The Show Must Go on: The Life of Freddie Mercury

by Rick Sky | Biographies & Memoirs | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0006384358 Global Overview for this book
Registered by CandyDarling of Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on 9/29/2006
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3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by CandyDarling from Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, September 29, 2006
In November 1991, the world was shocked by the death from AIDS of one of pop's most flamboyant stars. Freddie Mercury's blend of musicianship and showmanship put Queen at the top of the charts for years. With photographs and interviews with friends and colleagues, this book tells how the shy art student from Zanzibar turned into the extrovert musician. It looks for the truth behind the stories of outrageous parting, the two women in his life, and his reluctance to admit his bisexuality despite having had AIDS for five years before his death.

Journal Entry 2 by CandyDarling at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, October 13, 2012
I'm a huge fan of Queen and Freddie Mercury, but I guess I prefer listening to their music to reading this biography. I have a biography of Queen on my shelf (Queen: The Early Years by Mark Hodkinson) which I'd still like to read.

Journal Entry 3 by CandyDarling at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Saturday, October 13, 2012

Released 11 yrs ago (10/13/2012 UTC) at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland

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Giving this to kirjakko. Happy Reading!

Journal Entry 4 by wingkirjakkowing at Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, October 14, 2012
Here is another Queen fan. What a voice Freddie had!! And showmanship. And so many great songs. I've read several Freddie-biographies, but hadn't seen this one before. Looking forward to it.

Journal Entry 5 by wingkirjakkowing at Pornainen, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Friday, September 14, 2018
Took great many years to pick this up and I have to say that although I am merely on page 21 I know for sure this book won't stay in my PC. The other Freddie biographies I have read have been written either by genuine friends or by professional writers. Here you find the style of a tabloid reporter which lacks warmth and respect.
I am going to try to read this ASAP, because I'll be off to the UK next week and would like to post this to another Queen fan there as a Christmas present (let's see if it will stay hidden until then). At least that was my original plan, if the book turns out to be really bad, I will merely release it somewhere in the wild.

Journal Entry 6 by wingkirjakkowing at Sipoo, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Sunday, September 16, 2018
The writer keeps calling Freddie "Mercury" most of the time. Jim Hutton, Freddie's last partner, wrote a book called 'Mercury and Me' (a very good book which I do recommend) and said that the title was a bit misleading (probably pressured by the publishing house), because NOBODY who knew Freddie well called him Mercury.

Journal Entry 7 by wingkirjakkowing at New Forest, Hampshire United Kingdom on Monday, September 17, 2018
On a bus tour with Freddie. Some New Forest ponies were blocking the road.

Journal Entry 8 by wingkirjakkowing at Minstead, Hampshire United Kingdom on Monday, September 17, 2018
First stop: Minstead. Famous for being the burial place of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Note the pipe on the gravestone.

Journal Entry 9 by wingkirjakkowing at West Bay, Dorset United Kingdom on Monday, September 17, 2018
Second stop: West Bay, famous for its 185-million-year-old Jurassic Coast.

Journal Entry 10 by wingkirjakkowing at Torquay, Devon United Kingdom on Monday, September 17, 2018
Third stop: Torquay, the birth place of Dame Agatha Christie and Fawlty Towers.
A room with a view...

Journal Entry 11 by wingkirjakkowing at Taunton, Somerset United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
Finished the book in a bus just before Taunton.
Brian May say in the book that they would never tour with somebody else taking Freddie's place, but they just did with Adam Lambert, who was phenomenal of what I heard. So never say never.

I will still add some photos of the places we've seen this week, but into a red postbox goes the book.

Journal Entry 12 by wingkirjakkowing at Dartmoor, Devon United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
Continued from Torquay to Dartmoor, where my love affair with England began 37 years ago, when I spent a month living the life of Herriot in a vet's family.

Journal Entry 13 by wingkirjakkowing at Tavistock, Devon United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
We stopped for coffee for merely half an hour in Tavistock, which used to be our nearest market town in 1981. No need to say I didn't waste my time drinking coffee.

Journal Entry 14 by wingkirjakkowing at Eden Project, Cornwall United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
Went to see the botanical garden of Eden Project. Amazing place built in the place of an old clay pit, opened to the public in 2001. Has been called the 8th wonder of the world.
We were given two hours there, so that we could also have lunch. No need to say we didn't have lunch as we wanted to make the most of our visit.

Journal Entry 15 by wingkirjakkowing at St. Ives, Cornwall United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
Road signs you don't see in London.

Journal Entry 16 by wingkirjakkowing at Porthcurno, Cornwall United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
If we saw the eight wonder of the world the day before, now was time for the ninth. Rowena Cade's Minack Theatre. One Woman and her dream. Truly extrodinary amphitheatre carved on a cliffside by Miss Cade and her gardener. She outlasted three gardeners in total and died at the age of 90. Carried her work until the end. Wow.

Journal Entry 17 by wingkirjakkowing at Porthcurno, Cornwall United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
A view to the right from the Minack Theatre...

Journal Entry 18 by wingkirjakkowing at Porthcurno, Cornwall United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
...and a view to the left from the Minack Theatre.

Journal Entry 19 by wingkirjakkowing at Lands End, Cornwall United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
Once you got through the awful tourist trap built on Land's End and actually saw the beach, you understood why people travel here.

Journal Entry 20 by wingkirjakkowing at Lands End, Cornwall United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
They even put the date up for you.

Journal Entry 21 by wingkirjakkowing at Botallack, Cornwall United Kingdom on Thursday, September 20, 2018
Then we visited Poldark's filming location.

Journal Entry 22 by wingkirjakkowing at St. Ives, Cornwall United Kingdom on Friday, September 21, 2018
Stayed in St Ives for a few days.

Journal Entry 23 by wingkirjakkowing at St. Ives, Cornwall United Kingdom on Friday, September 21, 2018
They have class there... Freddie would have loved it.

Journal Entry 24 by wingkirjakkowing at St. Ives, Cornwall United Kingdom on Friday, September 21, 2018
Another room with a view. Even better than Torquay, I'd say.

Journal Entry 25 by wingkirjakkowing at St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall United Kingdom on Saturday, September 22, 2018
So near and yet so far. It was too windy for the ferry to cross over to St Michael's Mount that day.

Journal Entry 26 by wingkirjakkowing at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall United Kingdom on Saturday, September 22, 2018
If a family has own an estate for over 400 years, the gardens might get lost sometimes.
Lost were also 16 of the 26 gardeners during the Great War. That is what happens when you make people who are trained to plant life kill other people. They were beautifully remembered around the garden. There was a picture of each and every one of them with a little history next to it, placed in the part of the garden that used to be their responsibility.

Journal Entry 27 by wingkirjakkowing at Lanhydrock, Cornwall United Kingdom on Saturday, September 22, 2018
This is merely the gate to Lanhydrock House...
I would not mind being the gate-keeper here.

Journal Entry 28 by wingkirjakkowing at Taunton, Somerset United Kingdom on Saturday, September 22, 2018
Another Castle Hotel, Taunton Castle in the middle of the town.
This castle is where the eldest illigimate son of Charles II and his 500 supporters had their trial, James Fitzroy having announced himself the king to replace his uncle James II. James Fitzroy was later beheaded in the Tower of London.
I also learned that Charles II had fourteen illigimate children (and none born in wedlock) and he started the habit of giving illigimate royal children the family name of Fitz-something (Fitzroy, Fitzcharles... later Fitzwilliam, Fitzgerald... depending on the father). Later this habit was adopted also by the aristocracy.

Journal Entry 29 by wingkirjakkowing at Winchester, Hampshire United Kingdom on Saturday, September 22, 2018
Last stop, Winchester, and the house where Jane Austen died.

A little story connected to this book happened in Winchester. We went to a cafe and after us came a young man cheerfully greeting the boy behind the counter, asking all sorts of not perhaps ordinary questions from him. Not really sounding a drunk, but different. When he took a seat nearby, we realized he had Down's syndrome. The waiter brought him his tea and the man asked him:
"You know Freddie, the greatest star there ever was in rock and roll?"
The waiter was young and did not know who he meant.
"Do you know when he was born? I was born in 1971 and I wonder if he was older than me."
The waiter didn't know. I said out loud: "1946", and my friend kicked me and said not to start a conversation with him or we would never hear the last of it. He hadn't heard what I had said, so we weren't bothered. Then came a waitress, a young girl, who went to the young man and said:
"Freddie Mercury was born on the 5th of November in 1946."
He became so happy it made cry.
"You looked it up for me? So he was older than me. Could you write it down for me?"
And the waitress came back with a note telling when Freddie was born and the young man was over the moon. Now this is what I call customer service. Would have tipped the girl for that but I was fighting back the tears so much that it would have ended up in an embarrassment. Once I start I can't stop the tears. But I guess it was a good story to end this journey.

Journal Entry 30 by wingkirjakkowing at Ossett, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Saturday, September 22, 2018

Released 5 yrs ago (9/21/2018 UTC) at Ossett, West Yorkshire United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Should have saved the last story here, actually.
The book is on its way to my favourite living Yorkshire Man. No need to wait until Christmas with this. Enjoy.

Journal Entry 31 by wingDelticwing at Ossett, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Monday, September 24, 2018
Hey Kirjakko. You've surprised me yet again and having read through your JEs I have just checked the wrapping paper to see if I have missed a note saying, "Don't open till Christmas". Love that wrapping paper by the way. Recycling in action.

I look forward to reading this. I have been a Queen fan since the day I first heard Killer Queen, back in 1974. I was lucky enough to see the band in 1986 in St James's Park football ground in Newcastle, supported by Status Quo. I also have seen Brian May and Friends (Cozy Powell played drums) when we lived in Cardiff. Not sure if I would want to see Queen without Freddie. He was the King!

Note to CandyDarilng. You definitely read Queen The Early Years. It is one of the best in my opinion.

And Kirjakko, you need to start your own travel series. Eat your heart out Michael Palin!

Journal Entry 32 by wingDelticwing at Ossett, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Sunday, October 7, 2018
Finally got round to rereading the Kirjakko travelodge and enjoying the photos which were missing when the book arrived. Still on the bookcase.

31/10/18 edited to say that I actually wrote travelogue and my blooming iPad decided the word I wanted was travelodge!

Journal Entry 33 by wingDelticwing at Ossett, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Have just read this in honour of the new film Bohemian Rhapsody. I always enjoy reading anything about Queen. Although I agree with Kirjakko, that this is not the best book I've read on Freddie, it wasn't that bad. It does repeat itself quite a bit and it's not written by someone who was really close to the man, but its still of interest. My recommendation would be Peter Freestone's book subtitled "an intimate memoir by the man who knew him best". Peter (Phoebe) was Freddie's personal assistant for many years.

Mrs D and I are going to see the film tonight. If I can find a suitable place I might release the book at the cinema. We'll see.

Journal Entry 34 by wingDelticwing at White Rose Cinema in Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Released 5 yrs ago (10/31/2018 UTC) at White Rose Cinema in Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom

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