Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man Who Knew Him Best

by Peter Freestone

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0711986746
• ISBN13: 9780711986749
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Omnibus Press
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Did we all read the same book?

So many of the reviewers of this book seem to want everything spelled out in capital letters. Perhaps they have no nuances, no ability to read between the lines. To me, this is definitely a read between the lines book. This is not a capital letters book. As for some of the criticisms about it, they just seem to me to rather miss the point. Of course Peter isn't writing about what he doesn't know. He didn't grow up with Freddie. He was only with him in the role of personal assistant for the last decade or so of Freddie's life. For the people who complained that Peter said nothing at all about Freddie's childhood, it seems perfectly obvious to me that Freddie went WAY out of his way to obliterate entirely that portion of his life---with Peter and everyone else. If a person does that, use your common sense---why would he unless his childhood was something he was embarrassed and/or ashamed about? That's what I mean by reading between the lines. For example, on page 208 of my paperback version, Peter gives in my opinion all the information you need to know about Freddie's relationship with his immediate family when he writes: "...by maintaining a distance from them, he was also able to protect himself from some of their censure." Censure? That tells me volumes---that they disapproved of him in some ways. Probably, although I don't know this for a fact, because they were a religious family, they disapproved of his sexuality choices. It has been my experience that people who take organized religion very seriously are the most intolerant of those who choose to follow any path other that the one THEY have deemed correct. The Scientologists and the religious right are good examples of this. Put yourself in Freddie's shoes: here's an inordinately creatively gifted little boy from a restrictive highly religious family, who is shipped off to a boarding school---in another country!---from the age of eight until the age of sixteen, with only short holidays once a year to see his family members. While at this boarding school, by Freddie's own admission, he was chased around by at least one schoolmaster. "Chased around"---that suggests sexual abuse to me. I know from my probation officer husband that frequently pedophiles congregate in those situations: Boy Scouts, boarding schools, all boys choirs, etc. Now before someone gets a hernia from misinterpreting what I just said, I don't say that ALL people involved in those very worthwhile organizations are pedophiles, just that statistically, pedophiles are going to prey where the targets are. So here's Freddie, shipped away from his family, who seem intolerant to me, to a rigid boarding school, which seems intolerant to me, to be on at least one occasion "chased" by a schoolmaster. That poor, poor little boy! And yet he must also have had some good from his family, because otherwise he would have cut them off entirely once he had the ability to do so. He never d

a great account of life with Freddie Mercury

Peter Freestone was Freddie Mercury's personal assistant from 1979 until Freddie's death in 1991. In that time, Peter found himself in the midst of many interesting scenarios, many of which are chronicled in his book. Peter's detailed account of the layout of Garden Lodge (Freddie's palatial home in the Kensington section of London) is especially noteworthy. Peter went around the world with Freddie, experienced many tours, witnessed many recording sessions and video shoots, met many people who came and went in Freddie's life, and was even with Freddie during his declining years. One can tell his loyalty to Freddie was steadfast. Even though I favor Jim Hutton's book over all other books written about Freddie Mercury, this one still gets my stamp of approval, and I would still recommend it.

Freddie Mercury handbook

Most complete biography of Freddie Mercury that I've seen. It really takes you inside Freddie's world. After reading it, I almost felt like I knew him. A must have for any Queen fan.

The Last Twelve Years -- 1979-2001

I will say, on the one hand, I am not a "die-hard" Queen fan, nor am I a "die-hard" Freddie Mercury fan. On the other hand, I do enjoy Queen's music.The intent on buying this book, as in any biography, is to learn about the birth, career, and so on of the person in which the biography is based. That is not the case for this book.At first, I was a bit dissapointed to discover that I would not learn about Freddie's birth, childhood, his early carrer, the founding of Queen as a band, as well as the birth of Queen's successes.The book opens in 1979. That is when the author, Peter Freestone, began working for Queen; his original job was to make all the costume changes ready, during Queen's concert performances. His job descriptions, and responsibilities increased as time went on, and he began working solely for Freddie, himself. 'I was Freddie's chief cook and bottle washer, waiter, butler, secretary, cleaner..and agony aunt',writes Peter Freestone (quoting from the back cover, to give an insight as to the various responsibilities he had while employed by Mercury.) 'I travelled the world with him, I was with him at the highs and came through the lows...I acted as his bodyguard when needed and in the end, of course, I was one of his nurses.' This is, indeed as the title states, an intimate look at the man who is Freddie Mercury, written by someone who became one of Freddie's closest, most trusted friends.But, it only covers the 12 years that Freestone knew, and worked for him.The last 2 chapters are especially touching. Peter Freestone was there when Freddie passed away, in 1991, and he shares a very personal account of the goings on before, during, and after his death.What I learned, and appreciated about this intimate memoir, was how generous, and giving Freddie was. He was a loyal friend. He treated those who worked for him as close friends.This book was excellent reading, for what it was; and what it was, was an intimate portrait, getting to know Freddie Mercury on a personal level (kinda like getting a backstage pass, so to speak), learning things that would be, otherwise private.

Pleasant Memories of Freddie Mercury...

I truely enjoyed reading this book. I have, for many years been a Freddie Mercury fan and great admirer of his music. I was very apprehensive about buying this book, as most often books as such are rarely kind to the individual whom they are written about. But I felt that this book characterized Freddie Mercury more as a "person" rather than this huge "rock star" (which he was) and gave some delightful and colorfull insight into his daily life. The book is filled with many stories and incidents that depict his life style more in terms of his love of music, the band, his friends, his home and his cats. There are stories demonstrating his sensitive character, as well as his over all kindness and generousity. The fact that he was gay is secondary in this book, but it was not ignored either. If you are a Freddie Mercury fan I know you will enjoy this book very much. The photo section in the book is good...but for Freddie Mercury fans there are never enough pictures.I myself have reread my book several times and enjoy it just as much each time, sometimes reading something I missed before. Peter Freestone remembered his friend kindly.