Lesley-Ann Jones

It’s been over twenty years since the news of the death of rock music legend, John Lennon, hit the media. Since that time the music scene has been replete with rumours, facts and suspicions concerning this icon’s life and death.

Lennon was a fabulous songwriter, poet and an integral part of The Beatles. For those not in the know, Lennon was the co-leader of the group, songwriter and rhythm guitarist. He was a shining star in life and an eternal rock legend in death. However, some of the facts about his life and death are still unclear. Lennon himself was notorious for changing stories about his past and embellishing memories of events. Who Killed John Lennon? The lives loves and deaths of the greatest Rockstar by Lesley -Ann Jones attempts to right the wrongs and set the record straight once and for all.

Lesley-Ann Jones credentials as an author on the subject of the music industry are unquestionable. Jones has a long history as a journalist and is a renowned author of novels and music biographies. Her works include Bohemian Rhapsody: The Definitive Biography of Freddie Mercury, Hero: David Bowie, and Ride a White Swan: The Lives & Deaths of Marc Bolan.

The content of Who Killed John Lennon is well research and includes interviews with friends and associates of Lennon, historical records, and industry insights. Many previously incorrectly stated facts and outright falsehoods are addressed and amended. This book covers the good, the bad and the ugly of Lennon’s psyche.

In addition to the story of his life and death, the book includes a comprehensive timeline, song listing, chapter notes, reference list and suggestions for further reading. The is a tasteful selection of photos spanning Lennon’s life, add to the depth of material included in this book.

As a fan of The Beatles and the history of modern music, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its insights into the music scene of the sixties and seventies. It is a compelling and fascinating book and is a hefty read, being jam-packed with facts from start to finish. I recommend taking your time to read through this one. It is a must for fans of musical biographies, of Lennon and of The Beatles.

I received a free copy of this book from Farrago in exchange for a fair and honest review.… (más)

I am definitely a fan of Queen’s music, but this biography made me dislike Freddie and the rest of the band. I don’t think that was the intent of the author; but the shy-yet-arrogant Freddie with his extreme ‘sex and drugs’ lifestyle was so unappealing. I didn’t enjoy the writing style and I didn’t enjoy what I learned, I preferred my semi-ignorance. Not that I ever thought they were paragons of virtue, but I was much more interested in the creation of their music (which was covered very little) than in endless parties with live lesbian sex and cocaine.… (más)

DISCLAIMER *This is a bit of a book vs movie review*
A real emotional rollercoaster without a dull moment. I have read many biographies and autobiographies in the past. They all have a bit you skim through at some point when the details get too long and arduous to read. Not this! It was very easy to read and full of quotations from friends, family, music industry bigwigs and even psychiatrists.
"It was the perfect stage for Freddie Mercury: the whole world." Bob Geldof
"It wasn't even dark, he was whipping up all this magic in daylight." Dave Hogan (photographer at Live Aid)
The explosive start with Live Aid in chapter one mirrors the movie Bohemian Rhapsody to a tee (although the book predates, obviously). Although the main focus is how Queen outperformed everyone that day, there is also a lot of other information like when and how Bob Geldof came up with the whole idea (I did not know that Queens had not been invited to sing in Do They Know It's Christmas!)
The book then delves deeply into Freddie's childhood and time in Zanzibar and India. The writer even goes on an expedition to find his birth certificate (which is apparently missing - suspected to have been bought illegally and in someone's private collection now). Her interviews with friends and family shed so much light on Freddie's background and upbringing. (He was called Bucky!)
The next thing that struck me were the many differences with the movie - too many to name! How he met and joined the band, how they got their first album recorded, the truth is so different I was wondering if I had watched an adaptation or fictionalisation of the truth at the cinema the day before reading the book (For example, they had a VERY hard time being picked up by radio DJs in the UK and could not get onto playlists at the beginning). However, I felt that his relationship with Mary Austin came across better on screen (although, again, there were many conflicts like, she did not abandon him as portrayed in BR)
The wild parties... Oh my God! Jaw dropping! I can understand why those were left out of the movie!
I also learned about Peter Freeman, Barbara Valentin and others who were so close to him but did not get a mention in the movie. And Jim Hutton - the true story of how they met is so different!
The book has a total of 25 chapters that take the reader from place to place and event to event. Freddie's multi-faceted, almost chameleon-like character came out very well in the story. You follow his as he goes from sleeping on the floor to super rockstardom. You feel each betrayal, each hurdle he had to overcome. There are moments you are cheering him on and moments you find the hedonistic OTT life too much to comprehend. There is also a lot of commentary into what the songs and lyrics mean - the writer's own take on Bo Rap is that Scaramouche (a clown from the commedia dell'arte) was Freddie himself, Galileo the 16th century astronomer is obviously Brian May, and Beelzebub (prince of demons) is Roger Taylor who was the wildest party animal at the beginning. I don't know how much water that holds, to be honest, but back stories to why and how the songs came about is definitely interesting.
And the final chapters - I was in tears. There was so much empathy and emotion in the description of his final year, death, funeral and the aftermath, all fans MUST read this. The wealth of information also lead me to some fantastic old videos (like Freddie's performance with the Royal Ballet) that are hidden away on Youtube.
Here are some of the titbits that have stayed with me...Did you know - Brian May developed gangrene in his arm after a routine inoculation and there was a real fear of amputation?
that Freddie was aerophobic?
that after their first appearance of Top of the Pops in 1974 Freddie ran along Oxford St to watch their appearance on a TV in a shop window because he didn't own one himself?
that Freddie and Roger ran a market stall in Kensington and were as thick as thieves? (I thought their relationship on BR was actually quite strained)
that when they landed in Argentina for the tour in 1981 the flight announcements all stopped and they started playing Queen music instead!
There was one comment in earlier reviews that this is a mash-up of all the interviews and books that have come before, with no new material. I disagree. Yes, there were a lot of quotes from various sources, but there were also many insights from the author herself and personal interviews / conversations too. Of course, I have not read all the other biographies of Freddie and Queen out there, but I am sure there is a lot of overlapping bound to happen when you write about the same subject!
My only criticism is, because the chapters were broken by personalities and events there was a lot of jumping back and forth in the timeline when you read from one chapter to another - where you stop and go 'wasn't that mentioned earlier?' However, if you are a fan of Queen, or if you have just watched Bohemian Rhapsody, this is a book which would fascinate you.… (más)