Hi everyone, new Qeenzone member here.
I'm looking at getting the book "Freddie Mercury/Living on the Edge" by David Bret out of the library, but before I do(as it's an interlibrary loan) I'd like some opinons. What I'm wanting make sure before I waste my time and money is that it's not one of those tacky tawdry tell-alls, and that it doesn't just solely focus on his homosexuality and illness. Does this book have substance, is it worth reading, or should I give it a miss?
Having never heard of David Bret or this book, I looked it up on Amazon. And this reviewer confirm my fears about this book. it said -
"Freddie Mercury would dominate the stage with all the force of a hurricane. This book goes someway to explaining the man behind the image, but does seem to glorify his wilder exploits, which sometimes leave a frankly lukewarm taste in the mouth. That said, it's a fairly intimate account, Bret has obviously done his homework here, though the opinions which permeate the book do get a little annoying, after all, you should be clever enough to work out that the press could be a little too harsh on Mercury, without the author reminding you at every verse end. It details a lot about the pre-show, post-show and just about any-excuse-for-one parties that were a feature for much of Queen's career, and gives a first rate account of the years when Queen were out of the spotlight, after the "Magic" tour, and before "The Miracle", and the period during which Freddie first discovered he had AIDS. The book then comes into its own as an excellent account of Freddie's last years with endless quotes from endless people who knew and loved him, and it even has time for a little controversy here and there too. The ending, with the disapproving review of the Wembley tribute concert is not the best, and the final quote could have been selected better, but still, all in all, this is by no means a poor book, quite to the contrary. The occasional irritation is always countered by some very interesting pure fact, and with a man like Mercury, this is one of the most important factors."
So the book is tacky tawdry shite, with "endless quotes from endless people who knew and loved him". Loved him? Like heck they did. If they really did, they would have kept their mouth shut since one of the things about Freddie was that he liked his private life kept private.
Hi, I recommend to rather give it a miss, as the book is interesting and, to say so, unique only in its beginning, when there are some interesting facts about Freddies childhood etc, while most of the rest of this book is nothing too much special. "Leslie Ann-Jones F.M. Definitive Biography", for example, is a lot more worth reading, although it also has its own minuses....