Customer Reviews

The Show Must Go on: The Life of Freddie Mercury

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

YES, the author lacks high writing skills. YES, the book is lame and very tabloid-ish. YES, most of the presented facts are questionable. HOWEVER, when I'd read this book in 1993-early 1994, it was the first book about FM, I have ever read. Today, there are many more books about him on the market and much better ones, too. BUT, I did not read this book as a DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY of a great personality, THAT IS WHY I was able to enjoy it... ALL IN ALL, there are plenty of funny (as always) quotes from FM (true or not..."Who cares, darling?" as the Man himself would probably say), as well as other funny anecdotes from people around him.

The book starts pretty well, but the author's poor writing style comes through very early on. There are sections that are quite repetitive. The facts are questionable. If you must have it, it's on the shelves in the Manchester, England airport book stores, in case you know someone there. I'm glad I read it, but I'm also glad that I remember the author's name so I know to avoid his works in the future.

At least he doesn't shy away from the sensitive topics.

Maybe the definitive biography has not yet been written.

This book does nothing for Freddie Mercury fans. It just doesn't have any real facts or substance. Much of the text is written like "Freddie must've thought..." or "This shows his blah blah". Much of Sky's statements are based on his own opinions that are supported by quotes that Freddie may or might not have said. This leaves too much room for conclusions drawn that are out of context.

Don't get this book. It does have some nice pictures but overall, the book is too tabloid-esque and a major disappointment.

In a society where homosexuality is treated as an identifying label that precludes further investigation of the labeled person's personality, and where superstardom is reputed to be a heavy burden yet is the new embodiment of the "American Dream", and great wealth is expected to solve all problems, I appreciated the insight to the life of a man with all of the above, yet was tortured by feelings of unworthiness, incompleteness and unlovability for his true nature. Many biographies drag our Angels down from Heaven, but this book shows that no matter what his sexual orientation, wealth, social standing or how much public accolade he recieved, Freddie Mercury was a great deal more than a "Queen". He was human, with the same insecurities and fundamental identity problems as the rest of us mere mortals. This book brought a rock god down to a level of knowability, and made me feel as though the world is a poorer place without him. Since that is the point in a biography, I was quite impressed with the lack of razzle-dazzle and bright lights and smoke-screens involved. Some questions were left unanswered, but even superstars have a right to some privacy, even after they are gone.

This book was more like a bad term paper than an in-depth history of one of rock's most influential and exciting stars. Very disappointing.

Pretty bad, poorly written book. It's written very much in the tabloid, Geraldo Rivera style. The author frequently uses terms like "killer" and "murderous" when describing AIDS, Freddie's death, or any other topic he can fit them in.

Many so called facts seem to be way off too, like Freddie arriving in Great Britain when he was 14 years old. Most documentation has Freddie arriving when he was 17 years of age.

The author even contradicts his own data. He mentions the Band was told about Freddie's illness just a few months before his death. Later he quotes Brian and Roger saying the band grew closer the last years of Freddie's life, because of his illness they wanted to support him in any way they could.
The author writes that Freddie was a recluse the last years of his life; pages later he writes Freddie continued to work, shop and collaborate with other artists up to his death.

There was a lot of repetitive page filler as well, like several associates of Freddie or Queen describing the same events word for word.
Also, some business associates quotes I'd seen previously were cruder in context in this book. Like a manager describes one of the bands party's and mentions prostitutes were present to take care of anyone's needs. I'd read about the same party, described by the same associate in other books, minus the prostitutes.

It's pretty clear this book was thrown together a year after Freddie's death to make a buck. I guess we can be thankful the endearing but comic cover reflects the content, it reads just like a comic book and due to the large font it's a fast read.
My 1 star reflects I liked the photos (Freddie college photo, Freddie with Mary, early Queen photos, Freddie in Ibiza, FM tribute concert pics, etc).

Mr. Sky left out many essential elements of Freddie's life - the book read like a tabloid. Better choices: Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography and Freddie Mercury: The Show Must Go On (not to be confused with Mr. Sky's work.) The International Queen Fan Club recommends Lesley-Anne Jones' "Definitive Biography" as the most accurate depiction of Freddie's life.

A good book of pictures but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered and undefined.

Though the book had some interesting pictures, the bulk of the text never offered anything new to the reader. In a biography of any kind, you want to learn more about the person than what you already know. This book does not offer that ideal, instead it paints Freddie Mercury in a light that is oft times confusing and inaccurate. Check a title called Mercury: King of Queen a better book, even if it is on the tabloid side of writing.