Фреди Меркюри. Със свои думи за своя живот

by Greg Brooks, Надежда Розова (Translator)

Текстовете в тази уникална книга, събирани в продължение на 20 години от интервюта и изказвания на Фреди Меркюри, се публикуват за пръв път. По-жив от всякога, завладяващо приковавайки вниманието ви, Фреди разказва за себе си и за „Куийн”. Той се отнася към всяка тема по своя неподражаемо насмешлив и вятърничав начин, както никой друг не би могъл да го стори, но винаги добронамерено и откровено. Това наистина е Фреди Меркюри, представен със собствените му думи... какъв ли не, освен скучен. В никакъв случай скучен!

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, LGBT

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Courtney Streeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prior to starting this book I told myself I would give it an honest star-rating that was not at all influenced by my Freddie Mercury-loving bias. I swear, I did my best. But I loved the book content so much that it really left me with no other choice than to rate it 5 stars...

So, as a self-confessed Queen fanatic, I loved it. The "biography" was very well put together, despite it not actually being Freddie's composition. Thus, the "biography" was more like a series of well-grouped quotes. A lot of research and digging up of interviews has gone into this, which I really respect and love. Some of the content may be a little vague to those who aren't huge Queen/Freddie Mercury fans who have a solid knowledge of the bands' history. For example, something as simple as the band members' names and roles, or the Live Aid concert, or even the artists who played at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert (which of course isn't mentioned because this is a "biography", meaning it represents events during Freddie's life, but I think the knowledge on events such as that one really complement the reading). Another thing I love is the constant name-dropping (cue fan-girling when Phil Collins is mentioned) and the direct references to songs (cue internal CD player). Again, knowledge of Queen and their songs is definitely highly recommended. Heck, even if you're not planning on reading this book the knowledge of Queen and their music is highly recommended. Their music is scientifically proven to improve quality of life.

I love the insight this book gave me into Freddie's mind. It is probably the most personal piece of writing I've been able to find on Freddie. Reading his mum's foreword got me teary - and I hadn't even technically started the book!

Anyway, I've gone off on a complete ramble. If this review doesn't indicate how important Queen and Freddie are in my world then I don't know what will! To sum it up, this is a very well- researched and organised book that I would definitely recommend to any Queen/Freddie fan.

[The Artisan Geek · Rating 5 out of 5]

23/11/19
Had the amazing opportunity to talk to Greg Brooks about the book! Check out the link to listen to our interview :)
----------------INTERVIEW----------------


21/11/19

I loved it. I love Freddie and I miss him.

19/11/19
I love Freddie. That's all for now.

You can find me on
Youtube | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Website

[Lu❤am · Rating 4 out of 5]

La semana pasada vi el biopic Bohemiam Rhapsody (que grandes eran )a raiz de esto me informé de toda su existencia y trágica y dolorosa muerte que pena!han cuidado mucho no hablar de ciertas cosas de su vida privada y se han centrado en su música,más que en la vida disoluta del cantante lo cual me alegro,que no haya predominado el morbo lamentablemente tenía que acabar así☹️.Yo conservaba varios vinilos de mis padres, conocía poco sobre ellos ya que nací en 1990 ,pero no sabía el alcance del talento de este grupo;inconmensurables,inigualables, inimitables.Es por esto que me decidí a leer en principio la biografía contada por él obviamente en su idioma y me he hecho con varios libros más. Desde hace una semana es lo único que escucho en Spotify "Queen"me cuesta tener que dejar el libro por compromisos personales y solo me resta decir que grande eras Freddie Mercury, me he convertido en otra fan, nunca es tarde para descubrir grandes cosas que la vida te pueda deparar y me voy a hacer a ser posible con parte de su discografía. QUEEN FOREVER ❤️

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no criticism for the words of Freddie Mercury himself, but the way this book was put together wasn't that cohesive and because it was taken from lots of different interviews, some parts of it were very repetitive. It was an easy read though, and I found it extremely interesting to read something from Freddie Mercury's own point of view.

[♦♣ queen of faerie ♠♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

AHHHHHH TOO SHORT TOO SHORT


Reading this book just made me fall in love with Freddie and Queen even more.

Has there been a better definition of glam, sass, and incredible talent?

Answer: NO (I will fight you)

Bye I'm off to listen to Queen now.








→4.5 stars

[William Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the best written memoir only because it's not really a memoir. This is a collection of Freddy Mercury interviews very carefully spliced together. It's done masterfully with tedious research and is the closest thing to reading the mind and words of the great Freddy Mercury.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published January 1st, 2006, this book on Freddie Mercury sounded pretty amazing. As I read through it, enjoying hearing about his life in his own words, it eventually did become repetitive. It began to feel like “blah, blah, blah”. It was a good concept I thought, but in execution wasn’t the book I had hoped for as a Freddie Mercury fan. I guess the fact that he’s gone and cannot write his own biography just leaves me sad and wanting the real story from him. Without any middle men just piecing together his interviews.

[Fatemeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I love the fact that I make people happy, in any form. Even if it's just half an hour of their lives, in any way that I can make them feel lucky or make them feel good, or bring a smile to a sour face, that to me is worthwhile."

I'm not old enough to have been there when Queen was the original four. Freddie Mercury passed away before I was even born. However, even about 30 years later, his music is still bringing a smile to people's faces. And I think he would have loved that.

Reading this book was a great experience. I got into Queen after watching the Bohemian Rhapsody movie and I was enthralled. Not only Freddie, but the whole band fascinated me so much that I did what I usually do: I jumped deep into the fandom. Unfortunately, the interviews and videos of them, in general, are very bad quality (they're so old), so I decided to read a book about them to find out more and this book is the first one I picked up. I'll be honest here, I hadn't heard before that Freddie has an autobiography and the words his life in his own words picked my interest.

So, what you need to know about this book is that it is not an autobiography in the usual sense of the world. Freddie Mercury did not write an autobiography. This book is a collection of everything Freddie ever has said about his life and his career in interviews and articles and stuff like that. Literally, his life in his own words.

So, I was a little bummed out about that (read: a lot). And to be honest, the book does get repetitive at times (read: frequently). BUT... but the same reasons that make it annoying are also the ones that make it an amazing book, like...? You're reading Freddie Mercury's words. All of these are what he himself has said.

Now, you may ask 'but Alexxy, isn't that what an autobiography is supposed to be?'. To which I answer, 'Yes. But Freddie never wrote an autobiography, did he?' And this book is not going to be the very detailed, time-stamped biography that one might expect. Considering it's all the things Freddie has talked about there are obviously limitations. But the fact that these are his very own words makes it very unique. Like... I had a giddy and excited feeling throughout the whole book, you know? It just made me feel good, idek

There were also parts where I almost cried. Apparently, Freddie talked a lot about dying young and stuff like that. Seriously, every time I read something like I don't think the band will ever break up. I'll die first or I pray I'll never get AIDS. So many friends have it. Some have died, others won't last much longer. I'm terrified that I'll be next. I teared up every.single.time.

On a lighter note, while I'm here lamenting the death of the great Freddie Mercury, he's out there in hell (at his own request), having fun with all the fun people down there, not giving a damn, so maybe I should move on too?

"When I'm dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance. I don't know how they will remember me. I haven't thought about that -dead and gone. No, I haven't thought about it. I don't really think, 'My God! When I'm dead are they going to remember me?' It's up to them. When I'm dead, who cares? I don't!"

Rating: 3.5 stars

P.S. The movie did Freddie so dirty, just saying.

[Accalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some people have the opinion that there's nothing personal inside this book. They are both right and wrong.

If you want to read this because you're looking for details of his private life: you won't really find it. He doesn't really elaborate about the relationships he's had. You won't find much detail about his private life.

And yet ... this is a treasure chest of information. This book contains his words. His views. He is open but he's himself. So it feels really personal none the less. I would never believe that a book would contain his actual words if it was filled with details of his sexlife or his private life.

Freddie Mercury was frank and flippant but he was private. He gives his honest opinions and it's a true insight into his mind, his heart, his soul.

I have loved this book and I will read it more than once. I believe that a true Freddie Mercury-fan will love this book.

The only thing missing - for me - is that you don't know when he said certain things. The book gives no references, only at the end a summary is given. Maybe the book wouldn't be as fluent if they had to put references by each paragraph. They probably had their reasons but I missed it.

Still: 5 stars because this book delivered exactly what I wanted: true words of a true legend. Insights into the mystery that will never be solved.

[Nigel Carroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disjointed read that repeats itself

Wasn't too impressed with this. Wasnt that enjoyable to read, given the chapters were made up of different conversations had throughout the 70s and 80s. Nothing new really, and repeated itself quite often.

[Fede La Lettrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss you, Freddie 💙

[Natasha Glerup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs. 5 stars <3

[Hannah Klawes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waffled between giving this a three or a four. I think the concept on a whole was a cool idea: it’s all quotes from Freddie Mercury’s interviews but they’re spliced together to make a somewhat cohesive narrative. Most of these interviews I had seen or listened to and it was jarring to see them cut up. I think that taking quotes out of context garbled the meaning of what he was saying a lot of the times. When it was, what questions were asked, who was interviewing, what else he was talking about in the interview, tone of voice, and gestures are all important factors to interpreting his words. There were, however, some interviews that were new to me that were interesting. Also, putting all of his words on a page really makes you realize how intelligent and articulate of a person he was.

I think the concept and organization of this project warranted some more thought, but ultimately it was an interesting read.

[Didka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Лично за мен, това е една от добрите книги за Фреди, не най-добрата, но от добрите! Трудно е да се обхванат всички нюанси от личността на този Велик творец! Тази книга, тъй като е компилация от неговите собствени думи, до голяма степен успява. Книгата ме остави с прекрасно чувство за този необятен талант и красив Човек! Чувство, което ме накара веднага след края й, да си пусна за хиляден път почти цялата дискография на Queen и Фреди!
Обожавам Фреди;
Обожавам музиката му;
Обожавам енергията му!
В тази книга се усеща колко великолепен артист е този човек, колко невероятно чувство за хумор и самоирония има у него, присъщи само на истинските Човеци - тези с голямо "Ч". Една от малкото книги, която ни представя истинския Фреди "зад сцената" - скромен, срамежлив, интелигентен, изключително човечен, земен и добър човек... и толкова самотен. Една от малкото книги, която показва Великият творец, а не "тъпото педерастче, което умря, щото се чукаше на поразия", както пошло се шири като основна тема и се втълпява от повечето книги и филми за Фреди!
Това е книга за Единствения!
За Легендата! За този, който се е посветил на музиката и до последния си дъх твори, въпреки болката, въпреки огромния медиен натиск.
Последният албум на Queen е издаден след смъртта на Фреди и включва последните песни, които той записва, и във всяка една от тях се усеща силата на духа му, жаждата за живот и невероятният оптимизъм! Както Браян Мей казва в едно интервю за албума "Made in Heaven" - "този албум е чиста наслада", като самия Фреди!

We still love you, Freddie darling! ❤

[Melissa Pennucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have become fascinated with Freddie Mercury since falling in love with the film Bohemian Rhapsody. I really enjoyed this book because I could hear Freddie in my mind speaking - it truly is written i his own words. Although at times, some of the excerpts from interviews felt a bit redundant, you could get a sense of exactly what Freddie was feeling at the time he was speaking. He runs through just about every emotion - happiness, gratefulness, sadness, loneliness... he was such an emotionally complex man and a musical genius.

[Aylin Houle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to even begin. No autobiography was written by Freddie Mercury, but this damn well could be called one. 20 years worth of interviews splayed in front of you to read. His own words, his life, his moments. An intimate conversation with an absolute legend. From his childhood all the way to his last few years. His thoughts, his career, his mindset on music and life. All right in front of you to take in. A beautiful man, who was so much more than what he portrayed on stage. Honest, raw, and worth reading.

I leave you with: "The most important thing, darlings, is to live a fabulous life. As long as it's fabulous, I don't care how long it is."-Freddie Mercury

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this isn't an actual biography I gained a lot of insight into who Freddie Mercury was. Comprised of interviews that span 20 years, you read Freddie's no nonsense views on music, his bandmates, fame, love and most importantly himself. In his own words he tells the world he didn't take himself so seriously. He wasn't afraid to admit he and his bandmates didn't always get along. He was a lonely man surrounded by people.
Very interesting read, and I think it might be better than a true biography. What's better than someone's own words to get to know them?

[patri ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

No le doy las cinco estrellas porque no sé cuán verídico es todo lo que "Freddie” nos cuenta en este libro. Supuestamente son entrevistas suyas pero quién sabe.

Lo único que sé, es el alma tan mágica que tuvo y lo poquito que lo disfrutamos.

[Sarah Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freddie in his own words. What could be a better biography than that? I love all the insights and contradictions of himself Freddie expounded upon. All the insights and details of his thought process. He talked so much about how important Queen was to him on so many differing levels throughout his career. And it seems to always come down to how important music was for him.

Aside from having to basically guess what time period he said certain things, which isn’t too hard, I have zero criticism of this compilation into a narrative.

[Yue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, hands down, the best biography/memoir book I've read in my life. And my favorite book too. i loved every quote, every single one. Freddie Mercury was the most interesting and charming performer I had the bad luck to not see -I was a child when he died-. I think this kind of memoir is much, much better than reading a whole "he was born xxx, he went to xxx school"... the way this is narrated, through interviews with Freddie himself over the years, are much more informative and truly shows how he was and what he thought about himself and his beloved Queen. It is true that sometimes it seemed contradictory since quotes are all over the place, one is from his beginning and other is from years later and of course he changed his mind but the essence is still there.

I adore this book. Some songs I didn't know and had to watch it on YT and to see him on stage or just listening to his wonderful voice, ahh, made me so sad :( I don't think only fans of Queen or Freddie should read this... if you are not familiar with some names or places, Google is your best friend.

There are many quotes I would love to share, but honestly, all things he said was quotable.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit emotional for me to read. Freddie Mercury is one of my icons, and the tragedy of his passing touches me very strongly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. To read his own words was an emotional journey for me, and I enjoyed it immensely. I think that there was better editing and compilation to have been done in all honesty. More context and more concise topics may have made for an even more emotional and beautiful story of Freddie Mercury’s life. Still, this book was what it claimed to be: a memoir style compilation of words spoken and written by the famous Freddie Mercury.

For the full review go to my blog: https://beesandbooks.home.blog/2020/0...

[Emma Care · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuando tienes un ídolo sigues su carrera, no te pierdes nada de lo que hizo. Cuando tu ídolo a marcado un época y es una leyenda, como Freddie Mercury, lees todo sobre él, y más cuando he utilizado muchos de sus temas, muchas de sus letras en mis novelas.
En mi caso personal es un ídolo tardío. Me encontró en mi adolescencia y desde aquella no me he separado de él. Leer este libro me supuesto acercarme más a la persona y dejar un poco de lado a la estrella, pues la sinceridad de sus declaraciones lo demuestras, como también su sensibilidad y su timidez.
Me ha encantado como me encanta Freddie.

[RoseAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me awhile to adjust to the style of this book. In the beginning, I found it very stilted and disorienting to have quotes about a common topic grouped together with nothing to make them flow together.

I wished there had been more information about Freddie Mercury's life prior to Queen.

I also wished that the quotes had been credited; who they were spoken to and especially when they were said would have helped immensely to put things in perspective.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading this book about Freddie Mercury. From the chapter titles, the opening quotes on each page of a new chapter to Freddie’s honest words written down in this book , I have found this an intriguing read.
I can hear Freddie saying the quotes when I read them, his character and personality shining through . This wasn’t a goodbye , this was a book that says here I am , don’t forget me .

[Кремена Михайлова · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Що се отнася до любовта, никога не се контролирам и ненавиждам това чувство. Изплакал съм си очите. Външно може и да изглеждам корав, но вътрешно съм мек. Имам твърда мачо черупка, която показвам на сцената, но имам и много по-мека страна, която се топи като масло. Аз съм истински романтик точно като Рудолфо Валентино, макар че някои статии ме представят като студен човек."

[Ingrid King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read almost all of the biographies out there about Freddie Mercury, and I learned something from each one, but this book is the one that will make you feel like you really got to know the man behind the legend. Funny, irreverent, poignant and never boring, this is the closest we'll ever come to an autobiography.

[Darija · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as i love Queen band this was my first book to read about them but more about Freddie Mercury it was a brilliant book and it sounded just like him (i mean what i have seen on youtube interviews with him) . This book showed me a lot about Freddie as a person and not just as a best musician. Loved it all the way threw.

[Alessandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro con un buon potenziale, ma tradotto in modo terribile. Il risultato è stato un libro che non vedevo l'ora che finisse, ma che ho comunque letto fino in fondo per rispetto del protagonista. Molti spunti interessanti e un tuffo nella vita di un grandissimo artista, quindi non mi sento di dare meno di tre stelle, ma il tutto risulta poco leggibile.

[Baylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puoi trovare questa recensione anche sul mio blog, La siepe di more

Il primo libro che ho letto nel 2019 è stato, evidentemente, tutta colpa di Bohemian Rhapsody: dopo aver visto il film per la seconda volta (e devo dire che, nonostante fosse in sala da un mese, c’era ancora un sacco di gente a vederlo), ho sentito il bisogno di tornare a sentire le parole originali di quel birbante che era Freddie Mercury.

Il che è abbastanza strano perché io non sono un tipo da interessarmi più di tanto allə artistə: messa così suona male, lo so, ma tendo a essere appagata dalla loro arte, quale che sia, senza un gran bisogno di approfondire chissà quanto vita, morte e miracoli delle loro vite. Certo, non è che se mi capita non legga articoli o guardi interviste, ma non sento la necessità impellente di sapere tutto lo scibile sull’artista X.

Quindi la mia conoscenza dei Queen riguarda più la loro musica piuttosto che le loro vite private: però non posso dire che Freddie Mercury. Parole e pensieri sia stato una sorpresa, perché pure nella mia refrattarietà ai dettagli biografici e dintorni, tante parole e pensieri di Freddie mi erano familiari, ma è stato bello rileggerle.

L’unico difetto di questo libro è che non è strutturato, per ovvi motivi: Freddie è morto prima che si potesse fargli un’intervista in vista di una sua biografia ufficiale e quello che abbiamo qui è una raccolta di quello che ha detto nel corso di molti anni su diversi temi. Ci troverete diverse contraddizioni e anche ripetizioni e lo chiuderete con la sensazione di non saperne poi tanto più di prima su chi fosse Freddie Mercury.

Se la cosa vi può consolare, io penso che ci siamo tuttə fattə un’idea di lui che, se siamo fortunatə, è un frammento della sua personalità: è stato uno di quei personaggi che entrano nelle nostre categorie mentali e si divertono a mettervi scompiglio.

I'm burnin' through the sky, yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm traveling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you

[Anthony Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holi boli.
.
Hoy este post no es como la opinión normal de un libro, porque no le haría la justicia necesaria a la reina
.
Freddie Mercury nacido en Zanzíbar el 5 de septiembre del 46, estudió diseño gráfico y se graduó. Con ese conocimiento creo el símbolo de lo que un futuro sería llamado Queen, con Brian en la guitarra y Taylor en la batería. Un año más tarde se une Deacon en el bajo para así crear la banda más reconocida por el planeta.
.
Quien no ha coreado "We are the champion my friend" cuando gana algo con sus amigos, o quien no a gritado mientras golpea zapatea y aplaude gritando "We Will We Will Rock You" o arreglar la casa escuchando "I want to break free"
.
Queen no es una simple banda, es la banda por excelencia. Antes de su boom comercial, tuvieron dos álbumes anteriores "Queen I" y "Queen II". Llega "A Night at the opera" y junto con ese álbum la canción insignia por excelencia "Bohemian Rhapsody"
.
No hay habido éxito que se le compare a Rhapsody, es una obra maestra con tintes de ópera y rock pesado. .
Luego de ese éxito hubieron otros como "Radio Gaga", "Another one bites the dust" escritas por Roger y Jhon respectivamente. Que se puede decir de Queen que no se haya dicho ya, solo se tendría que decir que ¡Dios salve a la reina!
.
El libro como tal no está malo pero lo único que me desencanto un poco fue que no hay el año en el cual se público cada entrevista y se pierde un poco el hilo de la historia pero no por eso se disfruta al máximo 🌟🌟🌟