Mercury and Me, Jim Hutton

Title: Mercury and Me
Author(s): Jim Hutton, with Tim Wapshott
No. of pages: 222
Genre: Non-fiction, Biography
Publication date: July 7th 1995
Date read: February 6th 2019

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Mercury and Me summary

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 his lodgings in Sutton, Surrey, for two years after moving in with Mercury, and then worked as his gardener. He 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 and knew all Mercury’s closest friends: the other members of Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, Phil Collins to name a few. Ever present at the countless Sunday lunch gatherings and opulent parties, Hutton has a wealth of anecdotes about as well as a deep understanding of, Mercury’s life. He also nursed Mercury through his terminal illness, often held him throughout 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.
(Goodreads)

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Book review Mercury and Me

I don’t think there’s anything that can make my love for Queen and Freddie Mercury go away. When I first bought the two biographies on Freddie Mercury I was afraid that I’d end up liking Freddie less. I can safely say that I love him and the whole lot of Queen even more than I did before. They were and still are all really one of a kind and I’m so glad I finally found my love for the band Queen.

This book Mercury and Me had me in tears. I could really feel the love between Jim and Freddie and, although it was also messy at times (of course, which relationship isn’t), they were so lovely together. I’m so glad to read that Freddie finally found someone to love and who loved him back, just for the person he was. Someone who he could enjoy the last years of his life with. Of course, this is written from Jim’s perspective and I don’t know what’s really the truth and what’s just Jim’s view and thoughts on things. Mary Austin didn’t really come out very well: the parts about her had my jaw on the floor, but I don’t know if it all happened exactly as Jim told.

This book is a really intense and intimate read on the relationship between Jim and Freddie. It doesn’t seem to hide anything that happened between Freddie and Jim. I think it’s a must read for every Freddie Mercury fan out there!