Jim Hutton (1) (1949–2010)

During the 1980s, I wasn’t a fan of Queen’s music, though I was certainly familiar with their hits, which played constantly on the radio. I instantly became intrigued by the band, especially Freddie Mercury, when I watched the 2018 movie, Bohemian Rhapsody. I think it's an excellent movie, although I'm sure it doesn't precisely portray all the events the band experienced.

Having seen the movie several times on television, I was excited to learn more when I spotted Mercury and Me during show more an Audible sale. The intimate memoir is written by Freddie’s longtime partner, Jim Hutton (who is also portrayed in the movie). I enjoy reading biographies and memoirs, and I was eager to learn more about Freddie Mercury from the perspective of his long-time partner.
Mercury and Me is co-written with journalist Tim Wapshott. In it, Hutton shares a personal, behind-the-scenes account of their six-year relationship — from their meeting in a London nightclub in the mid-1980s (where Jim initially didn't recognize Freddie) through their domestic life at Garden Lodge, shared routines, travels, and challenges, including Freddie's private battle with AIDS. Hutton nursed Freddie through his terminal illness and was with him when he died in 1991. The book offers a tender, candid glimpse into Freddie's private world away from the spotlight.

I very much enjoyed this memoir, despite the terribly sad ending. Even though I knew how it would end, it was still difficult to follow the journey of their relationship, especially the final days of Freddie's life. I appreciated learning about Jim and his perspective on their relationship. Not surprisingly, Freddie could be a bit difficult to live with at times, while also being incredibly generous with extravagant gifts and travel. Most importantly, the two developed such a close bond that they viewed their relationship as a marriage, even exchanging wedding rings. I was especially touched by Freddie's love of flowers and Jim's passion for gardening.The ending was truly heartbreaking, and Jim's losses were exponential when Freddie died.

According to this book, there's almost nothing accurate in the movie as it relates to Freddie and Jim's relationship. That surprised me, although I do like how their relationship is portrayed on screen. Jim comes across as more widely accepted and is shown in a more positive light than how he may have actually been perceived within Freddie's inner circle.

While the book was first published in 1994, the audiobook was released in 2019. Patrick Moy's narration provided a respectful tribute to both men.

I have photos, videos, and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog show less

Another personal memoir I've been holding off reading - for no reason, as it turns out! Jim Hutton was Freddie's live-in lover for the last six years of his life, sharing a love of cats and the quiet life, who was also with the singer when he succumbed to AIDS in 1991. Jim, who is hopefully now reunited with 'his man' somewhere, comes across as an affable character who fell in love with the man not the name, but who enjoyed sharing Freddie's home and lifestyle. There are some sweet stories, show more like Jim's gift of roses arriving with a perplexing note 'From the whiff' which made Freddie laugh, and some touching moments, including Jim presenting Freddie with a 'wedding ring', but nothing too intimate, which I was afraid of. Jim does talk rather bitterly of being excluded by Mary Austin after Freddie's death, and also of being ignored by the remaining members of Queen, but I'm not sure what he expected - Freddie might have considered him part of the Garden Lodge 'family', but I get the feeling that everybody outside of the house were merely kind and friendly to Jim for Freddie's sake.

After reading, I did feel like I understood Freddie slightly better, which is more than I can say for all the 'revealing' biographies available about him. Jim knew and loved Freddie, putting his life on hold for six years, only to be dropped at the worst possible time - while grieving for his lost love. show less

In this memoir, Jim Hutton talks about his long-term relationship with his partner Freddie Mercury. This book was just okay in my opinion. If you're looking for real biographical about Mercury, you won't find that here. It starts with the two men meeting and their developing relationship. Hutton goes into miniature details like what they bought each other for gifts on their first Christmas together. It's not exactly fascinating, although I do admire how candid Hutton is.

You do get a sense show more of Mercury's mercurial nature, with flashes of anger over tiny tiffs swinging into lavish shopping trips to bestow wildly generous gifts on friends and acquaintances. There is little about his career, although there are some snippets here and there; I did enjoy the story of Mercury meeting and collaborating with an opera singer he admired greatly. A good portion of the latter part of the book is dedicated to discussing Mercury's wasting away due to HIV-AIDS -- an important story to tell but a heart-breaking one as well.

The audiobook narrator did an excellent job, reading much of it in a gentle Irish accent as though you were sharing a chat with Hutton himself, and then switching to other accents as appropriate for the different people in Hutton's life. show less

An absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking love story. I started and finished all in the same day. I laughed through most of the book and cried through the last chapters. Thank you to Jim Hutton for sharing his memories with the world.