Guitarist of the legendary Queen. Brian May - amazing facts of life Queen guitarist Brian May

It turns out that Brian Harold May is not only an outstanding musician. He is an astrophysicist. After graduating from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Imperial College London, he published several scientific articles on astronomy. Moreover, I received academic degree Doctor of Science, defending his dissertation on a topic related to astronomical research in the infrared range. True, Brian succeeded in this only 30 years after writing it - his musical career had not previously allowed it.

“When music called me in the early 70s, I could not help but respond,” the musician recalled in an interview. – It’s as if a sixth sense gave a hint, and intuition did not disappoint. After all, if I had not used this opportunity then, this door would have closed forever. Therefore, I am sure: by abandoning astronomy in favor of music, I did right choice" But May’s decision to return to science and complete her dissertation was just as correct. “Having accomplished this, I experienced great relief,” he shared his feelings. “I’m very pleased that I was able to bring a job started many years ago to completion.”

Rector of the University of Liverpool. John Moores Brian Harold May. Photo: Josh Parry/LJMU

In 2008, for May's outstanding achievements in astrophysics, asteroid No. 52665, Brianmay, was named in his honor. In the same year, Mr. May took up the position of Rector of the University of Liverpool. John Moores and remained there for more than 5 years. To this day he is a research astronomer and continues to lead scientific activity in mathematics and theoretical physics. He co-authored the book: “Big Bang! Full story Universe." Brian also has a lifelong passion for historical stereo photography and has amassed a substantial collection.

Guitar made of mother-of-pearl buttons

Brian May received his first children's guitar as a birthday gift when he was 7 years old. By this time, he already knew how to play the ukulele quite well, following his father’s example. And at the age of 16 the guy had a real acoustic guitar. The family did not have money to buy a decent instrument, so the future musician, together with his father (Harold was an electronics engineer by profession, and a jack of all trades at home), designed it himself, by hand. As May recalled: “From all the junk lying around in Dad’s workshop.” That is: from an oak beam from an 18th-century fireplace, parts from an old wardrobe, motorcycle valves, a knife blade, and mother-of-pearl buttons. And pickups were made from magnets and wire stuck into my father’s homemade radio. The work lasted more than two years and cost the future musician only 8 pounds. This guitar, the Red Special, remains the main instrument to this day. Brian May and in the hits “Queen” is heard more often than all the others.

Photo: twitter.com

Get paid by Brian May

Another “trick” of May is that instead of a pick, he uses a sixpence coin all his life, which he holds between his thumb and bent index finger. A particularly interesting detail: in the early 1970s, such coins with jagged edges were withdrawn from circulation, but in 1993 the Royal Mint minted a special batch of them: personally Brian May with his image - in anticipation of the famous musician's solo tour.

Brian May Personalized Coin

About the high and eternal

In the Queen group, Brian May is taller than all the participants: his height is 188 centimeters. His innovative, unique guitar skills, combined with Freddie Mercury's exceptional vocals, created the unique style of the famous rock band. At the same time, May is not only a composer and guitar virtuoso. He often performed as a keyboard player, played organ and synthesizers, and also performed as lead vocalist. In addition, Brian is a poet who has become the author of such brilliant hit songs and ballads as: “We Will Rock You”, “The Show Must Go On”, “Too Much Love Will Kill You”, “Who Wants to Live Forever” , “39”, “Save Me”, “Hammer To Fall...” and many others.

May also writes musical accompaniment for films, series and television projects. His filmography includes several dozen. By the way, “Queen” turned out to be the first rock band to author a soundtrack for a full-length film: it was the 1980s fantasy action adventure film “Flash Gordon” - about total solar eclipse. In a surprising way this picture was intertwined with another fantasy film - the cult "Highlander", which was released six years later and laid the foundation for many sequels of the same name. The instrumental compositions for it were written by Michael Kamen, and the songs were again written by the group Queen.

Queen group. Photo: East News

Director Russell Mulcahy asked musicians to write the soundtrack for his Highlander. The band members watched the 40-minute version of the film, and Brian May was most impressed by the scene in which main character, the immortal Connor MacLeod, holds a mortal woman in his arms - his dying wife. Already on the way home, the composer began sketching the future hit “Who Wants to Live Forever,” which was heard not only in the film - in that very episode, but later in different parts television series "Highlander".

Recalling this trip, May told British journalists: “I heard this composition in my head, and then, in the car, it was almost finished. My manager, to whom I sang it when he brought me home, was very surprised. He asked: “Where did this come from?”, and I answered: “I don’t even know...” A remarkable detail: the title of this symphonic ballad was taken by Brian from the movie “Flash Gordon”. And one more interesting point: In Highlander the song is sung by Freddie Mercury, but on the record May sings the first verse and a few lines from the third verse.

The Great Depression

In the late 1980s, after the death of his father, with whom Brian was very close, and the beginning of divorce proceedings from his first wife, the musician fell into a deep depression. One day he openly admitted that he was contemplating suicide. A particularly acute mental crisis occurred in 1991, after the death of Freddie Mercury, which followed his incurable disease(AIDS). Realizing that he was unable to cope with his mental state on his own, May turned to psychiatric clinic. Explaining his actions later, he said: “I felt completely sick - exhausted and torn to pieces... I grieved for a long time. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of irreparable loss... I had a complete breakdown..."

Brian did not try to get out of the psychological impasse with the help of drugs. Unlike many of his emotionally unbridled rock musician colleagues, May did not use drugs. “I never even smoked weed, although I inhaled a lot of smoke from others,” said the guitarist. And he commented on his position as follows: “I felt that under no circumstances should I become addicted to drugs. This is dangerous, especially during periods of depression when I lost emotional control over myself and my life.”

With Freddie Mercury. Photo: twitter.com

Peace, work, May!

The legendary guitarist leads a very restrained lifestyle: he does not eat meat at all, and occasionally eats fish. Among alcoholic drinks, he prefers Guinness beer and Baileys liqueur. Smoking is taboo (as opposed to my father, who was a heavy smoker). Not seen in promiscuous sexual relationships. Does not accept beach holiday. He is actively involved in charity work: he provides assistance to various foundations and makes considerable donations to various projects related to global problems. He especially ardently protects nature and animals, selflessly fights for their rights.

In an interview, Brian explained his position as follows: “In my youth, I didn’t really believe the “starlets” who said that they adore animals and fight for their rights. And now I’m doing it myself.” The musician actually goes to the authorities, collects signatures, and obtains audiences with high-ranking officials. “It takes a lot of nerves and strength,” May once admitted in an interview. - But when I return home in the evening and lie down on the sofa with a can of beer, I realize that the day was not lived in vain. Essentially, by advocating for animal rights, I do the same thing when I create something in music. And I also rejoice at success if it happens - no matter how pompous it may sound...”

In addition, May constantly participates in charity concerts. Recently, in the company of other legendary musicians: Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, and others, he recorded a video in support of people affected by the huge fire that broke out on June 14 in London in a 27-story residential building. All proceeds from sales and broadcasts will go to the victims and families of the victims.

Brian tied himself to family ties twice. In 1976, he married Chrissie Mullens. The marriage, which lasted 8 years, gave the musician three children: his son Jimmy (James) was born in ’78, three years later his daughter Louise was born, and five years later his second daughter, Emily Ruth.

With wife Anita Dobson and son Jimmy. Photo: twitter.com

With daughters Emily and Louise. Photo: twitter.com

For many years, May officially remained a bachelor, although since the early 90s he had been living in a civil marriage with actress Anita Dobson. And according to the tabloid media, he began dating her much earlier, while still married. In 2000, Anita became Brian's legal wife and remains so to this day.

With wife Anita Dobson. Photo: Global Look Press

From Brian May:

I have neither the desire nor the need to do anything for money. And I don’t need fame anymore - I’ve seen enough of it, I’m fed up with it and I’ve seen enough of what it can do to people. The question is, why am I doing so many different things? Only because I love it so much and I just can’t stop..."

Knowing that Queen's music has impacted the lives of people all over the world makes me happy. It's an honor for me.

In life you always need to take steps, but not small ones, but big ones. Because if you move in tiny steps or, which is really bad, don’t do anything at all, nothing in life will change. You will mark time, not developing, and years later you will regret that you wasted your time. This is my life philosophy.

Music and art bring people together better than anything else.
- In rock music, in order not to die out, you cannot repeat yourself. You need to look forward and be open to everything new. This is the only way to feel the fullness of life.

Studied at high school Hampton. Graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Imperial College London. He has a number of publications on astronomy, and also wrote a Ph.D. thesis and defended it only almost 40 years later, since the fame of the Queen group set aside the musician’s scientific career.
I became interested in the guitar at the age of 7. In 1963, he began building his own guitar with his father. Money for a Fender Stratocaster young musician there wasn't, but that didn't stop Brian. I came across a beam from an 18th century fireplace and parts from an old wardrobe. Buttons and parts from an old motorcycle were also used. Two years later the product was ready. This is how the Red Special guitar was born, which cost the musician only 8 pounds.
Brian said about the creation of his guitar: “I started with a classical spanish guitar and started experimenting to see how the sound changed. I didn't want my guitar to sound like a Fender. I also knew I wanted 24 frets, and I could never understand why people settled on 22."
Brian May's musical career began in 1968. At first he was in the group Smile, which later regenerated into Queen.
Brian May on the band's favorite album: "They were all important milestones our development. My personal favorite will always be Queen II because it was a huge leap forward... the biggest leap we've ever taken in our history. Suddenly we had the ability to control all the power and knowledge that we had accumulated, and we also had the money and time to use it.”
Now I'm Here, We Will Rock You, Dragon Attack, I Want It All, God Save The Queen, Hammer To Fall and many other Queen songs were written by Brian May.
His main instrument to this day is the Red Special, but the musician uses a number of other guitars during performances and in the studio: Gibson Flying V, Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Firebird and Ibanez JS. The guitarist's favorite amplifier is the Vox AC30.
A sixpence coin instead of a pick is Brian May's calling card: “I feel like it gives me closer contact with the strings and more control over them when playing. I hold it loosely between my thumb and forefinger, with my index finger bent.” The coin was withdrawn from circulation in the early 1970s, but in 1993 the Royal Mint specially minted a batch of these coins for Brian May, featuring the guitarist himself.
May on the main thing for a musician: “I believe that the job of a musician is to go everywhere, entertain people and tell the truth as you see it.”
Brian is the tallest member of Queen: his height is 188 cm.
May on the activity: “I’m not one of those who sit on the beaches. I love creating, making things and solving problems. If I wasn't busy, it would be a disaster."
Brian May about his gastronomic preferences: “Yes, I’m a vegetarian, but not a strict one. I don't eat meat at all and I hardly eat fish. Well, except for those cases when there is no choice... But I believe that we are all, one way or another, trying to take some kind of conscious position on this issue.”
He loves Guinness beer and Baileys liqueur, but otherwise does not abuse alcohol, smoking or drugs. Leads a fairly restrained lifestyle.
The musician is an ardent defender of wildlife, donates funds to various projects and helps foundations. Asteroid 52665 Brianmay was named in his honor in 2008.

For many, the names Mercury and May, printed in parentheses after the title of the song, mean more than Page and Plant or Lennon and McCartney. For a number of reasons, we were not able to talk with the first one, but we did get to talk with Brian May, the main poodle of rock, who, together with the new Queen, is going to Moscow.

Tell me, Brian, how did it happen that a serious guy, an astrophysics student, one day acquired an electric guitar, and then turned his self-indulgence into a profession?
I began to be interested in music and astronomy at the same time, around the age of eight. They got along well in me, so I can’t say that I left one hobby for another. West London, where I grew up, was a musical hotbed in the early sixties. Two members of the Yardbirds went to my school, and The Rolling The Stones played once a week at a club in Richmond, five minutes' walk from my house.
And so one fine day you came up with the fateful idea of making yourself a guitar.
No, buddy, I'm older than you think. I built my own guitar much earlier. I really liked the sound The group Shadows, which Cliff Richard started with, and I wanted to reproduce it on my instrument.
How did you meet Freddie Mercury?
Fred was friends with Tim Staffel, the guy who sang and played bass in my university band, Smile. We had a group of three: Tim, Roger Taylor and myself. They played prog rock, and they could easily stretch out five songs over three hours. Tim left us when he was invited to another team. After this, Freddie declared: “I will be your singer!” And we responded: “Oh, well?”
You just admitted that you didn’t immediately recognize Mercury as one of the sweetest breaths of rock music.
And so it was. He then worked in a clothing store in Kensington Market. When we met, Mercury started sticking his pom-poms in my face. Freddie was then studying to be a designer and most time painted portraits of Jimi Hendrix. I still have a few of them lying around somewhere. Freddie was a pretty rough guy at the time. It was later that he turned into a refined connoisseur of beauty, and then he rushed around the room like a madman and shouted something all the time. Many people thought he was crazy, and we often asked ourselves the question: “Is he really the right guy for us?”

So when did your doubts disappear?
Freddie had several qualities that convinced me: his overflowing enthusiasm and amazing faith in himself and all of us. In addition, he enjoyed working on his mistakes: it was as if a strict teacher was sitting in his head, hitting him on the hands with a ruler every time. So Freddie was very easy to work with.

Is that why you merged so successfully into a single whole?
We were lucky. We got along well with each other and never quarreled on tour. In the studio it was the other way around: everyone stood their ground to the death. While working on the albums, everyone was constantly slamming the door and threatening to leave the group. We are all, contrary to popular belief, very modest and shy people, and Freddie was the shyest of all. Naturally, he fought this by portraying the Lord God on stage!
In your opinion, Freddie's penchant for theatrical effects was a derivative of his sexual orientation?
Freddie was an extremely colorful character, but for quite some time I had no idea that he was gay. He started taking men backstage already in the eighties. IN early years When we were traveling, he and I always shared a hotel room, and at that time, mostly girls stayed with us at night. Freddie had plenty of them, and many were hopelessly in love with him. Then we thought that Freddie, in modern terms, was a metrosexual. Clothes and hairstyles worried him first of all. Us, however, too, but Freddie would give anyone a head start in this matter.
Apart from your full head of hair, all other components of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle seem to have passed you by.
No, I bit off my piece of the threshold. But back in college, I decided to never take drugs, because I wanted to be sure that everything that happened to me was really happening. I value my spiritual subtlety. I'm very emotional person. Music blew my mind once and I don't need anything else. To this day, I have not tried a single drug. I'm also afraid of aspirin.
How about a drink?
Well, I won’t lie, I’ve drunk a couple of beers in my life, whatever. But I haven’t drunk before performances since 1974. We were playing a gig in an open field on a farm in Pennsylvania. Mott the Hoople opened for us, and the organizers couldn't decide who to release first - us or Aerosmith. While the trial is pending, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and I decided to have a glass - and ended up drinking a bottle. When I went on stage, for a long time I could not figure out why the first chord I played lasted ten minutes. In addition, the field stank of manure. I remember thinking at the time: “Brian, this is all wrong, let’s not do this again.”

After which success overtook you quickly and irrevocably.
We slept sweetly for many nights before waking up famous. On the eve of recording “A Night at the Opera,” the group almost broke up. We've already made a ton of money, but none of us have ever seen a penny. The situation was desperate. Freddie's piano was rented. Roger was told to save his drumsticks. All this disgrace continued until John Reid, Elton John's manager, bought out our contract and signed us to another label. After that everything went uphill.
And then “Bohemian Rhapsody” arrived very opportunely...
The success of “Rhapsody” made us very happy, but the main thing was the feeling of ecstasy in which we lived while working on it. I remember Freddie running into the studio with a bunch of pieces of paper (he stole them from his father from work), which he covered with notes, and then began to pound the keys madly. Freddie played the piano much like everyone else plays the drums. The song was full of holes, but Freddie said that here there would be a gorgeous operatic piece, and here there would be a powerful solo... He had already thought of everything in his head.
Punks hated Bohemian Rhapsody. How did you yourself perceive the advent of punk rock?
I didn't have any problems with him. When we were working on "News of the World“The Sex Pistols were recording in the studio next door, and I was constantly talking about something in the hallway with Johnny Rotten. He turned out to be a very sane guy, completely devoted to his music. One day Sid Vicious came into our studio and said to Freddie: “Aren’t you the same guy who brings opera to the masses?” To which Freddie replied: “Yes, but you seem to be Simon Feroches or something like that!” In short, they got along. I honestly think Never Mind the Bullocks is one of the best rock albums of all time. The only thing I disagree with is the statement that there was no good rock music before punk. This is stupid: Never Mind the Bullocks is a classic mainstream rock album. Listen to the early Who and The Rolling Stones. Punk rock was not a revolution, but an evolution.
By the end of the seventies, Queen had established a reputation as the kings of parties. People still remember the party in New Orleans in 1978 on the occasion of the release of your album “Jazz”. Well, there are transsexual strippers, midgets with trays of coke on their heads and all that.
When we came to New Orleans, there were always a lot of freaks hanging around us, so we decided to launch the disc there. Many memories of that party are, of course, exaggerated, but I will not debunk any myths. In fact, consider me, I was not at that party. You see, I'm an incurable romantic and that night I drove around New Orleans looking for the girl I fell in love with on one of my visits there. I didn’t find the girl then. Like this: no sex, no drugs, no rock and roll.
In June 2002, you performed “God Save the Queen” on guitar at the Queen’s jubilee on the roof of Buckingham Palace. What were you thinking at that moment?
It was very scary. Not because I was afraid of falling, but because it was impossible to make mistakes. During rehearsals, we never managed to play everything perfectly. Then, when we were about to go up to the roof, the doors of the old creaky elevator did not want to open. I had to go down and go up again - up the stairs. I remember walking through corridors lined with paintings by old masters and praying. Looks like my prayers have been answered. Everything went well on the roof. Now every time I drive past I get goosebumps.

When you think about Freddie Mercury now, what comes to mind first?
Where to start... I miss his sense of humor, the wild fire in his eyes, his incorrigible depravity. But above all, I miss the very fact of his presence in this world. I often have the same dream, which leaves me completely convinced that Freddie is still alive. Then I remember that this is not true, and then I feel really lonely.
Queen and Paul Rogers - at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex (Moscow) on September 15 and 16.

Brian, there are rumors about a new Queen album...

We thought there was nothing left like that. But then a few things came up and even I was surprised that they survived. These are unfinished entries. With new technologies we can complete them without Freddie, as we already did on the Made in Heaven album. We hope to release it before the end of the year.

Will you sing yourself?

What from Queen's days do you miss most?

Well, definitely not touring nine months a year... I still feel like a member of the family that Queen was for all of us. There is no substitute for this. And, of course, I miss Freddie himself. It was like I had lost my own brother.

How was the real Freddie Mercury different from the one we imagine him to be?

From the outside it might seem that he is frivolous and has his head in the clouds. But he was very collected and specific, always formulated his thoughts very clearly, separating what was important to him and what was not. This sometimes seemed not very polite. If at the wrong moment someone came up to him and asked “Can I have an autograph?”, Freddie could say: “No, you can’t.” And if he was very busy, he could put it even stronger: “Fuck off, darling.” And many people reacted like this: “Wow! Freddie Mercury himself told me “Fuck off”! Great!" I remember we were supposed to play South America, there were a quarter of a million viewers. And before the concert, the interviewer asked him: “What is it like to perform in front of such a huge audience?” Freddie replied: “I don’t know, we haven’t performed yet,” which made us laugh a lot.

You wrote half of Queen's hits, but to the average person, Queen is Freddie. Isn't it offensive?

No. Freddie was the face of the group and it was a conscious decision of ours. I myself came up with the design of the cover of the first disc, and if you remember, we are not there, only him in the spotlight.

Brian, you're not your typical rock star: astronomer, no drugs, no alcohol, no hooliganism.

Perhaps it's true, I'm not exactly typical. Although we were all atypical in our own way. But no one has ever come to me and said, “Why didn’t you trash the hotel room? You're a rock star! Yes, we did fun parties, but the issue of alcoholism and drug addiction was not on our agenda.

Hero's hit list

Hobby: old stereo photos

Drink: Guinness beer

Actor: Clint Eastwood

We're still blown away by your performance with George Michael at the Freddie tribute. Have you ever thought about inviting him to perform with you?

We are very Good friends with George, and he's a great singer, but we're too different and musically, and stylistically. So the answer is: no. In addition, he has his own career, which he is unlikely to want to give up.

How do you feel when they sing your We Will Rock You at the stadium?

I am very proud... And I always smile, and maybe also blush a little. At such moments I feel that the music can sink into human soul much deeper than is commonly thought about the songs that are played on the radio.

So, Brian, tell us what we can expect from your concert with Kerry Ellis? Is this for your fans, Queen fans or just music lovers?

I think this is for both, and for others, and for others. Our performances with Kerry are not like Queen concerts, although we will perform many songs from the Queen repertoire. This is something intimate, free and changing from time to time. It's like it's happening at home in the living room: we're interacting with the audience, candles are burning, Kerry is singing, and I'm playing guitar and a little bit of keys. In this context, old songs take on unexpected new power. There will be not only acoustics, a little electricity too.

It is clear what to expect from Brian May in Moscow. What does Brian May expect from Moscow?

Since childhood, Red Square has been a symbol of enemy territory for all of us, something very frightening. And now, being on Red Square and feeling the warm attitude of people towards me, I still feel some kind of mystery. And this applies to all of Moscow. Over the years, Moscow has become Europeanized, but I wouldn’t want it to lose this mystique.

You've gotten comfortable in the new digital world: you blog, you're on Twitter...

I have to! Maybe this was easy for me, because, as you know, I am also an astrophysicist and scientist. I communicate a lot virtually, although during Queen’s time I had little contact with the world, I didn’t even answer fan letters - I thought I didn’t have time for that. And now I write a tweet and dozens of people answer me, and I answer them. I am involved in charity work, animal rights, and without the Internet I simply would not be able to conduct this activity.

Brian May - greatest musician legendary group Queen. He is the author of the most popular songs Queen and is ranked 26th on the list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

May's guitar playing became business card groups and was no less recognizable than Freddie Mercury's vocals. Some believed that a synthesizer was used when recording the albums, Brian's guitar solos sounded so varied and unusual.

Brief biography of Brian May

Brian May was born in 1947 in London and graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, is an astrophysicist. May received his first guitar for his 7th birthday, but he built the Red Special guitar on which he performed his most famous guitar solos with his father in 1963. Before Queen formed, Brian played in several musical groups- Nineteen Eighty-Four and Smile. But in 1970 he gathered legendary line-up“Queen”, which forever entered the history of music.

Brian May is the author of such group hits as"We Will Rock You", "The Show Must Go On", "Who Wants To Live Forever" and others. It was May and Mercury who wrote most of the group's songs. After the death of Freddie Mercury and the breakup of Queen, Brian May began solo career and recorded 8 successful albums. In addition, the musician is the founder of the Animal Welfare Fund. Brian May was married twice and has 3 children from his first marriage.