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.