Malcolm McLean

In nineties small-town Surrey, watching Top of the Pops was Malcolm's only escape from boredom and the bullies at school... until a phone call from a pop star changed his life forever. Before long, he was getting compliments from Beyoncé, hanging out at award ceremonies with Posh Spice's mum and sneaking onto All Saints' tour bus.

Freak Like Me is the true story of one teenage pop fan who, with a group of like-minded outcasts, witnesses the disposable music industry of the late nineties and early noughties first-hand. Tracking down A-lister itineraries, he gets to meet the real personalities behind the Smash Hits posters adorning his bedroom walls.

This hilarious memoir is packed with scandalous gossip and poignant memories from the era of Nokia 3310s and dial-up Internet, when chart positions meant everything and, if you wanted to know what your idols were up to off-screen, you had to track them down yourself!

PRAISE FOR FREAK LIKE ME

"A hilarious, nostalgic memoir packed full of scandalous gossip. We couldn't put it down!"

—Closer magazine

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"Pop fans, this one is for you."

—GQ magazine

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"Malcolm’s memoir of his time as a teenage superfan around the turn of the millennium offers a fascinating, funny and often unexpected journey through several shifts in pop, as he views the changing world through a life of pop fandom."

—Complete Music Update

 

"I love this book."

—Jamie East (talkRADIO)

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"Loved it...if you call yourself a hun, you NEED to read this book."

—Hunsnet

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"Hilarious...packed full of gossip."

—Bella magazine

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"Freak Like Me is like slipping into a warm bath of memories of watching my favourite groups on Top of the Pops, Live & Kicking and SM:TV/CD:UK, taping songs off the radio and reading Smash Hits...I haven’t come across any book, TV show or website that has taken me back quite so completely...reading this book felt a lot like exchanging memories with a friend. McLean strikes exactly the right balance between the good and bad of the 90s, and brings the era back to life just as I remember it. His snarky humour made me snort out loud at times, my heart warmed when he found friends who shared his obsessions, and his anecdotes were so, so relatable...I would love to see more books like this."

—Dr Alice Violett (book blogger)

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"Freak Like Me has you hooked from the opening chapter...a laugh out loud, and endearing coming of age novel about a young teen finding himself, coming out and how the celebrities of the 90s helped him figure out and accept who he was. An absolute must-read, for lovers of 90s and early 00s pop music, and those who have ever wondered what it would be like to meet their idols."

—Fuzzable

Freak Like Me: Confessions of a 90s pop groupie

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