Matt Richards

Well researched content on the life and final days of Michael Jackson. I did not find anything new or compelling in the content or presentation, but it was a story well told, linking together many complex facts and factors influencing the King of Pop. About one-third of the book is dedicated to considerations of Jackson's death resulting from something other than a grossly substandard care of a physician with questionable motives. The authors did a very good job of pulling together the various oddly connected business affairs of Michael Jackson and presenting speculations about Jackson's death. A sad story of a tremendously talented artist and truly exceptional performer, haunted by trauma and drug addled demons only he understood.… (mere)

This was a good—only good, and not great—overview not only of Freddie Mercury's life, but also the proliferation of the AIDS epidemic throughout the world.

Some first impressions...

Wow, Freddie Mercury has been gone for almost thirty years? Honestly, if I had been pressed to give an immediate, don't-think-about-it answer, I would have guessed no more than ten or twelve. Hard to believe.

I kept reading about how Freddie wanted to keep his homosexuality secret, and I kept thinking, why? Then I'd remember the place I was working at, and when AIDS became a thing, my boss at the time throwing out the joke, "What does AIDS stand for?" And, of course, the answer was, "Adios, Infected Dick Sucker"... So, yeah, gays obviously weren't afforded much respect back then, obviously, because I do remember that sort of feeling as prevalent. And I live in a more progressive, accepting country.

At the same time, it feels like I always knew Freddie was gay, just as I always knew Elton was. I'm wrong, I know that. But still, it seems weird. Different times.

As for the book, nothing really surprising here, much of what's talked about is elements of Mercury's life in and out of Queen that has been discussed (or twisted about in the movie), before. While I did learn more about how HIV and AIDS developed than I'd previously been aware of, sadly, I already knew how Reagan and Thatcher rarely lifted a finger due to the misconception that this was strictly a "gay plague".

I think the biggest downfall of this book is how Richards chose to deliver the information. He'd mention some fact, for example, his change of relationship with Mary Austin from girlfriend to friend, then carry on with the narrative, then in the next chapter, talk about their current girlfriend/boyfriend relationship again, and cover off how it changed. Or he'd discuss the release of a single, then back up to recording the album, then discuss the release of that single in the next chapter.

It made for a somewhat schizophrenic and oddly repetitive read at times.

He also briefly mentions Mercury working with Billy Squier for a couple of songs on his Enough is Enough album in 1986, but there's literally no mention of his appearance on Squier's 1982 and 1984 albums. Sure, it's not a big thing, but it makes me wonder what other things were left out.

While I'd be interested in discovering more about one of the supreme rock musicians of my generation, I doubt I'll ever pick up another book written by Matt Richards.… (mere)