Mercury and Me Paperback – February 12, 2014

Jim Hutton was the Irishman known as Freddy Mercury’s husband and remained at the side of Queen’s extraordinary frontman until his death of HIV/AIDS on November 24, 1991. Mercury spotted Hutton on the street and thought Hutton resembled the American actor Burt Reynolds and announced “there’s my man!” Hutton was stunned when Mercury sent first class tickets for him to fly to Munich to spend the weekend with him. “Mercury and Me” (2019 Reissue) is Jim’s tender and controversial account of the couple’s relationship that began in 1985 when Hutton was working as a gentleman’s barber in London.With the popularity of the award winning film “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018) there has been a renewed interest and following in Queen. Due to nature of his relationship with FM, some of Queen’s fans seem critical of Hutton’s book, either loving or loathing it. Jim Hutton (1949-2010) passed away from HIV/AIDS and a lung cancer diagnosis. Towards the end of the book Hutton reflected on how he would have handled his relationship with FM differently and stressed he would have loved him even if he had been a street sweeper.Hutton wrote lovingly of FM, his devotion of many friends that remained loyal and by his side. Hutton remained respectfully detached concerning FM’s significant other Mary Austin (1951-) who FM left the bulk of his multi-million dollar fortune and his London mansion Garden Lodge. It was obvious that FM had both a “husband” and a “wife”. Neither one could claim a conventional single spouse status. Understandably, they might always remain at odds and resent each other. Mercury was loved immensely and fiercely by Austin and Hutton. For a woman that loves a homosexual man, there remains an undercurrent of sorrow and heartbreak that can not be fixed. While Mary could have handled Hutton and FM’s closest friends in a more diplomatic manner after his death, she too was deeply affected by unspoken grief and loss that likely wasn’t considered or less understood at the time.It was necessary to research Mercury’s life further to understand the dynamics that shaped his life and relationships. Hutton’s book provides fans a rare insight to FM’s life they would not have had otherwise. Both men loved travel, shopping and buying beautiful things that included everything from real estate, furniture, art, home décor etc. Hutton shared without too much detail about FM’s imperfections including alcohol and drug use, fights and emotional outbursts. Both men loved their cats, which were treated as their children/family members. Famous names were dropped throughout the book. Hutton loved to care for the gardens at the mansion and was often mistaken for the gardener he comes across throughout the book as a simple, sensitive and unassuming individual. The final part of the book with FM’s decline, coping with the devastation of HIV/AIDS, acceptance, and finding a new meaning after the impact of profound change and loss.

I read this after seeing Bohemian Rhapsody and it helped set straight a number of inaccuracies from the film. I went into the film not knowing much about Queen or Freddie Mercury, but I was curious to learn more. I didn't read too many reviews before going into the film, but I did see that there were quite a few negative ones. One of the complaints I read was that the way Freddie and Jim meet in the film was nothing like how they met in real life, so I decided to read Jim's story. (Spoilers to come.) I was surprised to learn that Freddie and Jim were already in a relationship before Live Aid and that Jim was visiting Freddie while he was in Munich. It made me feel very disappointed that the film acted as though Freddie still had some fixation on Mary at this point, when instead he seemed to be falling in love with Jim. Also, I learned that while Paul does betray Freddie, it happens much later than what the movie shows. I also learned that Freddie didn't know he had AIDS when he performed at Live Aid. So while in many respects I enjoyed the film very much, this dimmed my view of it a bit.But for the book itself, I found it a beautiful read-- one of the most wonderful love stories I've ever read. It must have been so hard for Jim to be treated as invisible in so many siutations because gay couples were so much less accepted at that time. I was amazed time and again by his patience with Freddie's mood swings. Yet in spite of Freddie's moodiness, they both seemed to have a deep and enduring love for each other. The end of the book is heart-breaking, particularly with Jim having to be forced so quickly from the home he and Freddie shared. I thought the book was well-written. It does seem a little disjointed in some places, but memories are like that-- they don't have the clear narrative flow of a novel. This is a story about what true love is.There is insight into Freddie Mercury as a person and some insight into his music as well, particularly into what he was working on in his later years and observations about h is work ethic, and musicians who inspired him. I also thought it was interesting hearing which of Freddie's songs were most special to Jim. Mainly the book is about Jim and Freddie's personal relatioship.Read this book-- you won't regret it.