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Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Knew Him Best
An intimate memoir of the flamboyant Queen singer by the man who knew him best.
Peter Freestone was Freddie Mercury’s Personal Assistant for the last 12 years of his life. He lived with Mercury in London, Munich and New York, and he was with him when he died.
In this book, the most intimate account of Mercury’s life ever written, he reveals the truth behind the scandalous rumours, the outrageous lifestyle and Mercury’s relationships with men, women and the other members of Queen.
From the famous names – including Elton John, Kenny Everett, Elizabeth Taylor and Rod Stewart – to the shadowy army of lovers, fixers and hangers-on, Peter Freestone saw them all play their part in the tragi-comedy that was Freddie Mercury’s life.
Freestone lived with Mercury in Europe and America for over a decade. From the East 50s apartment in New York to Kensington Lodge, the house in London where Mercury died – not to mention innumerable international hotel rooms and apartments in between – Freestone was always on hand to serve and protect the man he had first met in the Biba department store in the early 1970s. Then Queen was a largely unknown band. Soon it would be the most glitzy of glam rock bands. Freestone saw the fame arrive and with it the generosity, the excess, and the celebrity friends who came and went.
“I was chief cook and bottle washer, waiter, butler, valet, secretary, amanuensis, cleaner, baby-sitter… and agony aunt,” he writes. “I shopped for him both at supermarkets and art markets, I travelled the world with him, I was with him at the highs and came through the lows with him. I saw the creative juices flow and I also saw the frustration when life wasn’t going well. I acted as his bodyguard when needed and in the end, of course, I was one of his nurses.”
Freestone’s bet-selling account of a talented and extravagant star’s life and death is compelling, entertaining and ultimately, very touching.
Illustrated with many photos from personal and Freestone’s own archives.
Peter Freestone was Freddie Mercury’s Personal Assistant for the last 12 years of his life. He lived with Mercury in London, Munich and New York, and he was with him when he died.
In this book, the most intimate account of Mercury’s life ever written, he reveals the truth behind the scandalous rumours, the outrageous lifestyle and Mercury’s relationships with men, women and the other members of Queen.
From the famous names – including Elton John, Kenny Everett, Elizabeth Taylor and Rod Stewart – to the shadowy army of lovers, fixers and hangers-on, Peter Freestone saw them all play their part in the tragi-comedy that was Freddie Mercury’s life.
Freestone lived with Mercury in Europe and America for over a decade. From the East 50s apartment in New York to Kensington Lodge, the house in London where Mercury died – not to mention innumerable international hotel rooms and apartments in between – Freestone was always on hand to serve and protect the man he had first met in the Biba department store in the early 1970s. Then Queen was a largely unknown band. Soon it would be the most glitzy of glam rock bands. Freestone saw the fame arrive and with it the generosity, the excess, and the celebrity friends who came and went.
“I was chief cook and bottle washer, waiter, butler, valet, secretary, amanuensis, cleaner, baby-sitter… and agony aunt,” he writes. “I shopped for him both at supermarkets and art markets, I travelled the world with him, I was with him at the highs and came through the lows with him. I saw the creative juices flow and I also saw the frustration when life wasn’t going well. I acted as his bodyguard when needed and in the end, of course, I was one of his nurses.”
Freestone’s bet-selling account of a talented and extravagant star’s life and death is compelling, entertaining and ultimately, very touching.
Illustrated with many photos from personal and Freestone’s own archives.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
132 people are currently reading
1844 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
August 14, 2013
I have very mixed feelings towards "Freddie Mercury". Ultimately, this is a book worth reading if you are a Queen fan. It is barely a 2/5, however.
First of all, Peter is no writer. This book is a complete mess. We got 5 chapters (beautifully named Chapter 1 - Chapter 5), each containing random and unorganized thoughts. Topic 1. Topic 5. Topic 14. Back to topic 1. And so it goes... Few hours of organizing all the anecdotes could make a decently planned book. Someone wasn't in the mood for too much work.
Another thing is that Peter was not a friend of Freddy. He likes to point out that he was, but constantly shows proof that this was not the case (vide the description of the talk that supposedly cemented their great friendship - a few hours long blabber about nothing in particular, what a moment to cherish). I've read some biographies, but this is the first one when I wanted to put my shoes on, get into the book and kick the writer's ass for being so dull and tedious.
Besides painting the image of Freddy Mercury, it also shows us what kind of person Freestone is. Boring, with weathered personality and not much to say, he makes Mercury's life sound so empty, but it is his perception of things that's pale. Freestone likes to think of himself as Freddie's right hand, but in reality he is just the give-me-that I-want-that-done where's-my-toilet-paper kind of guy. And while some of those star sidekicks wrote killer biographies, this one definitely does not belong to that category.
He doesn't deliver an accurate picture that you will find in many other biographical sources. The book is full of description of rooms stuff was happening in (curtain colors are extremely important in biographies), which paints a picture of Freestone not being able to get into conversations, so he just looks around and notices stuff that doesn't matter. About half of this book are such boring descriptions).
Why 2 stars then? When you spend 10 years with someone, you're bound to have some interesting information anyway. That is why this book can be read when every other Freddie Mercury and Queen source has been explored. If you want some basic knowledge about Freddie, this is a terrible source though.
First of all, Peter is no writer. This book is a complete mess. We got 5 chapters (beautifully named Chapter 1 - Chapter 5), each containing random and unorganized thoughts. Topic 1. Topic 5. Topic 14. Back to topic 1. And so it goes... Few hours of organizing all the anecdotes could make a decently planned book. Someone wasn't in the mood for too much work.
Another thing is that Peter was not a friend of Freddy. He likes to point out that he was, but constantly shows proof that this was not the case (vide the description of the talk that supposedly cemented their great friendship - a few hours long blabber about nothing in particular, what a moment to cherish). I've read some biographies, but this is the first one when I wanted to put my shoes on, get into the book and kick the writer's ass for being so dull and tedious.
Besides painting the image of Freddy Mercury, it also shows us what kind of person Freestone is. Boring, with weathered personality and not much to say, he makes Mercury's life sound so empty, but it is his perception of things that's pale. Freestone likes to think of himself as Freddie's right hand, but in reality he is just the give-me-that I-want-that-done where's-my-toilet-paper kind of guy. And while some of those star sidekicks wrote killer biographies, this one definitely does not belong to that category.
He doesn't deliver an accurate picture that you will find in many other biographical sources. The book is full of description of rooms stuff was happening in (curtain colors are extremely important in biographies), which paints a picture of Freestone not being able to get into conversations, so he just looks around and notices stuff that doesn't matter. About half of this book are such boring descriptions).
Why 2 stars then? When you spend 10 years with someone, you're bound to have some interesting information anyway. That is why this book can be read when every other Freddie Mercury and Queen source has been explored. If you want some basic knowledge about Freddie, this is a terrible source though.
May 27, 2012
Freestone (or "Phoebe" as he was nicknamed by Freddie) was Freddies assistant who lived in-house and went on tours, making arrangements, buying and preparing clothes and costumes for the band, arranging refreshments etc. So it comes as no surprise that this man has been given an insight into this incredibly talented mans life that not many can boast. I have known Queen from very young as I have an older brother who was a big fan in the 80s, so I knew their stuff really well before I was really old enough to fully appreciate the brilliance of their songs and Freddies breath taking vocals. I always knew Freddie was quite a shy man, who became the flamboyant show man we all know and love only on stage. I think this is partly why I find him such an intriguing person. Also, I recently read an article that said he met Brian and Roger during University, where he gained an HND in Graphic Design - much like the course I did myself. He was also a very talented artist. I have been meaning to read about his life for some time and I thought this would be a good account coming from someone who was actually around him and had such an intimate insight to the real Freddie. I found it extremely insightful. one thing I would recommend is to be near a computer whilst you're reading this book. There are a lot of people - famous - semi-famous or famous back then mentioned, who I found it interesting to be able to put a face to and know a bit about who they are, so google and wikipedia came in useful! There were also things mentioned, such as a knee injury Freddie obtained before the shooting of "Its a Hard Life", which was causing him pain, forcing him to give in to sit down, only at the very end of the video, and a few other little observations about the video that I had to look up on youtube and re-watch it so I could notice those things. I think Freestone did a very good job with this book. The only small negative I would say is that I did find in a few places he did go on into detail when it came to things like the interior of Freddies houses for instance. I can see why from his point of view this was something that would have been of importance, but to the average fan like myself, I'm not sure many would care what colour the floors were in the bedroom etc. Very interesting, very emotional read about a man who had massive talent and contributed so much to music today. If you are an admirer of Freddie, you'll like this book.
December 20, 2018
Peter Freestone a fost, pe rând, ”bucătar-șef, spălător de sticle, chelner, valet, secretar, om de serviciu” pentru Freddie Mercury. Pe scurt, a fost om bun la toate, fără ca, într-un moment sau altul, să fi avut o funcție bine definită.
Din această perspectivă, a stat alături de el timp de aproximativ zece ani, ”alături” însemnând în aceeași casă, în același avion, în culisele spectacolelor sau ale filmărilor. Și... așa a apărut cartea asta.
Cartea este plină de amănunte inedite despre Freddie și (mai puțin) despre Queen, de la mâncarea preferată la modalitatea de petrecere a nopților, de la pasiunea pentru colecțiile de artă până la lipsa de pasiune pentru cărți. Din păcate, se vede că autorul nu este scriitor, pentru că volumul suferă de sentimentalism și de o adevărată harababură, Peter trecând de la un moment la altul fără nicio reținere și fără nici un simț al cronologiei. Fanii pot găsi lucruri inedite, dar cititorii obișnuiți nu vor fi încântați, probabil, decât de capitolul despre ultimele săptămâni ale lui Freddie, infinit mai emoționant și mai dramatic și, poate, mai bine scris.
Din această perspectivă, a stat alături de el timp de aproximativ zece ani, ”alături” însemnând în aceeași casă, în același avion, în culisele spectacolelor sau ale filmărilor. Și... așa a apărut cartea asta.
Cartea este plină de amănunte inedite despre Freddie și (mai puțin) despre Queen, de la mâncarea preferată la modalitatea de petrecere a nopților, de la pasiunea pentru colecțiile de artă până la lipsa de pasiune pentru cărți. Din păcate, se vede că autorul nu este scriitor, pentru că volumul suferă de sentimentalism și de o adevărată harababură, Peter trecând de la un moment la altul fără nicio reținere și fără nici un simț al cronologiei. Fanii pot găsi lucruri inedite, dar cititorii obișnuiți nu vor fi încântați, probabil, decât de capitolul despre ultimele săptămâni ale lui Freddie, infinit mai emoționant și mai dramatic și, poate, mai bine scris.
May 19, 2021
„Freddie Mercury”
Peter Freestone 5/5
Cine vrea să trăiască pentru eternitate? Sau poate cineva vrea să evadeze, să își întoarcă dragostea înapoi care nu-l va mai face să sufere? Cine sunt campionii și de ce la Radio se aude cel mai bine? Și să nu dea Dumnezeu să încurcați Rapsodiile! În următoarele clipe, Freddie ne va răspunde cu drag...
Queen și vocea inconfundabilului Freddie Mercury se aud acum în timp ce scriu aceste rânduri.
Peter Freestone îl va cunoaște pe Freddie în 1977, iar 2 ani mai târziu viața lui se va schimba pentru totdeauna, pentru că va începe să lucreze cu cei din Queen, și de la un simplu garderobier ajunge să aibă grijă de el până la trecerea în lumea celor drepți, asistentul care i-a fost martorul vieții lui.
Cine este Freddie și de ce aș vrea să îl cunoașteți din alt punct de vedere, să vedeți prin ochii lui Peter - cine era deținătorul vocii care cânta în cele 4 octave?! M-am îndrăgostit de Freddie pentru vocea lui, l-am iubit pentru ambiție și personalitate, pentru că a reușit să încurajeze milioane de oameni, să influențeze destine, să șteargă stereotipuri și să facă să vibreze cât mai multe inimi împrejurul lui!
Biografia intimă a lui Freddie este conținutul momentelor în care idolul nostru este imortalizat încă o dată, prin umanitatea și sinceritatea sa. Cortinele au fost lăsate jos, scandalurile stau după ușă, am rămas să citim despre omul care dorea chiloți curați la fiecare concert, omul care dincolo de faimă și bani, era în căutarea unui singur sentiment, dragostea adevărată, cântărețul care a vrut să împartă lumii doar putere și încredere.
Când devine omul cu adevărat fericit? Doar atunci când este acceptat așa cum e și iubit necondiționat. Asta i-a oferit publicului, câți ani ne-a fost alături, și încă este, Freddie ne vorbește direct prin cartea lui Peter.
Eu, eu am înghițit noduri, multe.
Lecturi memorabile vă doresc!
Peter Freestone 5/5
Cine vrea să trăiască pentru eternitate? Sau poate cineva vrea să evadeze, să își întoarcă dragostea înapoi care nu-l va mai face să sufere? Cine sunt campionii și de ce la Radio se aude cel mai bine? Și să nu dea Dumnezeu să încurcați Rapsodiile! În următoarele clipe, Freddie ne va răspunde cu drag...
Queen și vocea inconfundabilului Freddie Mercury se aud acum în timp ce scriu aceste rânduri.
Peter Freestone îl va cunoaște pe Freddie în 1977, iar 2 ani mai târziu viața lui se va schimba pentru totdeauna, pentru că va începe să lucreze cu cei din Queen, și de la un simplu garderobier ajunge să aibă grijă de el până la trecerea în lumea celor drepți, asistentul care i-a fost martorul vieții lui.
Cine este Freddie și de ce aș vrea să îl cunoașteți din alt punct de vedere, să vedeți prin ochii lui Peter - cine era deținătorul vocii care cânta în cele 4 octave?! M-am îndrăgostit de Freddie pentru vocea lui, l-am iubit pentru ambiție și personalitate, pentru că a reușit să încurajeze milioane de oameni, să influențeze destine, să șteargă stereotipuri și să facă să vibreze cât mai multe inimi împrejurul lui!
Biografia intimă a lui Freddie este conținutul momentelor în care idolul nostru este imortalizat încă o dată, prin umanitatea și sinceritatea sa. Cortinele au fost lăsate jos, scandalurile stau după ușă, am rămas să citim despre omul care dorea chiloți curați la fiecare concert, omul care dincolo de faimă și bani, era în căutarea unui singur sentiment, dragostea adevărată, cântărețul care a vrut să împartă lumii doar putere și încredere.
Când devine omul cu adevărat fericit? Doar atunci când este acceptat așa cum e și iubit necondiționat. Asta i-a oferit publicului, câți ani ne-a fost alături, și încă este, Freddie ne vorbește direct prin cartea lui Peter.
Eu, eu am înghițit noduri, multe.
Lecturi memorabile vă doresc!
December 4, 2018
3.8 stars.
September 25, 2015
What I liked -
- Could get to know about Freddie Mercury as a person.
- What made him perform better or with more zeal, was it confrontation?
- Got to know about Queen concerts/gigs which happened and the years.
- How the band used to prepare/rehearse, what went into the song writing.
- Where the songs were recorded.
- How Freddie spent his time after concerts, breaks, was it shopping or was it partying?
What I disliked -
- There was way too much information, on tour dates, places, concerts.
- Many of these things, I tend to forget over time.
- Issue of forgetting most likely deals with interest, is it or my bad memory?
- Probably the book could have been organized either chronologically or by person or with a combination of both.
- But leaving an index with list of persons and allowing the reader to figure out who were all of them and what role they played was a bit too much for me, I just tend to mess things up, considering, I was reading more than one book at that time, may be my fault.
Also,
- I got to introspect, when I liked Queen music so so much, why couldn't I say the same thing about the book?
- I really not have an answer for that!
Cheers,
- Could get to know about Freddie Mercury as a person.
- What made him perform better or with more zeal, was it confrontation?
- Got to know about Queen concerts/gigs which happened and the years.
- How the band used to prepare/rehearse, what went into the song writing.
- Where the songs were recorded.
- How Freddie spent his time after concerts, breaks, was it shopping or was it partying?
What I disliked -
- There was way too much information, on tour dates, places, concerts.
- Many of these things, I tend to forget over time.
- Issue of forgetting most likely deals with interest, is it or my bad memory?
- Probably the book could have been organized either chronologically or by person or with a combination of both.
- But leaving an index with list of persons and allowing the reader to figure out who were all of them and what role they played was a bit too much for me, I just tend to mess things up, considering, I was reading more than one book at that time, may be my fault.
Also,
- I got to introspect, when I liked Queen music so so much, why couldn't I say the same thing about the book?
- I really not have an answer for that!
Cheers,
April 3, 2019
Multă umplutură și informații irelevante, oarecare, deși oneste. Fără acestea, cartea n-ar fi fost mai mult de un articol puțin mai lung sau ar fi avut maxim trei capitole.
Recomand traducerea sau lectura în limba engleză a cărții “Mercury and Me” de Jim Hutton, ultimul iubit al lui Freddie Mercury. Mult mai consistentă și interesantă, fără să intre în contradicție sau în competiție cu versiunea lui Freestone. Multe informații sunt comune celor două surse, care, astfel, se confirmă una pe alta.
Recomand traducerea sau lectura în limba engleză a cărții “Mercury and Me” de Jim Hutton, ultimul iubit al lui Freddie Mercury. Mult mai consistentă și interesantă, fără să intre în contradicție sau în competiție cu versiunea lui Freestone. Multe informații sunt comune celor două surse, care, astfel, se confirmă una pe alta.
October 15, 2018
I wish I had read some reviews before I bought this book. It is pitifully badly written. There is no insight into Freddie's personality, his background or any other aspect of his life. No insight whatsoever into what drove Freddie Mercury! Want to know what bed linen Freddie preferred? Then read this book. There is no Freddie in the book!
I was not amused!
I was not amused!
July 31, 2019
Nu pot exprima iubirea si aprecierea pe care o am fata de acest om si fata de ce a insemnat pentru mine muzica sa de-a lungul timpului pentru mine. Forever in our hearts. The show must go on.
October 17, 2016
The most boring book I have ever read.
June 4, 2020
Fantastic! This is a properly written book about Mr. Mercury.
December 14, 2023
am plans și asta zice multe
June 27, 2011
I read this about a year ago and just bought it to re-read using Kindle apps on my Ipad. I love Freddie and this book was very informative about his 'famous years'. I didn't want to read too much about his childhood or before the band, so this was wonderful in that respect. It did, however, have a bit too much of the author's life it, it was pretty 'I did this for Freddie and when I went to Freddie's..." kind of thing. Yet, if you look at it as a first-hand account of the time spent with Freddie, it's kind of refreshing. Many biographers don't manage to tell you what they were there for and what they 'made up' according to known details etc.
If you love Freddie, this is a must-read. As I've said, I'm reading it for the second time.
If you love Freddie, this is a must-read. As I've said, I'm reading it for the second time.
November 5, 2016
Moram priznati da sam od ove knjige ocekivala mnogo vise. Autor nedovoljno vesto barata recima i ne uspeva da svoje misli i osecanja prenese citaocu. Cesto prelazi sa jednog dogadjaja na drugi, bez vremensko odredjenja, pa to deluje prilicno haoticno. Prevod je cini mi se jos slabija karika jer sam naisla na pregrst gramatickih gresaka, a prevodilac u nekim trenucima kao da ne zna tacno o cemu se radi
Bez obzira na velike nedostatke, knjigu sam brzo procitala i uspela sam da saznam neke pojedinosti iz zivota i karijere Fredija Merkjurija, nesumnjivo jednog od najvecih svetskih muzicara.
Bez obzira na velike nedostatke, knjigu sam brzo procitala i uspela sam da saznam neke pojedinosti iz zivota i karijere Fredija Merkjurija, nesumnjivo jednog od najvecih svetskih muzicara.
March 17, 2018
Poorly written and awfully boring. Are we sure this guy was actually so close to Freddie? This book is more a Peter Freestone’s than a Freddie Mercury’s biography.
May 25, 2021
Am citit și am aflat de la clubul de carte publica.files v8, încă în desfășurare de altfel, că o parte dintre cei și cele care au citit cartea nu au apreciat felul în care a fost scrisă cartea, însă, pentru mine, acest gen de biografii sincere, „genuine”, cum ar spune englezu', mi se par foarte binevenite. De mică am apreciat detaliile care construiesc viața unui personaj, toate aspectele mărunte care-i creează decorul, care-i susțin relațiile și îi justifică alegerile; mi-a plăcut mereu să mă uit ad litteram pe ferestrele oamenilor și să surprind crâmpeie din viețile lor.
Asta oferă cartea, și încă din plin, și pentru o persoană interesată de toate chichițele, de la tribul pisicesc al lui Freddie și până la manifestarea gusturilor sale artistice și decorative, este un adevărat regal. Eu am fost încântată - alții, nu într-atât. Rămâne să o citiți și voi și să vă faceți o impresie.
Asta oferă cartea, și încă din plin, și pentru o persoană interesată de toate chichițele, de la tribul pisicesc al lui Freddie și până la manifestarea gusturilor sale artistice și decorative, este un adevărat regal. Eu am fost încântată - alții, nu într-atât. Rămâne să o citiți și voi și să vă faceți o impresie.
May 23, 2021
I'm having trouble deciding if it's a 3 or 4 stars book. On one hand, the author is not a writer and it shows. It felt as though I was reading a diary,in no particular chronological order. It's a little chaotic and too many details (I get it, he loved interior design, I liked the description of his house, but I didn't want to know about each and every door knob and small object). Also, it took me around 100 pages to really start to enjoy it. On the other hand, I really liked the fact that he portrayed Freddie as he was, from a very personal point of view, with ups and downs, the bad and the good. This was my first Freddie Mercury biography and I really feel I got to know him a little bit, from Peter Freestone's perspective. The last two chapters are hard to read, I cried almost the entire time reading them.
April 23, 2019
Some interesting facts. But very poorly written. And full of irrelevant stuff (even for a big fan as myself) that makes the reading very tough and boring. Like —> pages naming brands that were used by Freddie; or describing each little corner of the house they used to live in; or going over the process to record or video make each Queen’s song (which were about the same but he had to describe each of them). But it is still worth reading, as there are some great stories lost in the middle of the mess.
June 11, 2020
Po shlédnutí Bohemian Rhapsody jsem si chtěla přečíst něco dalšího o Freddiem. Dala jsem na doporučení a nelituji.
Tohle ale není životopis, jak si běžně představím. Však autor taky není spisovatel. Knížka se zdá, že nemá žádnou předem danou koncepci, jako bychom se sešli někde s P. Freestonem na pokec a on spustil o tom, na co si zrovna vzpomněl. A právě proto se mi to líbilo. Jsou zde jen útržky Freddieho života, se kterými má P.F. vlastní osobní zkušenost. Nehraje si na nějaký komplexní autorizovaný životopis. A o to autentičtěji kniha působí.
Musím ale říct, že mě několikrát udeřil do oka špatný překlad, někde možná jen špatná korektura, ale ruší to jinak příjemný čtenářský nostalgický zážitek.
Tohle ale není životopis, jak si běžně představím. Však autor taky není spisovatel. Knížka se zdá, že nemá žádnou předem danou koncepci, jako bychom se sešli někde s P. Freestonem na pokec a on spustil o tom, na co si zrovna vzpomněl. A právě proto se mi to líbilo. Jsou zde jen útržky Freddieho života, se kterými má P.F. vlastní osobní zkušenost. Nehraje si na nějaký komplexní autorizovaný životopis. A o to autentičtěji kniha působí.
Musím ale říct, že mě několikrát udeřil do oka špatný překlad, někde možná jen špatná korektura, ale ruší to jinak příjemný čtenářský nostalgický zážitek.
June 11, 2023
Peter Freestone is a nice man and he has a very interesting tale to tell. I assume that it was David Evans' job to take Peter's material and turn it into an engaging, readable book. In that case, David has let Peter down miserably. The book is very poorly edited, a complete mess in places. There are poorly constructed sentences that need to be read more than once before the intent emerges, contradictory statements, atrocious punctuation... all the stuff that a co-author is employed to sort out.
The editing mess really scrubs the shine off the book, and it's a great shame because Peter Freestone has a unique perspective on a most interesting and beloved man.
The editing mess really scrubs the shine off the book, and it's a great shame because Peter Freestone has a unique perspective on a most interesting and beloved man.
January 4, 2019
The writing is at times a little hard to follow but it's a really good insight to who Freddie was off stage. Be prepared to cry...
October 23, 2019
Incredibila poveste a celebrului Freddie Mercury povestită de unul dintre cei mai apropiați prieteni care a locuit cu acesta până în ultimul moment. Dacă vrei să știi cum arătau anii 80 în viața uneia dintre cele mai mari celebrități ale momentului, îți recomand cartea.
February 11, 2019
Fuck Phoebe Freestone. FUCK THIS BOOK. Freddie would be trembling with disgust over how his personhood is used and abused with the only purpose of making Peter Freestone seem an important figure in his life. I'M SO GLAD TO BE DONE WITH THIS.
January 20, 2021
It was interesting to read about how the songs or video's came together. A lot of fascinating tidbits.
Also ... a lot of clutter. There was no straight line in this book. It was a bit all over the place. Don't really get why it got published this way.
It's also very ... superficial? I'm missing depth in the relations. Sometimes Peter Freestone said some things that resonated but more than not it fell a bit flat. There were too many names as well and I got lost in the maze and honestly, I didn't want to find a way out. Just beam me up, Scotty.
I must admit that I had to drag myself through this one. Chapters 1 and 2 were okay. Three had me pulling open youtube which was fine. Four and five frankly were dull. And well, you can't read about your idol dying without feeling, can you?
Also ... a lot of clutter. There was no straight line in this book. It was a bit all over the place. Don't really get why it got published this way.
It's also very ... superficial? I'm missing depth in the relations. Sometimes Peter Freestone said some things that resonated but more than not it fell a bit flat. There were too many names as well and I got lost in the maze and honestly, I didn't want to find a way out. Just beam me up, Scotty.
I must admit that I had to drag myself through this one. Chapters 1 and 2 were okay. Three had me pulling open youtube which was fine. Four and five frankly were dull. And well, you can't read about your idol dying without feeling, can you?
December 29, 2024
Mi-e foarte greu să-mi descriu relația cu această „biografie intimă, scrisă de omul care l-a cunoscut cel mai bine” pe Freddie Mercury, după cum este prezentată cartea. Cred că oamenii au viziuni diferite despre ce înseamnă să cunoști pe cineva, iar a mea e posibil să nu fie neapărat în ton cu acest soi de „cunoaștere” și apropiere umană.
Cele șapte capitole ale cărții te poartă pe la concertele și prin turneele Queen, prin studiouri și prin etapele de creație ale videoclipurilor care le-au adus atâta faimă, prin garderobele lor și printre obiectele de artă pe care Freddie le achiziționa. Biografia abundă de date ale concertelor și turneelor, de detalii tehnice și logistice, de informații specifice despre preferințele lui Freddie când venea vorba de îmbrăcăminte, artă, gastronomie, cadouri făcute prietenilor. O înșiruire de oameni importanți, cu care Freddie a interacționat, de care s-a apropiat sau nu, observații simple din viața sa de zi cu zi. Din acest punct de vedere, cartea e un deliciu și, probabil, greu de egalat.
Din biografia sa, am simțit că lipsește însă tocmai personajul principal. Am aflat atât de multe despre lucrurile și oamenii din jurul lui Freddie, despre ce și când a făcut, dar atât de puține despre el, ca om și artist, deopotrivă. Toată înșiruirea aceasta de cuvinte am simțit-o ca pe o listă de fun facts, lucruri mai puțin știute despre el, de care mulți cititori s-au bucurat cu adevărat, dar care, în cele din urmă, nu-mi aduc mie nici o satisfacție.
Spre final, însă, am simțit că Peter Freestone și-a dat totuși voie să-l (re)vadă pe Freddie, dincolo de lucrurile din casă, de preferințele și comportamentele sale punctuale. Și-a dat voie să vadă, de exemplu, că obsesia aceasta a lui Freddie de-a face cadouri era modul lui de a-și manifesta aprecierea, grija și atenția pentru prietenii săi, că atât timp cât omul de scenă a supraviețuit, a supraviețuit și persoana, că încrederea era pilonul ce stătea la baza tuturor relațiilor sale, că dragostea – deși nu în forma sa clasică, amoroasă – stătea, cu adevărat, la baza creațiilor sale artistice.
Cele șapte capitole ale cărții te poartă pe la concertele și prin turneele Queen, prin studiouri și prin etapele de creație ale videoclipurilor care le-au adus atâta faimă, prin garderobele lor și printre obiectele de artă pe care Freddie le achiziționa. Biografia abundă de date ale concertelor și turneelor, de detalii tehnice și logistice, de informații specifice despre preferințele lui Freddie când venea vorba de îmbrăcăminte, artă, gastronomie, cadouri făcute prietenilor. O înșiruire de oameni importanți, cu care Freddie a interacționat, de care s-a apropiat sau nu, observații simple din viața sa de zi cu zi. Din acest punct de vedere, cartea e un deliciu și, probabil, greu de egalat.
Din biografia sa, am simțit că lipsește însă tocmai personajul principal. Am aflat atât de multe despre lucrurile și oamenii din jurul lui Freddie, despre ce și când a făcut, dar atât de puține despre el, ca om și artist, deopotrivă. Toată înșiruirea aceasta de cuvinte am simțit-o ca pe o listă de fun facts, lucruri mai puțin știute despre el, de care mulți cititori s-au bucurat cu adevărat, dar care, în cele din urmă, nu-mi aduc mie nici o satisfacție.
Spre final, însă, am simțit că Peter Freestone și-a dat totuși voie să-l (re)vadă pe Freddie, dincolo de lucrurile din casă, de preferințele și comportamentele sale punctuale. Și-a dat voie să vadă, de exemplu, că obsesia aceasta a lui Freddie de-a face cadouri era modul lui de a-și manifesta aprecierea, grija și atenția pentru prietenii săi, că atât timp cât omul de scenă a supraviețuit, a supraviețuit și persoana, că încrederea era pilonul ce stătea la baza tuturor relațiilor sale, că dragostea – deși nu în forma sa clasică, amoroasă – stătea, cu adevărat, la baza creațiilor sale artistice.
December 19, 2019
This book appears to be written on post it notes while the author was riding the bus. There was no editor involved in any part of this book's creation, probably because he didn't want to decrease his profit margin. There is nothing new he shares and some absurd statements are made such as portraying Winnie as this jolly man, 'chunky and hunky", who was just who Freddie needed. Are you kidding? The man was physically and emotionally abusive! And when Freddie passed away, with great dignity in the face of immense pain and sorrow, the words after he describes the body leaving the home are "Freddie Mercury had left the building!" Did he honestly think an analogy to Elvis was funny? How pathetic that Freddie may have thought of this man as a friend. Peter, if you were such a great guy, why didn't you encourage him to attend rehab instead of boasting about how you could procure the best drugs? Sorry buddy, that's an enabler not a friend. And promiscuity is a sexual addiction not just something you do because your gay. Unfortunately, Freddie had far too many like you in his life, and it never worked in his favor. This was just another book written as fast as he could, as evidenced by minimal punctuation and grade three grammar, vying to be the first out the publishing gate to beat all the other 'friends' books about Freddies's life. God bless Mary Austin, the woman who showed him nothing but unconditional love.
March 31, 2019
Normally, I don’t write reviews but with all the negative reviews I saw for this I felt the need to say why I enjoyed it. We should remember how private a person Freddie was, so there most likely isn’t much or any concrete evidence as to what “drove” him. Peter Freestone has laid out his experiences with Freddie to give us a glimpse into what life was like off stage without giving away his friend’s deepest secrets. While some consider the details boring I enjoyed feeling like I had a personal tour of his home at Garden Lodge when reading Peter’s description room-to-room. I appreciated learning of how much thought Freddie put into the interior design, his love of art, antiques, and tiny boxes. If you’re interested in learning the little (probably insignificant to most) details about this music legend then I suggest giving this book a read. If you’re looking for gossip then this probably isn’t the right book for you.
January 1, 2020
Trebuie să recunosc că această biografie face lumină asupra vieții adevărate a lui Freddie Mercury. În plus, dincolo de zvonurile și miturile pe care le distruge Peter Freestone, am comparat numeroase detalii pe care le-am aflat în carte cu anumite scene din filmul Bohemian Rhapsody și trebuie să vă spun că am descoperit că filmul nu prezintă tocmai realitatea. Bine, asta nu înseamnă că nu merită văzut, dimpotrivă! Noi chiar ne-am propus să ne uităm din nou la film, cât de curând, deși l-am văzut deja de 2 ori, în septembrie.
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December 25, 2017
One of a kind...
So talented, so artistic. Peter freestone has given us a glimpse of freddie's life. It was interesting to read about Freddie's home. His appreciation of art and antiques was something I didn't know. His love of cats? I appreciate that as I am a cat lover myself.
Never got to see Queen in person. My loss..super talented, easily one of the best bands ever.
You are missed...😢
So talented, so artistic. Peter freestone has given us a glimpse of freddie's life. It was interesting to read about Freddie's home. His appreciation of art and antiques was something I didn't know. His love of cats? I appreciate that as I am a cat lover myself.
Never got to see Queen in person. My loss..super talented, easily one of the best bands ever.
You are missed...😢
September 8, 2018
I would’ve given this 5 stars but didn’t because we didn’t get the details about what happened in the days, weeks and months after Freddie’s death. Jim Hutton’s book was filled with those details and it would’ve been nice is some of them had been corroborated or debunked.
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