Brian May is a man of many talents. Of course, he’s a stellar guitarist and songwriter, having helped pen many of Queen’s biggest hits like “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Hammer to Fall,” and more. In addition to his music career, May has also studied astrophysics. He was cited as a Science Team collaborator on NASA’s New Horizons Pluto mission, a co-founder of the awareness campaign Asteroid Day, and more.
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Elsewhere he is passionate about animal rights. In 2010, he established the welfare group, Save Me, which opposed badger culling and fox hunting. Clearly, he’s a man with a lot to say about a variety of topics. Find 10 of his best quotes below.
1. “Everybody thought I was a bit of an eccentric for wanting to be out there looking at the stars, but I still do.”
2. “I just want to be able to play as fast as my brain goes, and my brain doesn’t go all that fast.”
3. “There is no way that you can ever really repeat something. I have this great belief that the magic of the moment can never be recaptured.”
4. “I think music is about our internal life. It’s part of the way people touch each other. That’s very precious to me. And astronomy is, in a sense, the very opposite thing. Instead of looking inwards, you are looking out, to things beyond our grasp.”
5. “The guitar has a kind of grit and excitement possessed by nothing else.”
6. “The guitar was my weapon, my shield to hide behind.”
7. “The biggest emotion in creation is the bridge to optimism.”
8. “When I’m gone, people will no doubt remember me for Queen, but I would much rather be remembered for attempting to change the way we treat our fellow creatures.”
9. “Each gig should be unique. You’re always treading that line between keeping yourself fresh and giving people something they want to hear.”
10. “I really thought I was pretty good before I saw Hendrix, and then I thought, ‘Yeah, not so good.'”
(Photo by Paul CHARBIT/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
