Historical Roasts season 1, episode 2 recap: Freddie Mercury

Episode 2 of Netflix series, Historical Roasts looks at (and roasts) the complicated legacy of one of rock’s greatest singers and musicians: Freddie Mercury!

This episode of Historical Roasts could have begun predictably, but Freddie Mercury seems to deserve something special. In fact, roast master Jeff Ross busts out some tasty (albeit rudimentary) guitar licks, much to the crowd’s surprise. It’s always nice to see people showcase unexpected talents, and this roast definitely has a talented group of jokesters. There’s Freddie Mercury (James Adomian) himself, the late, great lead singer and pianist for Queen.

Interestingly, Kurt Cobain (Nikki Glaser) also makes an appearance, as does Princess Diana (Fortune Feimster). Of course, the biggest roaster (other than Ross) has to be David Bowie (Seth Green), who famously sang “Under Pressure” with Mercury. Of course, some of the jokes are likely to be offensive to sensitive viewers — but that’s sort of what happens during a roast, and often in comedy in general, right?

Jeff Ross

Ross’s jokes are a strong highlight to Historical Roasts, and this episode is no different. Ross addresses everything from Mercury’s teeth to his real name (“Farrokh Bulsara”), adding that he doesn’t use his actual last name, either. Another quirk of Freddie is his 4 additional teeth, which obviously lead to a few jokes. Ross also discusses interesting historical aspects of Mercury’s life, such as his family’s fleeing the Zanzibar Revolution, finding a home in Middlesex, England. Mercury also had a job at an airport, and was even a shoe salesman (supposedly gifting a young David Bowie with suede boots). Ross stresses that he never cared much about Mercury’s sexuality either way, and mostly avoids the topic. Perhaps the funniest joke by Ross is the simplest, when he jokes about Queen being Freddie Mercury, Brian May and “the other guy.”

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Kurt Cobain

Looking a bit more feminine than usual, Cobain begins with the joke: “I’m a little nervous, my head is all over the place.” So, oddly enough, Lady Cobain offers some of the darkest jokes in this entire episode, also not sparing Lady Di. Apparently, Cobain is there partly because the Nirvana singer mentioned Freddie in his suicide note. Cobain also insults Pearl Jam and suggests Foo Fighters are more popular than Nirvana (which may be one of the most offensive claims in the episode). In other words, Cobain doesn’t hold back, which is exactly what you’d expect with Historical Roasts.

Princess Diana/Mary Austin

After joking about eating disorders, Diana brings up some interesting facts about the UK. For example, homosexuality was a crime there until 1967. When Princess Diana was alive, she used her position in society partly to change attitudes about gay people, and also those with AIDS. She was also close to Freddie Mercury. Here she says, “I may have been the people’s princess, but you were my queen.”

It’s also apparent that Mercury’s sexuality and personal life may have been complicated. By many accounts, he was actually bisexual, having a common law marriage to a woman named Mary Austin (Charlotte McKinney). There’s much debate on this topic (as Historical Roasts also makes clear), but it’s safe to say one thing: Even if their relationship wasn’t particularly sexual, they were still very close, at least bordering on romance.

David Bowie and Freddie Mercury

There’s the obligatory joke about cocaine when Bowie appears, and he’s quick to ask why Kurt Cobain’s there to begin with. Other topics include Princess Diana being upper class, as well as Mercury’s “donkey teeth.” When Mercury himself takes the mic, what better way than to belt out his response in song form? However, much to the style of the actual man, the tone is decidedly uplifting, making light of sexuality in general.

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While this episode definitely has some darker tones, it’s safe to say it ends on some high notes, reminding us why Mercury is a celebrated figure and iconic. Indeed, he (and other singers like Judas Priest’s Rob Halford) remind us that rock music can unify people of all different backgrounds, regardless of a singer’s sexuality. Oh, and this episode’s pretty funny, too.

What do you think of Historical Roasts? Let us know in the comments!

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