May 9th, 1977
"So, what can you tell us about your upcoming single, 'Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy'?" The perky, American reporter demanded, her flawless face emitting a bright smile despite the chilly downpour of July rain. The camera panned to reveal the assembled band, all looking cool and collected as they gathered on the London street, the subject of multiple photographers. The girl shushed her assembled court of bridesmaids, hair stylists, and makeup artists as she noted their presence on the flickering hotel televeision screen, scrambling to the comfort of the sofa with her over-filled glass of wine for a better view, Chrissie and Veronica hot on her heels, giggling like a pack of hyper schoolgirls.
"Finally, it's on" Veronica squealed, as she climbed over the back of the sofa to sit besides Victoria.
"Brian told me Roger had a face like thunder throughout this entire interview" Chrissie prattled, as the camera zoomed in on Freddie, the designated spokesperson of the group. The girl shushed them both, her eyes becoming glued to the televsion screen as the hired hairdresser began brushing out her pristine curls.
"Well, it's about a good, old fashioned lover boy, darling, that's pretty much all there is to it" Freddie deadpanned, confusing the American with his blunt, British nature. Brian jumped in before the silence could become too prolonged.
"What Freddie means to say is, you guys will have to wait until the single is released to experience the true magic of it" Brian explained diplomatically. Freddie playfully glared at him, infuriated as he always was when Brian tried to explain what he meant.
"I don't know why we are talking about the album like it isn't bloody out already" Freddie huffed, folding his arms with a dramatic pout. "Just because the song hasn't officially been released as a single, it doesn't mean the fans can't listen to it yet. In fact, it should be the first thing they hear when they turn on their bloody vinyl players, if they have any sense at all".
"Well, what can you tell us about the song-writing process?" The reporter intevened, a little hastily, before a petulant argument could break out between the band members. The camera panned back to the American, but not before showing a gloomy, frowining Roger clad in a white, fur coat despite the summer months, lounging against a heavy-set iron gate. The girls instantly burst into a fit of wine-induced laughter at the blondes surly expression.
"Gosh, Brian was right, he really does have a face like thunder" Veronica tittered between bursts of laughter.
"God, I knew he was jealous that we got to spend your hen night here, in Greece, whilst he had to settle for hosting his stag night in London, but there's no need for him to look that miserable" Chrissy chuckled. Victoria shook her head fondly, as she impatiently waited for her agitated love to return to the silver screen.
"It was actually Freddie who wrote the song, although when he first started using the phrase 'good old-fashioned lover boy', it was a quip at Roger's expense rather than a song idea" Brian began to explain. "It's quite interesting, really, because a lot of the fans thing the song is about Freddie's dating experience, but it's actually about Roger's" Roger looked even more infuriated than he had done previously. The camera only focused on his darkening visage for a split second, before returning to Freddie, who was now clutching at the American's microphone.
"Well, I'd been working on the song for almost two years by the time we started recording it, although very on and off. The sort of sing-song 'ooh, love, ooh, lover boy' actually started as a little quip at Roger over here during our 1975 tour of America" Freddie started, as Victoria's eyes glazed over, becoming lost in the memory. "We were on tour with Roger's pregnant girlfriend at the time, and the man was so ecstatic to be a father, he was bending over backwards to her every little whim. Truly, he treated like a queen. I think I found something deeply poetic and romantic in that, and only wanted to congralate him on his devotion, but I think my meaning was lost in translation; Roger took my flamboyant singing to an entire diner of 'ooh, lover boy' every time he did the slightest thing for this girl to be mocking, for some reason, and his overreaction caused the joke to stick with the band for the rest of the tour" Veronica and Chrissie laughed, as audiences all over the world doubtlessly were, at the bands mocking of the drummer. Victoria and Roger had captured popular imagination somewhat, at least in the rock world, and not long after Freddie started his taunting of Roger, the press had lightheartedly joined in. For every high-glamour event Victoria and Roger were pictured at, at least one snap would end up in the papers the following morning of Roger holding a door for her, or pulling out her chair at an awards show, or walking barefoot so she could abandon her heels in favour of his shoes by the end of the night. One newspaper had even dubbed Roger 'the biggest simp in rock history', much to the drummers ire.
