Freddie a já

by Mike Dawson, Tomáš Jeník (Translator)

Když vzpomínám na Queen, vybaví se mi celý můj život. Tak by se v kostce dala shrnout premisa úžasně vtipné autobiografie Mikea Dawsona Freddie a já, v níž zachycuje svou celoživotní posedlost Freddiem Mercurym a jeho skupinou Queen. Na příbězích ze svého dětství, dospívání i dospělosti Mike Dawson ukazuje, do jaké míry hudba mění a formuje naše životy. A také to, jak mohou vzpomínky, které zcela náhodně vyplují na povrch, podpořit nebo zcela zpochybnit příběh, který sami sobě vyprávíme. Protipólem Mikeovy posedlosti je zamilovanost jeho mladší sestry do George Michaela a Wham! A právě v této dějové lince najdeme snad nejvtipnější autorovy fantazie, v nichž hraje hlavní roli Andrew Ridgeley těsně po rozpadu popového dua Wham!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Music, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Graphic Novels Comics

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Mike Dawson was born in England, and emigrated to the United States in 1986, where his family settled in Red Bank, New Jersey. He studied painting at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

Since 2005 Dawson's work has appeared in a number of comics anthologies, including AdHouse Books successful Project: Superior collection, and issue #1 of the spin-off series, Superior Showcase. His first graphic novel, entitled Freddie & Me, an epic and unabashedly autobiographical story about his lifelong obsession with Freddie Mercury and the rock band Queen, was published in 2008 by Bloomsbury in the USA and Jonathan Cape in Great Britain. Italian, Spanish, French, and Czech editions are all planned.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Freddie & Me is Mike Dawson’s autobiography framed by his love of the rock band, Queen. Mike lived in England for a few years as a kid, fell in love with the music the first time he heard it, and then his parents moved the family to America where he’s lived since.

I’m a fan of Mike’s podcast, The Ink Panthers Show or TIPS, which he does with fellow cartoonist Alex Robinson (author of Box Office Poison among other comics) where they talk current affairs and funny stories from their lives, ironically with little in the way of comics talk - the show is genuinely funny and I highly recommend it. So I wanted to check out one of his comics as I’ve read some of Alex’s books already, and while I think Freddie & Me is a decent comic, I felt it was flawed mostly for its subject matter.

Simply put, Mike hasn’t lived an interesting enough life for it to be documented in such a lengthy comic. A 300 page book where the only thing of note is the author’s move from the UK to the USA while a kid, and then obsessing over Queen, is not enough to justify or sustain it. I know everyone thinks their lives are fascinating but mostly they’re not and Mike’s certainly isn’t. Honestly, it’s an ordinary life and without anything of particular note that makes it stand out from others.

Take for example, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, the story of growing up in a funeral home, discovering she was gay, and that her father’s suicide was linked to his own homosexuality which was repressed. Or David Small’s Stitches, which is about the author’s fight against cancer at a young age and rendered speechless through multiple surgeries while his parents’ marriage crumbled around him. These are just a couple of comic book autobiographies that contain unique and fascinating stories that are worth reading about. Getting torn up about Freddie Mercury dying… it’s just not on the same level.

And that’s really my biggest problem with it. Reading page after page where Mike’s ordinary moments get written about: breaking a neighbour kid’s toy and being yelled at by her father, bragging to friends about running away from home and living on the road a la Kerouac (and of course not doing following through with it), girl “problems”, and complaining about how music these days isn’t as good as when he was young. It got so utterly boring that I gave up at the 150 page mark and skimmed the rest - Mike grows up, still loves Queen, meets the woman he’ll eventually marry, and then meets George Michael in real life (he mocked his sister’s love of George Michael but as an adult grew to appreciate him as an artist in his own right).

There are some interesting digressions such as the format of memoir and how we remember things as snippets of events that we then build up stories around that probably aren’t accurate in how they actually happened. The discussions of memory in a memoir are thoughtful if somewhat rambling, and of course I love Queen’s music too and can relate to Mike’s appreciation of their albums and Freddie’s voice and showmanship.

But 300 pages, Mike! Man, this book seriously needed to be edited down! The book can be summarised thusly: Mike likes Queen, he had an untroubled childhood except for the transatlantic relocation that actually went quite smoothly, and then pursued his love of drawing into adulthood where he became a professional artist. There’s very little here that really needed 300 pages to tell which is why it feels frustratingly slow to read most of the time. Other indie cartoonists choose to write about the mundane minutiae of their lives, like Julia Wertz, but do so in original and more entertaining ways - Mike’s anecdotes are bland and flat for the most part, which is surprising given how funny he is on his podcast.

Mike’s a fine cartoonist who clearly understands the language of comics and knows how to put together a comic really well, but Freddie & Me isn’t a great comic. I think that he needs to tackle a subject more substantial and interesting in order to produce a book that would do justice to his talents. It’s definitely one of the weakest comic book memoirs I’ve ever read.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was not quite what I was thinking it was going to be, it was still very interesting and enjoyable. The author's interest in Queen reminded me of my own adolescent obsession with KISS. Just as the music of Queen is like a soundtrack to his life, the music of KISS was a soundtrack of my Junior High school years. Although unlike the author who never got the opportunity to see Mercury and Queen live in concert, I did have the opportunity to see KISS perform live in 1977. So this graphic novel brought back a lot of memories just through the similarities of growing up that we shared.
Dawson's art style works beautifully with his prose and the two fuse effortlessly to make an enjoyable and entertaining read. If you're a Queen fan you should definitely check this one out.

[Bob Fingerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dawson's heartfelt (though never mawkish) autobiographical paean to Freddie Mercury and Queen is a thoroughly enjoyable read. His art is fluid, as is the storytelling, dipping back and forth in time. The text during the middle-school years reads authentically as written by a thoughtful, awkward tween/teen. Since he portrays himself keeping a diary, I imagine he referred to it often or lifted actual passages straight from those pages to these. It really works well. His adolescence dovetails organically with his adult narrative, making an immersive, cohesive whole.

As a Queen fan, myself (though I can’t accept them with any front-man who isn’t Freddie), I was drawn to the material, but I don’t think that’s a requirement. As for Dawson’s approval and gradual fondness for George Michael…

Well, that’s another story.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet graphic novel memoir of growing up on Queen and classic rock. Dawson does a nice job of showing what a prominent place music holds in the lives of teens. The music references to Wham, Rush and George Michael resonated with this Gen-Xer, and Dawson's observations of teens just hanging out and jamming are spot-on. If I knew any Queen songs other than Bohemian Rhapsody, I might have given it another star:)

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can relate to Mike Dawson. I, too, have a band that has been with me at every stage of my life (Fleetwood Mac). When you have that kind of connection, it serves as a your own personal soundtrack, it becomes part of who you are, part of your persona.
Dawson does a tremendous job of conveying his emotions and his memories in this story. The story goes in and out of Current Mike and Younger Mike. It follows him (and his family, which are real characters, not just window dressings) from his earliest memories until adulthood, with a focus on high school.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who has a performer that they connect with. And, if you aren't passionate about an Artist, this will show you why some people are. Then, maybe, you'll find one for yourself.... and Freddie isn't a bad choice.
Now, I'm going for a drive and guess what I'll be listening to?
Can't give it a better review than that~!

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

200 degrees

[D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a comic book memoir, told through the author's memories of music. (I've always thought 'graphic novel' seemed pretentious, I don't know why.) It's told primarily as a "memory play" a la Tennessee Williams, although in this case the author's memories don't center around a glass menagerie, they center around his obsession with Queen.

There's a lot to like here, and there are some surprisingly moving sections, especially when dealing with his memories (or, technically, the nature of memory itself) and his relationship with his family. Still, it never really struck a chord with me, and I'm not sure why. I can't really put my finger on it, because, like I really did like sections of it. I think maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it right now. As a Queen fan and a comic book fan it should have 'clicked' better with me, but it just didn't.

It's worth reading as a good example of what comic books can do as opposed to "regular" books, though, and a rare example of a true memoir told in a comic book style.

[Adriana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m a massive QUEEN fan and think that Freddie Mercury was a musical genius on par with Mozart, so I was all set to love a story that revolved around him.
So imagine my surprise when the book turned out to be a deeply personal memoir that only kind of relates to Queen in that the author was obsessed with hem as a child. There are more details about Wham! than there are about the titular Freddie.
Some kudos are deserved for Dawson’s expert exploration of what memory is and how music shapes and follows us throughout our lives. It really is a very personal story and Dawson does a great job in the telling and presentation of it.
Alas, it was neither what I was looking for nor in the mood for.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were things about this book I really liked and things that bugged me beyond belief. I appreciated the demonstration of the power a band can have on someone's life and the surprise appearances by other musicians in the imagined conversations pieces. The problem I did have with the book was that I felt some of the dialogue was choppy and in illustrating that sliced dialogue the author drew certain sentences have in the frame ( after a while this became annoying).

All and all a good book aside from some minor annoyances

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pleasant enough all the way through, I was left wondering 'so what?' by the end. Dawson is a gifted artist whose story didn't grab me. The climax eluded me, there wasn't really a story arc. Obsessive fans of music may enjoy reading a documentary of a fan's relationship with a band and how that both changes and remains solid over time. Visual artists may get a glimpse into the formative experiences of a kindred spirit. I was left scratching my head.

[Linnea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Queen but it never has been THE band for me. For Mike Dawson it was and still is and this memoir is about growing up with Queen. Usually autobiographical comics seem to have an edge, something that sets them apart from normalcy but this one embraces it. Dawson's life is more or less very normal with small set-backs, family life, moments of happiness, all coloured by the presence of Queen. It makes this very relatable and somehow also very, very touching. A great comic.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Freddie" is Freddie Mercury of Queen, who the author is obsessed with from childhood on. I like that he constantly makes fun of himself, instead of taking his obsession seriously. The result is funny, and I felt a bit nostalgic, seeing as how he's one year older than me and came of age at the same time.

[Larry C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently, I saw an Herb Ritts exhibit at Chrysler Museum. My youth passed before my eyes as I recognized so many photos and remembered who I was and where I was in my life. Freddie & Me gave me the same reaction: memories from grade school all the way to adulthood. Freddie Mercury and Queen meant the world to me. Still do. Great book for music fans.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprise because I wasn't sure how I'd feel reading about a man reflecting on his life and his obsession with the rock band Queen but it was really interesting and he didn't get maudlin or overly introspective so that was great.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite bands

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh, more in the 2-2.5 range, but I do love Queen. It's a bit lengthy for so little actual material. I was also expecting more about Queen/Freddie Mercury.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a little bit of a bait-and-switch thing going on with Mike Dawson’s charming graphic memoir, “Freddie & Me: A Coming-Of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody.” As advertised, it examines Dawson’s lifelong infatuation with British rock gods Queen, but the emphasis is much more on the “coming-of-age” part, rather than the “Freddie & me” bit. Luckily, Dawson is a wonderful storyteller, artist, and person, so his quirky tales of growing up as a Brit in the suburbs of New Jersey are funny, endearingly awkward, and ultimately quite touching.

I like Queen but I’m not a super-fan, certainly not like Mike Dawson. I can name the big hits - “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “I Want To Break Free” - as well as some of their novelty songs - “Fat-Bottomed Girls,” “Bicycle Ride,” etc. - but you lose me with Queen’s deep cuts. For Dawson, all their songs have been the soundtrack to his life, each moment choreographed to an appropriate track. I know the feeling; music has been my constant companion since I was a kid, too. Dawson has a distinct gift for recalling adolescence in all its confusing and amazing details, particularly the power that music has at that age, where it feels like it’s speaking directly to and for you, at a time when you feel ignored and dismissed. His writing is melancholic and his art is just slightly distorted in a self-deprecating way; these qualities work perfectly in context. Except for a few weird digressions into the life and career of George Michael, much further than was necessary to examine his appearance at a memorial concert for Freddie Mercury, “Freddie & Me” reads like a comic book version of “The Wonder Years,” which is cool (although, considering it now, I do wish Dawson had done some stuff on Freddie’s life instead of George Michael’s).

I can’t point to one band that has consistently been a focal point of my life, like Queen was for Mike Dawson (I love too many different kinds of groups and genres). As a teenager, Pearl Jam was a seminal band for me but, in my early-20s, it was Bayside and, since then, Minus The Bear. Music does remind me very vividly of events and people from my life, though; hearing a particular song can instantly transport me to the time and emotions that I associate with that part of my life. “Freddie & Me” is proof that I’m not the only one. The comic may not have made me a bigger fan of Queen but I can definitely appreciate how much they mean to Mike Dawson. Growing up is hard and you have to find comfort and support wherever you can.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to rate or review for me. On one hand, the way Dawson draws and writes his history, he is being very honest about how single-minded he is in his discussions with others about Queen, to the exclusion of all else in some cases. In this aspect, he is kind of annoying for me as a reader. I, too, liked Queen at a time when no one else did and was completely bothered (and somewhat vindicated) when they became popular again due to Wayne's World. But I also had other interests, even in other bands, and tried to find common ground with others based on a variety of interests.

On the other hand, I appreciate his honesty in depicting himself as an awkward pre-teen, an obsessed and maybe socially awkward teen, and even admitting to the designs he had on his friend's girlfriend when his friend was still dating her. I thought it was cool how he tried to show us, the readers, the way his mind works and the interplay of images and songs. And I thought the way the narrative wound up, with the unification of his interests and his sister's, despite their earlier conflict, was cool, although her generally fangirl feelings even in her 30s were a little jarring for me.

All in all, I guess I'd give this GN a 2.5 star rating for myself, but I'm rounding to 3 because I've been through some of what Dawson has and I feel for him.

[Ladygiodesi · Rating 2 out of 5]

L’autore racconta la sua vita tramite la sua passione per i Queen, che lo seguiranno in tutte le varie fasi della sua vita, ed anche nelle sue fantasie.

Ma nel libro non ci sono solo i Queen: è infatti immerso nella musica anche di tanti altri autori, e si crea in questo modo una colonna sonora molto ricca (con conseguente rallentamento della lettura, dato che ho ricercato su Youtube una marea di video musicali). Con particolare predilezione per George Michael, che arriva ad essere un comprimario di Mercury, per cui in realtà il titolo del libro poteva essere dedicato anche agli Wham!

Per quanto riguarda i disegni, sono in bianco e nero con troppo nero per i miei gusti, per cui a volte ho fatto fatica a concentrami, anche considerando la banalità della trama nel suo complesso: ciò che ha vissuto Dawson nella sua giovinezza è simile alla nostra vita normale, piena di ricordi che però non mi hanno trasmesso o insegnato nulla. Ma soprattutto, è una vita raccontata in modo un po’ piatto e banale, senza passione, come se fosse un’esposizione dei fatti più che un racconto autobiografico.

Per cui: il punto forte è la musica, il punto debole è la vita comune.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Dawson's autobiography, with the hook of his life and its connections to the music of his favorite band, Queen. It's got some good points, the way a song recalls many different memories, and I think most people can relate to feeling that a certain band (or book, or movie) has some proprietary connection to you, a certain magic that you feel reflects positively on you when somebody else acknowledges its quality, even though you had nothing to do with the music (or book, or movie).

Otherwise, it's a fairly ordinary autobio comic. Nothing too terribly deep. Art's passable, but not particularly noteworthy. Insights could've been deeper at times, and Dawson definitely loses some points for switching between past and present-tense narration, sometimes telling the story from the POV of his adolescent self and sometimes from the POV of his adult self.

Also, Queen... no good. Doesn't really affect the quality of the comic, but it's gotta be said.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming and whimsical graphic memoir is about a young man’s life-long obsession with the rock band Queen and specifically Freddie Mercury. As a long time Queen and Freddie Mercury fan I could completely relate to Dawson’s memories of songs and of how our favourite music is the soundtrack for so many of our most important memories and moments. And how one note can bring them all flooding back.

A touching and poignant memoir that is perfect for music fans.

[Joancollins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The graphic novel is an interesting format to explore ones life story and Dawson for the most point maintains interest
An excellent artist with effective inking and line drawing to complement and compound story lines the story contains heart and is clearly a work of love
Not only for his craft but for Queen and indeed music
Whilst devoid of any drama that may drive tales such as Fun House this autobiography is relatable and that’s no small feat

[Juan Fuentes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los que tenemos una cierta edad al escuchar algunas canciones viajamos de inmediato a nuestra juventud y nos golpea una oleada de nostalgia que nos hace lagrimear y sonreír al mismo tiempo.

Algo así le pasa a Dawson, fan de Queen desde pequeño. Sus canciones le han acompañado en todos los momentos de su vida, porque Queen tiene canciones para todos los momentos.

[Mackenzie Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although different of my personal history with Queen and other idols, this IS my story with them. What great memories it brought to me! I highly recommend it if you like Queen or music in general. Also recommended if you want to think about how memories work, or, for that matter, don't work perfectly. I was going to say something else, but I can't remember it anymore.

[Stef · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some moments of this autobiographical jumped out at me, like using the worm in the puddle to remember. But overall, I didn't see the point...? That's perhaps rude to say of someone's life story. But not much happens in this. Noting how Queen pops up every now and then seems like a bit of a reach.

[pianogal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having just watched Bohemian Rhapsody, I thought it would be good to check this one out. I didn't love it, though. These graphic novel bios are so depressing. I liked the idea, but didn't think the execution was there. Could have done more with Freddie, maybe?

[Kimberly Przybysz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet graphic novel that follows the coming-of-age of Mike Dawson, a young man who loves Queen and idolizes Freddie Mercury. Follows him as he grows along with Queen through the years. Quick, fun, quirky read.

[Brian Salvatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatable, enjoyable coming of age story.

Plus, lots of talk about obscure Queen songs like "Mustafa" and "Don't Try Suicide."

[Saoirse · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have a moment in your life where you think, "people reading this diary in the future will say, 'this is just the story of a very boring person'", maybe autobiography is not the medium for you.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting idea and way to present a memoir but not enough Freddie.