Scan barcode
thebrainlair's review against another edition
4.0
Freddie & Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody by Mike Dawson (2008)
posies23's review against another edition
3.0
This is a comic book memoir, told through the author's memories of music. (I've always thought 'graphic novel' seemed pretentious, I don't know why.) It's told primarily as a "memory play" a la Tennessee Williams, although in this case the author's memories don't center around a glass menagerie, they center around his obsession with Queen.
There's a lot to like here, and there are some surprisingly moving sections, especially when dealing with his memories (or, technically, the nature of memory itself) and his relationship with his family. Still, it never really struck a chord with me, and I'm not sure why. I can't really put my finger on it, because, like I really did like sections of it. I think maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it right now. As a Queen fan and a comic book fan it should have 'clicked' better with me, but it just didn't.
It's worth reading as a good example of what comic books can do as opposed to "regular" books, though, and a rare example of a true memoir told in a comic book style.
There's a lot to like here, and there are some surprisingly moving sections, especially when dealing with his memories (or, technically, the nature of memory itself) and his relationship with his family. Still, it never really struck a chord with me, and I'm not sure why. I can't really put my finger on it, because, like I really did like sections of it. I think maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it right now. As a Queen fan and a comic book fan it should have 'clicked' better with me, but it just didn't.
It's worth reading as a good example of what comic books can do as opposed to "regular" books, though, and a rare example of a true memoir told in a comic book style.
jwinchell's review against another edition
1.0
a cool enough idea, but I didn't care enough about this guy or Queen to keep reading.
brianneedsanap's review against another edition
3.0
A relatable, enjoyable coming of age story.
Plus, lots of talk about obscure Queen songs like "Mustafa" and "Don't Try Suicide."
Plus, lots of talk about obscure Queen songs like "Mustafa" and "Don't Try Suicide."
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
Awesome use of the autobiographical format. Dawson tells the story of his life as seen through the filter of Queen songs. Lots of cool ruminations on memory and influence. The illustration style is mostly good, although occasionally it bugged me how disproportionately huge the author's head was in contrast to the bodies of the rest of his family. Cool that he's friend with Alex Robinson (one of my favorite graphic novelists). I'm a bit too young to be a Queen fan, and I'll bet this would be even cooler if I shared Dawson's generational references.
Tempting to booktalk to high school, but probably better for 30somethings.
Tempting to booktalk to high school, but probably better for 30somethings.
dawnoftheread's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable and personal look at growing up as a true music fan.
geniodiabolico's review against another edition
4.0
Freddie and Me is an interesting and enjoyable graphic novel that uses a personal story to explore the larger concept of memory and memoir. Mike Dawson explores his own personal fascination with the rock band Queen from his childhood to the present, and along the way uses that as a jumping off point to explore his life as a whole and his relationships with friends and family filtered through the lens of Queen.
My favorite part was where he explored the nature of memory and point of view. In it, he wonders how much his memories are dependent on point of view and in a tour de force montage revisits a number of scenes from the story to that point but from the POV of different people. This works very well, and is the kind of moment that works effectively in comics in a way I can’t imagine in any other medium.
I had a great time reading this graphic novel and would recommend it to any fan of memoir comics, Queen, or deeper philosophical exploration of the nature of interpersonal relations.
My favorite part was where he explored the nature of memory and point of view. In it, he wonders how much his memories are dependent on point of view and in a tour de force montage revisits a number of scenes from the story to that point but from the POV of different people. This works very well, and is the kind of moment that works effectively in comics in a way I can’t imagine in any other medium.
I had a great time reading this graphic novel and would recommend it to any fan of memoir comics, Queen, or deeper philosophical exploration of the nature of interpersonal relations.
stenaros's review against another edition
2.0
The book section of the Oregonian recommended this to me and I missed the fact that it was a graphic novel. As I've said before, I'm not the biggest fan of the genre, and reading this I realized why. There are no paragraphs. Each picture has a sentence or two, but then my eye has to move a great expanse across the page to the next sentence. It is too choppy for me and there isn't enough description. I like description better than pictures.
But this book was okay. Davis and I are essentially the same age and I enjoyed his connecting Queen songs to various points in his live as well as following Wham!, his sister's favorite group. In my opinion, the book should have ended long before it did, then final 20 pages felt very tacked on.
But this book was okay. Davis and I are essentially the same age and I enjoyed his connecting Queen songs to various points in his live as well as following Wham!, his sister's favorite group. In my opinion, the book should have ended long before it did, then final 20 pages felt very tacked on.
debz57a52's review
3.0
This is a difficult book to rate or review for me. On one hand, the way Dawson draws and writes his history, he is being very honest about how single-minded he is in his discussions with others about Queen, to the exclusion of all else in some cases. In this aspect, he is kind of annoying for me as a reader. I, too, liked Queen at a time when no one else did and was completely bothered (and somewhat vindicated) when they became popular again due to Wayne's World. But I also had other interests, even in other bands, and tried to find common ground with others based on a variety of interests.
On the other hand, I appreciate his honesty in depicting himself as an awkward pre-teen, an obsessed and maybe socially awkward teen, and even admitting to the designs he had on his friend's girlfriend when his friend was still dating her. I thought it was cool how he tried to show us, the readers, the way his mind works and the interplay of images and songs. And I thought the way the narrative wound up, with the unification of his interests and his sister's, despite their earlier conflict, was cool, although her generally fangirl feelings even in her 30s were a little jarring for me.
All in all, I guess I'd give this GN a 2.5 star rating for myself, but I'm rounding to 3 because I've been through some of what Dawson has and I feel for him.
On the other hand, I appreciate his honesty in depicting himself as an awkward pre-teen, an obsessed and maybe socially awkward teen, and even admitting to the designs he had on his friend's girlfriend when his friend was still dating her. I thought it was cool how he tried to show us, the readers, the way his mind works and the interplay of images and songs. And I thought the way the narrative wound up, with the unification of his interests and his sister's, despite their earlier conflict, was cool, although her generally fangirl feelings even in her 30s were a little jarring for me.
All in all, I guess I'd give this GN a 2.5 star rating for myself, but I'm rounding to 3 because I've been through some of what Dawson has and I feel for him.
mrisner's review against another edition
4.0
High Fidelity meets Wayne’s World in this utterly charming graphic memoir about a young man’s life-long obsession with the rock band Queen.
All of us have had that one band with which we identify, the band that was always there for us during good times and bad. For Mike Dawson it's always been Queen and Freddie Mercury. Not unlike “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Freddie & Me takes readers on a rock-opera-like journey—from Mike’s childhood in the UK, through high school in New Jersey, and into the nineties, when grunge ruled the day and Queen was terminally uncool. As Mike works to navigate the trials and tribulations that accompany the road to adulthood (with Queen behind him every step of the way), he must grapple with the fears we all find ourselves facing: committing to one person for the rest of our lives, pursuing our dream job, coming to terms with our familial responsibilities, and even facing our own mortality. With humor, sensitivity, and some wonderfully imagined appearances by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, George Michael, and Andrew Ridgeley (among others), Freddie & Me is a touching reminder of how our favorite music is the soundtrack for so many of our most important memories and moments. And how one note can bring them all flooding back.
It was a little hard to get used to reading this at first. But I enjoyed reading something a little different for a change.
The part that sticks with me the most is this.....from the end of the book...
He talks about now, when he hears a song, he has a picture in his mind of a memory....from something that happened in his life....thinking of people you care about too.
We all have the songs that are the soundtrack to our lives.
All of us have had that one band with which we identify, the band that was always there for us during good times and bad. For Mike Dawson it's always been Queen and Freddie Mercury. Not unlike “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Freddie & Me takes readers on a rock-opera-like journey—from Mike’s childhood in the UK, through high school in New Jersey, and into the nineties, when grunge ruled the day and Queen was terminally uncool. As Mike works to navigate the trials and tribulations that accompany the road to adulthood (with Queen behind him every step of the way), he must grapple with the fears we all find ourselves facing: committing to one person for the rest of our lives, pursuing our dream job, coming to terms with our familial responsibilities, and even facing our own mortality. With humor, sensitivity, and some wonderfully imagined appearances by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, George Michael, and Andrew Ridgeley (among others), Freddie & Me is a touching reminder of how our favorite music is the soundtrack for so many of our most important memories and moments. And how one note can bring them all flooding back.
It was a little hard to get used to reading this at first. But I enjoyed reading something a little different for a change.
The part that sticks with me the most is this.....from the end of the book...
He talks about now, when he hears a song, he has a picture in his mind of a memory....from something that happened in his life....thinking of people you care about too.
We all have the songs that are the soundtrack to our lives.