Not all rock stars are mindless sybarites. Brian May, the superb guitarist for the hugely popular 1970’s and ’80s rock group Queen, is about to finish work on his Ph.D. in astrophysics.
The sixty-year-old musician-scholar suspended his studies in the early 1970s when Queen became an international success. May’s guitar was as important a part of the band’s sound as Mercury’s voice, although the group could not survive the loss of the latter when Mercury died in 1991. May continued to record music, mostly on a variety of solo albums that didn’t set the world on fire. Meanwhile, he continued work on his doctorate, and now plans to submit his thesis within a couple of weeks.
Further details are available in the AP story on the subject.
Amen to that, Mick!
I have to admit my enthusiasm for Queen came and went over the years of its existance. An album turned me off, then a few years later something would perk up my ears. Part of my difficulty with May is his hankering to play guitar in a whining upper register. Thus I tend to blame him in part for a lot of bad guitar sounds in the 1970’s and 1980’s. On the other hand, May did expand rock’s “sonic vocabulary”.
I am happy to hear May has not rested on his substancial accomphishments and has gone on to master a very difficult subject. Sort-a makes you proud.
I am also happy to hear Freddie died in the arms of the Lord. May he sit close by Jesus’ side at the great table.
I saw it in some documentary on the band, and also read about it. Alas, I don’t have any recollection of the sources. Perhaps someone can help us with that. It is interesting that there is so much spiritual, Christian-oriented content in the lyrics of the band’s last album with Mercury, Made in Heaven, which was released in 1995 afer his death. As Mercury contemplated his impending death, his songs became very spiritually oriented.
Plus, he became a committed Christian toward the end of his life, it seems.
This is the first I’ve heard of it and I do hope it is true. Not that I’m up on everything Queen, but I’ve followed them as closely as any band over the years. The interviews with Freddie were always fascinating; as you note, he did indeed seem to really love Mary Austin, his girlfriend from the ’70s who remained his closest friend. See this Wikipedia material for details.
I quite agree with your assessment of Queen, Carl. They were a great band, and their best work is truly classic within the pop/rock music field.
Freddy Mercury’s life was surely tragic, especially as he really did fight against the urges that ultimately killed him. The true love of his life, after all, was a woman, as he stated very clearly and openly. (Sorry, but I cannot remember her name.) Plus, he became a committed Christian toward the end of his life, it seems. In fact, one of the songs on the band’s first album was the Mercury-penned “Jesus,” a thoroughly respectful tune briefly summarizing aspects of Christ’s life. That’s all to the good.
That’s rather impressive. If I’m not mistaken, all four members of Queen had college degrees of one sort or another (although Mercury’s may have been a certificate in graphic design; I don’t recall). Queen has long been a favorite rock group, since I first heard “Greatest Hits” as a 13-year-old. One thing I always liked about Queen was the sense of humor they brought to much of their material, both lyrically and musically. They wrote singable songs (something many rock bands are loath to do) and never seemed to take themselves too seriously. It’s unfortunate that Freddie gave in to various lusts and appetites, killing himself and effectively killing Queen.