Skip to main content

Bohemian Rhapsody DUI: Man Serenades Cops in Police Car

By Andrew Chow, Esq. on March 30, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy for 29-year-old Robert Wilkinson? The Canadian crooner is getting his six minutes of fame, as his drunken rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" following a DUI arrest has gone viral.

Wilkinson, of Edson, Alberta, first tells Royal Canadian Mounted Police he is not "sort of intoxicated, as you proclaim" in the video taken inside a police cruiser on Nov. 27, Canada's National Post reports.

Moments later, Wilkinson begins belting out the epic Queens tune, barely missing a beat -- despite his apparent inebriation, and the song's famously abrupt changes in tone and tempo.

Robert Wilkinson's "Bohemian Rhapsody" DUI video shows the bearded Freddie Mercury wannabe, who was not handcuffed, enthusiastically gesturing, air-guitaring, air-drumming, and pounding on the window that separates him from his arresting Mounties.

Wilkinson also expertly "na-na's" and "bah-bah-bah's" the song's extended instrumental interludes. He less-expertly tries to reach the song's high notes before an officer finally interrupts him.

"Sir, calm down," the officer says.

"I can't," Wilkinson replies before breaking back into song: "'Cause nothing really matters / Anyone can see / Nothing really matters ... even the RCMP!" You can watch his entire rendition here:

Lest you think the video was uploaded for police to embarrass Wilkinson, it was actually Wilkinson himself who posted it online, for friends to share, the National Post reports.

Wilkinson received the video as part of an evidence disclosure package for his DUI case, in which he is representing himself. (Here are some questions to consider if you're also considering self-representation.) Wilkinson has pleaded not guilty.

It's not clear how Robert Wilkinson intends to use his "Bohemian Rhapsody" DUI video in his defense. His court date is set for November.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard