people you keep bringing into my life. I was counting them all and I realized I have already met 6 of your best friends. Barbara, Jim, Phoebe, Kashmira, Peter and Mike. I´m so blessed! Now, who is next? I wonder, dear Freddie...