Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBEis an English musician, singer, songwriter and astrophysicist, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. He uses a home-built electric guitar, called the Red Special. His compositions for the band include "We Will Rock You", "Tie Your Mother Down", "I Want It All", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "The Prophet's Song", "Flash", "Hammer to Fall", "Save Me", "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "The Show Must Go On"...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth19 July 1947
CityLondon, England
At the moment the Queen stuff does sell really well, but there's no guarantee it'll go on forever
For a time I didn't want to answer any questions about Queen. I'd like to be viewed as something alive and relevant, not some fossil.
Astronomy's much more fun when you're not an astronomer
I never took sheet music seriously. I could do better myself just by listening to other people and using my own intuition.
I had this idea... I wanted the sound to sing and have that thickness but yet still have an edge so that it could articulate. So my dad and I designed the guitar... the one that was made from an old fireplace.
Amazing uke playing to be relished.
I'd put a lot of work into playing guitar, and was thinking I was pretty damn good. But Hendrix came along and destroyed everyone.
There are times when I flick through magazines and think I'm in danger of becoming a prisoner of my own hair.
Not for a million - years. I mean, I like the INXS boys, but I found the process very degrading, really. Reality television has eaten away at our standards of excellence. I don't like this whole culture, which has evolved, of TV being the king.
I like to go for a walk or swimming or in the garden when I can. It's a busy kind of life, but I guess I'm lucky.
I was an incurable romantic then, same as I am now. I was always pining away after somebody
On the first few albums the songs would grow into strange shapes.
People have been rumouring that Queen are going to split up for the last eight years at least. I've got some great cuttings at home from people saying 'One thing is certain, Queen will no longer exist in a year's time.' And that was in 1973.
We do play to our audience. It's very important. You can't create music in a vacuum.