Queen Unseen: My Life with the Greatest Rock Band of the 20th Century

I gave up trying to not laugh out loud as I listened to this entertaining, informative, and engaging memoir. Peter Hince shares the good, the bad, the drudgery, the outrageousness, and yes, the drugs, sex, and rock and roll that were part and parcel of being a rock band roadie during the 1970s and 80s. But he wasn’t a roadie for just any band; he worked for the extravaganza known as Queen.Actually, he was =the= roadie. Hince – or Ratty, his nom de plume in the day – was the head of Queen’s crew, as well as Freddie Mercury’s and John Deacon’s roadie. He’s the skinny guy you see crouching by the Steinway, handing off the wand mike to Freddie in the Live Aid and other concert videos. That was only one part of his job, though. He recounts his experiences in this lively and often hilarious memoir that encompasses the period from 1973 when the band was a support act to Mott the Hoople to their final performance at Knebworth Park in 1986.Hince’s gift for storytelling makes you feel as if he’s sharing his tales with you over a pint or a cup of tea. Through anecdotes, insights, and photographs (which unfortunately do not appear in the paperback edition), he reveals what it was like to be part of a finely tuned (pun intended), very professional organization that held themselves and the members of their team to exceedingly high standards. They worked hard, and they partied hard.Besides providing a unique perspective on Queen, this book is also a coming of age memoir. Hince was an 18-year-old teenager who dreamed about going to America with a band and having an adventure. He definitely had an adventure and then some, complete with some cringe-worthy hijinks and excesses that came with the rock and roll scene of that era. Throughout his 13 years with the band, he took on increasing responsibilities and his relationships with John and Freddie deepened. He was at the top of his game as he approached the ripe old age of 30, but he also knew that being a roadie wasn't a path he wanted to continue. Instead, he hung up his all-access pass and began pursuing a career in his real passion, photography.His respect for the band, especially Freddie, is evident throughout the book. However, Hince doesn't sanitize life with this talented and demanding group of musicians, and the extraordinary man who was Freddie Mercury. He doesn’t skirt around the egos, Freddie’s moods, and the inevitable conflicts he witnessed, but he does so thoughtfully, without maligning the band members or crew.If you’re looking for salacious stories about Freddie and the other band members, look elsewhere, as that’s not what this book is about. But if you want to learn about the inner workings of a legendary rock band from someone who was there, and have a good time while doing so, this is your book.Note:I initially "read" this book by listening to it via Hoopla, offered through my public library. It's a great audiobook. Utilize your public library, lovies!I wanted to see the photos, though, so got the Kindle version. The photos appear only in the Kindle ebook and hardcover versions (at least at this writing), and they add a lot to the story. Unfortunately, the publisher did not include them in the paperback edition, and this is not mentioned in the Amazon book description. Omitting them from the paperback version was not a decision made by the author.

Amazon description states: "Packed with Peter's own photos, including never-before-seen shots of Freddie and his female lover Mary..." Paperback edition, which also has 3 blurbs raving about pictures, including rave on the book jacket, has NO PICTURES. If, like me, one of the things that swayed you to get this book was to see "never-before-seen" pictures, well, they will still be "never-seen" by you. Skimmed through book; had read many of his anecdotes elsewhere (Lesley Ann Jones book, for example); this was not a surprise with all the books out there about Queen/Freddie, and I bought the book more for Ratty's pictures than for his stories.UPDATE: Third party seller "Chiron" is giving me refund, and I'm allowed to keep the book, which is a nice surprise.This is my first request for a refund through Amazon and I'm pleased with outcome. Thank you Amazon & Chiron for this outcome and your very quick response. I would definitely use "Chiron" in the future based on their handling of this. I hope the description of the PAPERBACK edition of this book will be addressed in the "description" of product on Amazon website.

So here is a guy who proclaims he was never a big fan of the music and that the band didn’t pay or treat the supporting cast that well, then goes on to tell how he devoted a good portion of his life to traveling the world helping to bring the phenomena to millions - interesting premise!This is a well-written inside-look into what made Queen unique amongst its peers. There is no hyperbole or bravado, and Mr. Hince shows tremendous respect for not only Freddie, Brian, Roger and John, but also for the dozens of co-workers who teamed up to make Queen the premier rock and roll band and of its era and one of the best all-time.One comes away with a sense that the Queen inner circle were incredibly smart talented individuals who not only recognized and were in awe of Fred’s genius, but enabled it to flourish. There is not an once of jealousy nor are there any disparaging remarks about anyone. The author and those closest to Freddie are to this day tremendously protective of his legacy.It is insightful, funny and left me with the desire to learn more. Hince is a talented writer - this book flows. The love and loyalty these guys had for each other comes through - that is what makes Peter Hince’s story so powerful.After you read the book, watch Queen’s 20 minute Live Aid set, heralded as the greatest live performance of all-time. Take particular note of Ratty and ask yourself the question;“How are his shorts not the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!”Cheers

I am absolutely gutted after waiting so long to receive this book that it has turned up and doesn't match the description at all. In the description it says 'packed with the author's own exclusive photographs' - and apart from the cover there aren't any at all!I was adopted as a baby. My birth uncle was a Roadie for Queen and worked for Edwin Shirley. He is credited on the back of one of their albums. I'd bought this book hoping I may just have got a glimpse of my uncle in it. All his photographs of the time except two were destroyed in a fire. And I've only got one of him in a magazine with Queen and the rest of the entourage touring with them.I didn't want this book for the 'story' from a Roadies point of view as that's exactly what my uncle was - Bryan May's 'spot' at Wembley, and I've heard the stories first hand from him and others who worked for Edwin Shirley.So disappointed beyond belief.

This book is 10% Queen and 90% about the life of a Queen employee. If you want to learn about the life of some dude you never heard of, by all means, buy this. If you want to read about Queen, don't buy this. You can literally read the interview of this "author" and get most of the Queen 10% free.

Having seen the recent film Bohemian Rhapsody,I decided to delve a little bit further into the life of Freddie Mercury.This book seemed to be the pick of the bunch.The first chapter or so was "Myself and Freddie this","Myself and Freddie that" and I thought "Oh no....here we go,another claim to I was Freddie's best friend ever"........but,as the book progresses you realise that ever though Peter Hince was indeed in the Queen inner circle,he knew his place and didn't abuse his position and just got on with his job.As he points out many times throughout the book that even though he had access to any of the band members,especially Freddie and John he prefered to keep his distance and work from the sidelines.Even though they went though plenty of wild times together,Freddie Mercury seemed to have a deep admiration for Peter the way he kept things running both onstage and off.All to which this makes the book a more interesting read.Funny moments,sad moments and downright outrageous moments make this a great read if you are interested in how the Queen's touring wheels turned.....sometimes smoothly.....sometimes not so smoothly!All in all a terrific read about one of the greatest rock bands ever and massive respect to Peter Hince for not dishing the dirt on any members of the Queen organisation, which I sure he could have. Freddie would have been so proud of you Peter.Buy,read and enjoy! 10/10

Readers of this book, brace yourselves as this truly is Queen UNSEEN, literally. The title delivers. I was perhaps encouraged by the first chapter(s), where Hince describes how it was to be on stage with Queen, how it was to work with/for Freddie. My hopes were high, wondering what else he'd fill the rest of the book with. But I was up for a bitter disappointment, as the rest of the book consists mainly of Hince's roadlife excesses, alcohol, sex, drugs and vomit, it is quite sick to read. I have hardly any interest in these kind of activities; do I really care who Hince slept with and when? All due respect, but I have picked up the book because of Queen and Freddie, not P.Hince.I have found myself skim-reading through the book, literally searching for words 'Queen' or 'Fred', having come across them, I would then pause and start reading, and I promise, it wouldn't be much.If you're looking for insight on the band, their craft, musicianship, genius of Freddie, then I'd strongly recommend looking for something else.

By far the best book about Queen I have read. Not only that, I've been conversing with Ratty by email and he's genuinely a nice bloke who is very happy to answer any questions you have about the band. I asked one about a random banner I saw on the side of the stage on the Magic Tour dvd, not expecting to get a reply. By the next morning he had detailed exactly what it was (a prank) and gave additional details. Highly recommended!

This was a really interesting book, I could hardly put it down. It jumps about a bit, but not too annoyingly and there was lots of interesting information about the band and life on the road with them. Some people may not be interested in the author's own perspective and experiences, but I found them interesting, having no personal experience of life on the road, bumping shoulders with millionaires or living in the '70s and early '80s. Saddest bit was reading how all the letters and art from fans got chucked in the bin after shows without ever reaching the band!

A good read if you are a die hard Queen fan.Peter (Ratty) would have been know to many Queen fans though appearing in band candid photos, appearing in liner note thank yous etc. in addition to being on and around the stage on tours. He is a pretty easy chap to identify. He was a roadie NOT AN AUTHOR so anyone expecting Jeffrey Archer or Dan Brown style drama should have thought twice before reading.The book gives a good insight into live around such a famous band. It shows the glamour and the lack of it for those outside the band. It shows how the freindship between the band and their trusted employees has its dividing lines and limits and how the sex drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle is not always whats its cracked up to be (excuse the pun).Its admirable that Peter has written an insightful book without falling into the easy trap of spilling the beans on the band in tabloid fashion while at the same time helping to colour life with the band in realistic brushstrokes that make a nice change from the huge amount of books that tell us the same old stories of how great Queen were.Nice read Peter, this is staying on my bookshelf with all the other Queen collectables. The fans appreciated your hard work too.