Bonnier Books’ new music imprint Nine Eight Books are delighted to announce their inaugural release Magnifico! The A to Z of Queen by acclaimed writer and author Mark Blake published on 11 November 2021 coinciding with the 30th anniversary of iconic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s passing.
Provocateurs and musical virtuosi, Queen’s undeniable magnetism still continues to fascinate and excite music lovers around the world even after 50 years with over 150 million records sold worldwide. Blake writes about the band in great authority basing the core of the book around three decades of interviews he has conducted with the members of the group.
Using a unique A to Z format to shed new light on the band through anecdotes, trivia, humour and tragedy, Blake’s biography offers an insightful and accessible look into the band’s past and the present. The entries offer light-hearted trivia – from a list of LPs the band was listening to in 1970 to tales of the fifteen Jimi Hendrix gigs Freddie Mercury hitchhiked around the UK to attend – as well as serious analysis, including the truth behind Mercury’s funeral, which was effectively controlled by Queen’s management, and a reflection on the ways in which the flamboyant frontman confronted the twentieth century’s sexual mores and prejudices. Addressing the phenomenal success of Bohemian Rhapsody, while challenging the fictionalised account it sold to cinemagoers, Blake builds on the band’s enduring audience appeal in order to provide a fresh and unparalleled take on Queen’s legacy as one of the biggest bands in the world.
