Who Owns a Celebrity? What the Freddie Mercury Auction Taught Us
The logic behind memorabilia collections has never been so clear.

Freddie Mercury’s Personal Collection on display at Sotheby’s London.
Freddie Mercury’s Personal Collection on display at Sotheby’s London.Photographer: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Europe
By James Tarmy
9 September 2023 at 17:30 GMT+5:45

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It’s never, ever a good idea to read semi-anonymous internet comments, but as I watched the Freddie Mercury auction live stream on YouTube on Wednesday, I couldn’t help myself.

It’s not that the rolling chat alongside the video was filled with particularly bilious, cruel or funny commentary. I found it kind of mesmerizing that the relentless consensus of self-professed Queen fans-slash-experts was that they knew what Freddie would have wanted, and he did not want this. Never mind that the auction was being consigned by Mercury’s closest friend, Mary Austin, who presumably has a clearer sense of his wishes than the anonymous public.