<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar Player in Brian-may ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/tag/brian-may Fri, 08 May 2026 14:49:58 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “He told me it was the best record he ever made.” The last music Steve Cropper heard before he died was his own new album ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/albums-singles/steve-cropper-watching-the-tide 8XG2ScuCCDmqjjukdQPmpk Fri, 08 May 2026 14:49:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He could hardly stand, but he said ‘I’ll f***ing do it, darling!’” Brian May on Freddie Mercury’s most defiant recording ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/he-went-ill-f-ing-do-it-darling-brian-may-says-freddie-mercury-was-too-weak-to-stand-but-insisted-on-singing-the-show-must-go-on fiZ78RCaKaZqtifuFZsiq8 Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:32:29 +0000 Sun, 19 Apr 2026 03:54:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He said, ‘My dear, I just wrote this in the bath.’” Brian May on the chart-topping Queen hit Freddie Mercury composed while getting ready one morning ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/he-said-my-dear-i-just-wrote-this-in-the-bath-brian-may-on-the-chart-topping-queen-hit-freddie-mercury-composed-while-getting-ready-one-morning aLsGEGFT88YSWVpnARkvF6 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’m not going to be here long. Just give me stuff to sing.” Brian May on Freddie Mercury’s last days ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/im-not-going-to-be-here-long-just-give-me-stuff-to-sing-brian-may-on-freddie-mercurys-last-days PAvuTELhCK4YP3ESbfKjna Sun, 05 Apr 2026 14:45:50 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Freddie said, 'No, no, no, no — it's a piano song!’” Freddie Mercury didn’t want a guitar solo. Brian May fought for it — and created one of Queen’s most celebrated moments on record ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/freddie-mercury-didnt-want-a-guitar-solo-brian-may-fought-for-it-and-created-one-of-queen-s-most-celebrated-moments-on-record p2EkPYyFcQFywEgGnwfkqF Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:05:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “America is a dangerous place at the moment.” Brian May says Queen will not perform in the U.S. “Everyone is thinking twice” ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/america-is-a-dangerous-place-at-the-moment-brian-may-says-queen-will-not-perform-in-the-u-s-everyone-is-thinking-twice Tusbq7ZESjbd8PLRDcsuRm Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:49:15 +0000 Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:52:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “They are still being killed for years, so that’s the reason we’re missing out on it.” Brian May on the surprising reason Queen refuse to play one of summers’ most celebrated music festivals ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/they-are-still-being-killed-for-years-so-thats-the-reason-were-missing-out-on-it-brian-may-on-the-surprising-reason-queen-refuse-to-play-one-of-summers-most-celebrated-music-festivals gEURrLjrJcqD7HpD8YUEj Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Our initial sense was that it was very big-headed. We all looked at Fred and said, ‘Really?’”Brian May on Freddie Mercury and the mega-hit that changed Queen’s relationship with their audience ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/brian-may-on-freddie-mercury-and-we-are-the-champions 6hapUJCzjNQ6H843swcE9X Sat, 10 Jan 2026 16:19:46 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I let him tell me the whole story and then said, ‘Brian, that was me.’” How Steve Vai shocked Brian May by revealing their early 1970s encounter ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/steve-vais-full-circile-moment-with-brian-may pxirgApdTGtzwMMuH4FBnc Wed, 07 Jan 2026 17:23:25 +0000 Wed, 07 Jan 2026 17:36:40 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Christmas came early!” Tony Iommi on the left-handed Red Special Brian May gifted him. But what's this special modification? ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/electric-guitars/christmas-came-early-tony-iommi-on-the-left-handed-red-special-brian-may-gifted-him-but-whats-this-special-modification quqc9zRKJ6h7J6bf7admvU Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:49:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He was my soulmate guitarist, and we were in sync musically. Sad we lost him. Such a tragedy.” Paul Rodgers on playing with Paul Kossoff, Mick Ralphs, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Brian May, Steve Cropper, Slash and Joe Bonamassa ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/paul-rodgers-on-jimmy-page-jeff-beck-brian-may-and-more wgegefRjuiyAuZs5ohwZ5a Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:30:59 +0000 Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:28:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ Beatles and Brian May guitar tones for $99 – is Sweetwater sure this Tech 21 SansAmp amp pedal deal isn't a misprice? ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/pedals-pedalboards/beatles-and-brian-may-guitar-tones-for-usd99 PjLywZdS8gBqxgKRk8XyxS Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:06:20 +0000 Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:39:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ “That’s what’s keeping me going. That’s what's keeping me alive.” Queen guitarist Brian May gives an update on his health as he calls his stroke “a wake-up call” ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/queen-s-brian-may-gives-major-health-update dM2pcq75mgRjwbzs5G6hsD Mon, 17 Nov 2025 23:14:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He was beyond belief. Nobody could play like that in those days.” Queen’s Brian May on the “fireball” guitarist who affected him like no other ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-on-the-fireball-guitarist-ritchie-blackmore QTQS2WgsAwnEtAmvpBUg4L Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:01:50 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s a bit mad, but it’s got everything in it” Brian May says Queen's biggest hit seemed like nothing out of the ordinary to him — until the fans went crazy for it ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-didnt-think-bohemian-rhapsody-was-special bhEMZcCAmJv3SDkHpFu958 Tue, 14 Oct 2025 15:17:46 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It's never that easy to play, even after all these years.” Brian May on the Queen song that requires him to “keep my wits about me” ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-beatles-influence-on-queen-s-bohemian-rhapsody xBJpCdfpfxJKdCE5guohAK Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:33:53 +0000 Sat, 27 Sep 2025 13:00:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s one of the best rock songs ever.” Brian May says the spirit of Queen’s Freddie Mercury lives on in these modern glam rockers. Now he’s helped them remake their breakthrough hit ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-on-reworking-could-have-been-me-with-the-struts NytpKoxsAG7Yk7XtuBeELb Wed, 03 Sep 2025 18:31:59 +0000 Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:02:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He’s never forgiven me.” Brian May is still upset about the controversial B-side to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” single ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/albums-singles/hes-never-forgiven-me-roger-taylor-says-brian-may-is-still-upset-about-the-controversial-b-side-to-queens-bohemian-rhapsody-single bbdw5WtUdNHRW4k8UzFkNd Mon, 25 Aug 2025 20:26:41 +0000 Mon, 25 Aug 2025 20:29:05 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He’s pushing up the guitar more and more, and I’m going, ‘Freddie, are you not overdoing it?’” Brian May on why one of Queen’s most triumphant tracks didn’t need a guitar solo ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-on-why-we-are-the-champions-doesnt-have-a-guitar-solo yWZfpgt43rLsuNfuNkkGwP Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:57:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I have none of the high technical skill of a Steve Vai or a Joe Satriani.” Brian May says he can’t compete with the world’s best shredders, but his alternative approach means he doesn’t have to ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-on-shredding-and-playing-with-instinct brvmu2imA8WPJ3ehujto2U Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:33:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ Mick Ralphs, founding guitarist with Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, has died at age 81. Ian Hunter tells how Ralphs' stolen guitar inspired one of Mott's biggest all-time hits — "All the Way From Memphis" ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/mick-ralphs-rip-how-his-stolen-guitar-inspired-mott-hit 8EPsFBqKZbccmeinZftHyc Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:36:40 +0000 Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:42:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ "The further devaluation of music.” Major record labels are working out deals with AI firms. Where does that leave musicians and songwriters? ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/universal-song-suno-udio-and-the-future-of-ai-in-music yGGFKYpMHEZnS5pdPRRnVm Fri, 06 Jun 2025 20:29:11 +0000 Fri, 06 Jun 2025 20:29:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I thought, 'Oh, my God. This guy is doing everything that I was trying to do.' He just made me feel like I couldn't play.” Brian May on the mind-blowing difference between seeing Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix perform in the 1960s ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/i-thought-oh-my-god-this-guy-is-doing-everything-that-i-was-trying-to-do-he-just-made-me-feel-like-i-couldnt-play-brian-may-on-the-difference-between-seeing-eric-clapton-and-jimi-hendrix-perform-in-the-1960s LZzhGQi4FuHu3j9aVaRMfP Fri, 30 May 2025 12:47:53 +0000 Fri, 30 May 2025 15:34:55 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I always thought it has a strange, unique magic to it.” Brian May picks a deep Queen cut as his favorite — but it's never played live out of respect for Freddie Mercury ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-mays-favorite-queen-songs pAGXpZGiEQGbBpLefqkB35 Thu, 22 May 2025 14:30:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He always has a stack of older six-penny pieces he could rely on.” Why old coins proved the perfect guitar pick for Brian May ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-six-penny-guitar-picks WA3eMJbDbgqaBdCeJmbSQW Sun, 20 Apr 2025 12:58:58 +0000 <![CDATA[ "This 'Bohemian Rhapsody'will be hard to beat in the years to come! I'm awestruck.” Brian May makes a surprise appearance at Coachella to perform Queen's hit with Benson Boone ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/music/brian-may-bohemian-rhapsody-benson-boone-coachella boXThcYVrLR2CkGiLiL4M9 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:04:26 +0000 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 22:54:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Brian May was a huge inspiration for this project.” Built entirely from scrap wood, this Randy Rhoads–style electric guitar took shape when a teen decided to pay homage to his musical heroes ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/sam-golder-scrap-wood-guitar Ysv54C76Tv4ntvsn5YnP8L Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:24:36 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Literally, a star is born. I have never, ever seen anything like that in my life." 11-year-old shredder Olly Pearson blows away the competition with his medley of AC/DC, Van Halen and Queen songs ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/literally-a-star-is-born-i-have-never-ever-seen-anything-like-that-in-my-life-11-year-old-shredder-olly-pearson-blows-away-the-competition-with-his-medley-of-ac-dc-van-halen-and-queen-songs P3UAJggZp2xNpLjuyriYzN Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:56:24 +0000 Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:37:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Nobody will be able to afford to make music.” Queen’s Brian May blasts a new law that will make it easier for AI to use artists' music ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-blasts-proposed-ai-law TxumUKWZoyBCCwXbK9iNTR Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:44:36 +0000 Wed, 12 Mar 2025 00:24:31 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I have a Mercury on the guitar now, which makes me very happy.” Brian May’s new signature Gibson SJ-200 features a subtle tribute to the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/acoustic-guitars/brian-may-gibson-sj-200-freddie-mercury-tribute qfDsiaSsPoUHB7WbKy6uHc Wed, 05 Mar 2025 21:33:49 +0000 Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:20:39 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Everyone had told us it’s never going to work. But hearing it back through the speakers, we thought, We can conquer the world!” Brian May tells how he fought the naysayers to make the Red Special Queen's secret weapon ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/brian-may-on-doubting-the-red-special Uhz9e4BPxFw9p9NAocMEtL Tue, 04 Mar 2025 16:29:12 +0000 <![CDATA[ “This might just be the greatest recorded piece of guitar in the world. Ever.” Queen’s Brian May on Jeff Beck and the guitar tone that changed his life ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-guitar-tone-jeff-beck AL9t24KFWkJNNXXk4ecakX Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:39:19 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I have this little box, I turn it up and it sings for me”: Brian May recalls meeting Rory Gallagher in the late ‘60s and how it changed his tone forever ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-on-meeting-rory-gallagher-and-wanting-a-rhythm-guitarist-in-queen EqQxgpcTqJTv69TYz3Vkzg Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:17:36 +0000 Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:29:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It sounded like an angry wasp. It didn’t have any depth or articulation.” Brian May details his disastrous experiment with a Marshall stack — and how Jimi Hendrix showed him up with it ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-mays-failed-marshall-stack-experiment k3hRd5mjxEjRpcnetphhZ6 Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:26:42 +0000 Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:30:29 +0000 <![CDATA[ “They can get on their rocket ship and don’t f***ing come back. Nobody wants to be me anyway.” Elvis Costello identifies what AI is really all about. And it isn't music ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/elvis-costello-on-ai-2024 dRdLScvcwCR9vAwZeVCp4 Thu, 21 Nov 2024 18:08:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ "They sort of appear as if they are out there in the air. The best ones do. But I don’t know how they get there." David Gilmour talks soloing in Guitar Player's guide to the Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/the-greatest-guitar-solos-of-all-time gviGFZB7g47jARwMjHQS8g Sun, 27 Oct 2024 18:09:56 +0000 Tue, 23 Sep 2025 10:24:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ "I'm a bit rusty, and I don't know how much I can play, but I'll give it a go." Watch Brian May play guitar for the first time since suffering a minor stroke last month ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/brian-may-plays-guitar-first-time-since-stroke SpAbn75VTySPoN8xBVJ3KK Wed, 09 Oct 2024 13:31:26 +0000 <![CDATA[ "Please welcome Mr. Slash!" Watch Brian May and the Guns N' Roses guitarist jam Queen's “Tie Your Mother Down” on Jay Leno in 1993 ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/new/brian-may-jams-with-slash-jay-leno cXcBrt78NqZom8vCtRchUj Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:55:39 +0000 Tue, 07 Jan 2025 11:10:12 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I kept thinking, ‘It worked beautifully for Rory Gallagher with a similar setup.’ But for me it was just frustrating”: Why Brian May never took to the Strat or Les Paul ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/brian-may-rory-gallagher-strat-les-paul rBCfuxbhMFDbM5nLrXP2YX Tue, 17 Sep 2024 16:27:09 +0000 Wed, 18 Sep 2024 20:49:36 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When you would bend the strings across the fingerboard, the pickups would make this kind of rushing sound because the polepieces went north-south, north-south, north-south”: Brian May on the trials and tribulations of building the Red Special ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/brian-may-building-the-red-special RcY7xF9Yft62NP3paUvgv7 Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:56:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “In the heat of the battle, all those tiny little peculiarities count, but there's one pedal that does a very good job of simulating my sound”: Brian May on the one pedal that has come close to nailing his sound ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/brian-may-pedal-that-comes-close-to-nailing-his-sound ac8o9ufXQB5CGbTocb3pY7 Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:53:23 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s not out of the question... to have some made in the States would be wonderful”: Brian May is in talks with Gibson to produce new Red Special replicas ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/brian-may-gibson-red-special 6cqWUgyosv5UnCJmeYQoy5 Tue, 11 Jun 2024 19:52:15 +0000 Tue, 11 Jun 2024 20:00:15 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He’d put his right hand onto a fret and make this beautiful singing sound... I said, ‘I’m going to nick that!’”: The guitarist who inspired Brian May’s tapping techniques reflects on pivotal chance meeting ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/brian-may-rocky-athas-tapping b9twDZySNupCWpS5j8jxdQ Wed, 29 May 2024 15:48:10 +0000 Wed, 29 May 2024 21:05:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I Kind of Stole Ed...And That Wasn’t Something That Happened Very Often”: Brian May Expounds on Eddie Van Halen’s Role in the Fabled ‘Star Fleet Project’ ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/brian-may-star-fleet-project q34CkggEJbsCT8FPyqG5WX Tue, 26 Sep 2023 13:34:22 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I Think We Might Look Back on 2023 as the Last Year When Humans Really Dominated the Music Scene”: Brian May Shares His Hopes and Fears About the Impact of AI ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/brian-may-artificial-intelligence-star-fleet-project-interview-guitar-player-2023 hiWbnX5iAWQJG5wgZ8d62M Thu, 31 Aug 2023 10:59:46 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The Concept Is Simple: Plug a Great Guitar Into a Great Amp, and Don’t Let Anything Get in Between”: Billy Squier Explains How He Honed His Tone on Five Classic Tracks ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/Billy-Squier-Five-Songs xY52ubMXEPaGNSrhrrKzE6 Wed, 21 Jun 2023 15:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ Half a Century of Killer Guitar Tone and Now More Popular Than the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones on Spotify, Queen Are Still Delivering their Unique Kind of Magic ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/Queen-Brian-May-50th-anniversary-debut-album EnBRmx7auPvJM445qPZAna Wed, 14 Jun 2023 14:36:32 +0000 Tue, 07 Jan 2025 11:10:24 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I Could Never Play Like Him”: Steve Vai Talks Jimmy Page, Brian May and Jimi Hendrix ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/steve-vai-jimmy-page-brian-may-jimi-hendrix ST5v5P33P95crFC6GyZYNQ Tue, 23 May 2023 13:20:22 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If I Want to Push the Boundaries of Guitar, It’s Not Going to Be by Using a Pedal”: Brian May Guitars Signature Artist Arielle Talks Ditching Pedals and Turning up the Volume ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/if-i-want-to-push-the-boundaries-of-guitar-its-not-going-to-be-by-using-a-pedal-brian-may-guitars-signature-artist-arielle-talks-ditching-pedals-and-turning-up-the-volume PJCkF5uMwave5GAEnhB5iV Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:37:16 +0000 Tue, 07 Jan 2025 11:08:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ The Ultimate Brian May Lead Guitar Lesson ]]> https://www.guitarplayer.com/lessons/the-ultimate-brian-may-lead-guitar-lesson STx96XawWsD7FhzRQZokiS Thu, 02 Feb 2023 14:50:19 +0000