Is This the Real Life: The Untold Story of Queen - Hardcover

Creative Loafing Blog, 2/24/11"Return to those thrilling days of rock 'n' roll yesteryear with Blake's engrossing chronicle of talent and excess. It's another one of those books that inhales you...Thought it's over 400 pages, it's the kind of book you'll rip through in a day. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read." Onion, AV Club, 4/7/11 "Mark Blake clearly knows the British-rock-supergroup terrain." Examiner.com, 4/12/11 "If you're a Queen fan, don't hesitate to pick this one up...[and] if you have even a passing interest in the story you should give this a shot. You really won't be disappointed." Houston Press, 4/15/11 "The most comprehensive bio to date about the over-the-top rockers...Blake's book effectively illuminates the band's story and music for both the casual fan and diehards." Instinct, 5/1/11 "Is This The Real Life? uses interviews with the people who knew the band best to piece together a Behind the Music-style biography. It's extensive and detailed...It's a worthy read." Creative Loafing Blog, 2/24/11 Return to those thrilling days of rock n roll yesteryear with Blake s engrossing chronicle of talent and excess. It s another one of those books that inhales you Thought it s over 400 pages, it s the kind of book you ll rip through in a day. It s a thoroughly enjoyable read. Onion, AV Club, 4/7/11 Mark Blake clearly knows the British-rock-supergroup terrain. Examiner.com, 4/12/11 If you're a Queen fan, don't hesitate to pick this one up [and] if you have even a passing interest in the story you should give this a shot. You really won't be disappointed. Houston Press, 4/15/11 The most comprehensive bio to date about the over-the-top rockers Blake's book effectively illuminates the band's story and music for both the casual fan and diehards. Instinct, 5/1/11 Is This The Real Life? uses interviews with the people who knew the band best to piece together a Behind the Music-style biography. It s extensive and detailed It s a worthy read. " "Creative Loafing Blog," 2/24/11"Return to those thrilling days of rock 'n' roll yesteryear with Blake's engrossing chronicle of talent and excess. It's another one of those books that inhales you...Thought it's over 400 pages, it's the kind of book you'll rip through in a day. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read." "Onion," AV Club, 4/7/11 "Mark Blake clearly knows the British-rock-supergroup terrain." Examiner.com, 4/12/11 "If you're a Queen fan, don't hesitate to pick this one up...[and] if you have even a passing interest in the story you should give this a shot. You really won't be disappointed." "Houston"" Press," 4/15/11 "The most comprehensive bio to date about the over-the-top rockers...Blake's book effectively illuminates the band's story and music for both the casual fan and diehards." "Instinct," 5/1/11 ""Is This The Real Life? "uses interviews with the people who knew the band best to piece together a "Behind the Music-"style biography. It's extensive and detailed...It's a worthy read." "Under the Radar," Spring 2011 "A happy medium between fact and anecdote. "Real Life "rounds out the band's history with plenty of ripe minutiae and lost details...[A] colorful account." "Northwest Indiana Times, "7/31/11 "Reveals complexities in the lives of guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon individually and amongst each other." "Creative Loafing Blog", 2/24/11"Return to those thrilling days of rock 'n' roll yesteryear with Blake's engrossing chronicle of talent and excess. It's another one of those books that inhales you...Thought it's over 400 pages, it's the kind of book you'll rip through in a day. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read." "Onion", AV Club, 4/7/11 "Mark Blake clearly knows the British-rock-supergroup terrain." Examiner.com, 4/12/11 "If you're a Queen fan, don't hesitate to pick this one up...[and] if you have even a passing interest in the story you should give this a shot. You really won't be disappointed." "Houston"" Press", 4/15/11 "The most comprehensive bio to date about the over-the-top rockers...Blake's book effectively illuminates the band's story and music for both the casual fan and diehards." "Instinct", 5/1/11 ""Is This The Real Life? "uses interviews with the people who knew the band best to piece together a "Behind the Music-"style biography. It's extensive and detailed...It's a worthy read." "Under the Radar", Spring 2011 "A happy medium between fact and anecdote. "Real Life "rounds out the band's history with plenty of ripe minutiae and lost details...[A] colorful account." "Northwest Indiana Times, "7/31/11 "Reveals complexities in the lives of guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon individually and amongst each other."

Queen's success in the 1970s was accompanied by a taste for musical and non-musical excess. Is This the Real Life? draws on eyewitness testimonies--former producers and managers, ex-girlfriends and boyfriends--to create a complete picture of one of the worlds most ambitiously driven rock bands at work and at play. Revealing Queens complex dynamic, Blake also explores how Freddie Mercurys sexuality alienated some of the bands fan base, how they reinvented themselves by morphing from hard rock to pop, and how they saw out their final years as Mercury became one of the most successful rock stars in the world. Is This the Real Life? looks beyond Queens public persona to shed light on the legendary bands four wildly divergent personalities, particularly lead singer Freddie Mercurys.