best biography of queen or freddie?

Hi - if you can only choose one, does anybody have suggestions what is the best biography out there on Freddie, or queen?

Queen And I, Brian May is an amazing read.

Would be great if the band put out their own definitive biography , something like Motley Crue’s the dirt .

John Deacon's diary 1971-99 was a good read. Full of sizzling gypsies.

And holidays

I don't trust biographies very much, most or all of them omit real info and the bad side of the person. The unofficial ones probably dig up some real dirt but they're not necessarily closer to the truth.


I read three (kinda) official ones:

- "As it began" by Jackie Smith and Jim Beach omits lots of stuff and is completely outdated, although it covers the whole Freddie era and it's essential to know all of the common anecdotes.

- "Mercury and Me" by Jim Hutton is interesting if you really want to find out how Freddie really was (so moody!). I think it doesn't really go too far regarding intimate details, but you might find it a bit too morbid because it's first and foremost Freddie's love life with Jim. Still respectful though, not too shocking to read unless you have an innocent concept of Freddie.

- "Queen Unseen" by Peter Hince (Ratty) is the book I enjoyed the most. It's not so much about the music, but lots of down-to-earth anecdotes and stories of what happened behind the scenes when Queen were at their prime.


I never read the Peter Freestone book, I'd like some impressions from people here.

Queen The Early Years by Mark Hodkinson is great read. The two books from the 70's by George Tremlett and Larry Pryce are also worth seeking out.

What about the book written by Georg Purvis ?

I think 'The Ultimate Illustrated History' is really good. I've got the 2009 edition, perhaps the more recent one is even better, from what I've been told.

This one by Fatty is the best, even if it is "complete bullshit" as he says.

http://www.queenzone.com/forums/345080/the-private-personal-diaries-of-freddie-mercury-1946-1991.aspx

Those were the days...

Mr Mercury wrote:

This one by Fatty is the best, even if it is "complete bullshit" as he says.

Yes! How could I forget!

A complete true story: Brian, Roger and John visiting Freddie the day before he died.

At this point Pheobe enters the bedroom carrying a tray of tea and Jaffa Cakes.

Freddie beckons Pheobe over to him and whispers something in his ear.

Pheobe takes the plate of Jaffa Cakes away and returns a minute or so later with a plate of plain digestives.

By the way, his Queen story lives on!

Queen The Early Years is brilliant.

I also like Mercury & Me a lot, despite its flaws and perhaps cynical motivation for release....

On the band as a whole? Has not been written yet....

Peter Hince's book is also very good

Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography by Lesley Ann Jones

Is This the Real Life: The Untold Story of Queen by Mark Blake

Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury by Mark Langthorne and Matt Richards

Mercury and Me by Jim Hutton

I read Ratty's book and it was all about how many women and drugs he had. I also got the impression that Queen were areseholes except for John. Freddie comes across are a real difficult bloke, despite all the supposed generosity people talk about.