Mercury And Me

With its new introduction by Jim Hutton's co-writer Tim Wapshott, only the Kindle edition of 'Mercury and Me' (2013) is the updated story of rock's oddest couple. This is the Kindle edition in slightly larger format paperback, with b&w photos. The relationship between Freddie Mercury and Jim Hutton evolved over several months in 1984 and 1985. Even when they first slept together Hutton had no idea who Mercury was, and when the star told him his name it meant nothing to him. Hutton worked as a barber at the Savoy Hotel and retained his job and suburban lodgings long after first meeting the rock legend. Hutton finally moved in with Mercury and later also worked as his gardener. Hutton was never fully assimilated into Mercury's jet-setting lifestyle, nor did he want to be, but from 1985 until Mercury's death in 1991 he was closer to him than anyone. He knew all Mercury's closest chums including the other members of Queen, Elton John, David Bowie and Montserrat Caballé. Ever present at the countless Sunday lunch gatherings and opulent parties, in stark contrast Hutton also nursed Mercury through his terminal illness, often held him through the night in his final weeks, and was with him as he died. No one can tell the story of the last few years of Mercury's private life - the ecstasies and the agonies - more accurately or honestly than Jim Hutton.

With a new introduction by Jim Hutton's co-writer Tim Wapshott, only this Kindle-exclusive edition of 'Mercury and Me' is the updated story of rock's oddest couple. This is the large print edition (18pt sans serif font, with 12 large b&w photographs) - it is also available as a Kindle ebook and regular paperback. The relationship between Freddie Mercury and Jim Hutton evolved over several months in 1984 and 1985. Even when they first slept together Hutton had no idea who Mercury was, and when the star told him his name it meant nothing to him. Hutton worked as a barber at the Savoy Hotel and retained his job and suburban lodgings long after first meeting the rock legend. Hutton finally moved in with Mercury and later also worked as his gardener. Hutton was never fully assimilated into Mercury's jet-setting lifestyle, nor did he want to be, but from 1985 until Mercury's death in 1991 he was closer to him than anyone. He knew all Mercury's closest chums including the other members of Queen, Elton John, David Bowie and Montserrat Caballé. Ever present at the countless Sunday lunch gatherings and opulent parties, in stark contrast Hutton also nursed Mercury through his terminal illness, often held him through the night in his final weeks, and was with him as he died. No one can tell the story of the last few years of Mercury's private life - the ecstasies and the agonies - more accurately or honestly than Jim Hutton.

For the first time, the final years of one of the world's most captivating rock showman are laid bare. Including interviews from Freddie Mercury's closest friends in the last years of his life, along with personal photographs, Somebody to Love is an authoritative biography of the great man. Here are previously unknown and startling facts about the singer and his life, moving detail on his lifelong search for love and personal fulfilment, and of course his tragic contraction of a then killer disease in the mid-1980s. Woven throughout Freddie's life is the shocking story of how the HIV virus came to hold the world in its grip, was cruelly labelled 'The Gay Plague' and the unwitting few who indirectly infected thousands of men, women and children - Freddie Mercury himself being one of the most famous. The death of this vibrant and spectacularly talented rock star, shook the world of medicine as well as the world of music. Somebody to Love finally puts the record straight and pays detailed tribute to the man himself.

Noted for his powerful vocal talent and charismatic stage presence, Freddie Mercury was a true legend of rock. In this book the late Queen frontman recalls some of the key moments which shaped his life, revealing how he coped with the ups and downs of fame and celebrity.

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. Press Reviews“An entertaining and thought provoking read” – PRS for Music Sales “This collection of Freddie’s own words is the closest thing there is to an autobiography of a man with no regrets. The foreword is written by his mother” – reFRESH magazine, Leading Gay mag in the UK

The lead vocalist for the iconic rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury's unmatched skills as a songwriter and his flamboyant showmanship made him a superstar and Queen a household name. The author, a rock journalist, conducted more than a hundred interviews with key figures in Mercury's life, to offer this account of one man's legendary life in the spotlight and behind the scenes.

This graphic memoir tells of Mike Dawson's lifelong obsession with Freddie Mercury and Queen. Told alternately from Mike's childhood, teenage and adult perspectives, it explores the way in which music changes and shapes our lives, and the way in which random memories can both prop up and undermine the stories we tell ourselves.