“I’ve just been on a rally in France, to the Pyrenees,” says Roger Taylor. “I was driving a Mercedes-AMG convertible, but it was so bloody hot I couldn’t have the top down.” MOJO speaks to the esteemed Queen drummer as he relaxes near Cannes. His song I’m In Love With My Car climbed to number one as B-side pillion passenger to Bohemian Rhapsody – and Roger clearly still adores automobiles. He’s chatting on the back of his new solo album, Violence Insane In A Beautiful World, a multifaceted mix of positivity, ire and a Zulu-language choir – plus a dream where Queen Elizabeth II listens to Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks.

The track A Beautiful World evokes the world’s wonder but concludes, “Don’t fuck it up.” Is that the essential plain-speaking Roger?

I think so, yeah. It’s a simple philosophy. It really is a beautiful world, so don’t fuck it up, which we seem to be doing a lot of.

This track features South Africa’s Ndlovu Youth Choir, who you discovered via their 2025 Zulu-language version of Bohemian Rhapsody.

I love them – incredible musicality. As soon as you hear them you just think, Africa! They sing so beautifully, with the clicking [the click consonants occurring in southern African languages], and certainly they raised the bar [with the album] in general. I think Freddie would’ve loved the joyousness, because he was mad about gospel. He would’ve loved this African version of that.

The song Chump addresses “a one-man calamity”.

That’s about him, the orange man-baby. What a truly dreadful thing he is – a tumour on the back of America, enriching himself at the same time as completely undermining everything that America’s supposed to stand for, the ‘Land Of The Free’. I can’t think of words bad enough for him.

You cover John Lennon’s Jealous Guy, which Roxy Music took to Number 1 after his death. Why now?

I didn’t think they [Roxy Music] really did it justice. I was on Jools Holland’s show and he asked if I wanted to sing a song and that’s what we came up with. I’ve always absolutely loved that song – one of the great ballads, so heartfelt. It should be done straight, so I’ve just done it with a piano.

Which Queen track made the most difference to you personally?

The obvious answer is Bohemian Rhapsody because it brought us to another level. One I enjoyed an awful lot was Under Pressure. I loved working with David Bowie, because 
he was… fantastic, so fascinating. It was started in Switzerland in our studio there and then we went over to New York and David and I, basically, finished it at the Power Station over a long weekend, in between watching Wimbledon. We mucked around in the studio – we used to cover Cream songs, just for fun. We did N.S.U. and I Feel Free. They’re probably on tape somewhere.

Your song I’m In Love With My Car was the B-side of Bohemian Rhapsody. That meant mechanical royalties.

I did believe in Bohemian Rhapsody. I thought it was an extraordinary song and I was just happy to get myself on the B-side. But that was the first considerable amount of money I had, because we weren’t rich in those days. I was able to get rid of my mortgage, which was such a great thing to be able to do.

You still love your car(s). But, in a save-the-world mode, do you ever echo Freddie on Fat Bottomed Girls and “Get on your bikes and ride”?

(Laughs) I do have an e-bike but the roads are so bloody dangerous.

Tell us something you’ve never told an interviewer before.

Touring with Mott The Hoople was very special for us, because they were great and we really got on. [Queen supported Mott in the UK and US in 1973 and 1974]. Every night we used to sing backing, unbeknownst to the audience, to All The Young Dudes. After that touring [Mott frontman] Ian Hunter asked me over to his house and said he was thinking of starting a new band. It would have been Hunter Ronson Taylor. I was very flattered, but I just said, I’m sorry, I love my band, so it never happened.

Violence Insane In A Beautiful World is released on September 18 on Columbia.

This interview features in the latest issue of MOJO. Starring: The Beatles! David Bowie! Johnny Marr! Joy Division! Wishbone Ash! Kate & Anna McGarrigle! Beastie Boys Mike D! Beck! Phoebe Bridgers! The Mary Wallopers and a more! More info and to order a copy for delivery wherever you are HERE!

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