Best 66 quotes of Brian May on MyQuotes

A Queen track has those big, thick, block harmonies.

Astronomy's much more fun when you're not an astronomer

At the moment the Queen stuff does sell really well, but there's no guarantee it'll go on forever

Doing Made In Heaven was like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, but I wouldn't have put my seal of approval on it if I hadn't thought it was up to standard.

Each gig should be unique. You're always treading that line between keeping yourself fresh and giving people something they want to hear

Einstein got most of the things right about black holes. I'm not an expert, I must admit

Every time I listen to Jeff Beck my whole view of guitar changes radically. He's way, way out, doing things you never expect.

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.

From the beginning of Queen there was such momentum that I never had any time to do anything else. My energy was 95% focused on the band

George Harrison was a fabulous, fabulous, fabulous guitarist, and a wonderful example of what a rock star should be. I totally revered him as an innovator. He was always fresh, daring, magnificently melodic, full of spiritual quality, and totally conscious of the chord structure beneath the solo. And he had the courage to play simple. He never took refuge in effects, or tried to impress with speed. I hope he knew how much we all loved and respected him.

I despise the Lottery. There's less chance of you becoming a millionaire than there is of getting hit on the head by a passing asteroid.

I don't surf the net in general. I have someone do it for me instead, because I find it sluggish.

I don't think anybody comes close to The Beatles, including Oasis

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.

If I go to places where other people are playing, I often get up and play myself. I just enjoy the sound and feel of playing.

I go through major crises every few months, but then I have great peaks of belief and creativity. I'm a weird kind of animal

I had this big thing about guitar harmonies. I wanted to be the first to put proper three-part harmonies onto a record. That was an achievement.

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.

I just want to be able to play as fast as my brain goes, and my brain doesn't go all that fast.

I like a big neck – thick, flat and wide. I lacquered the fingerboard with Rustin's Plastic Coating. The tremolo is interesting in that the arm's made from an old bicycle saddle bag carrier, the knob at the end's off a knitting needle and the springs are valve springs from an old motorbike.

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'm a much better musician than astronomer. I think the world got the right choice.

I'm hopeless at playing scales. Try and be instinctive first and analytic afterwords, although it's good to study the theory of music.

I'm into paradoxes. I wanted to make an album about them, but the group told me I was a pretentious fart. They were right.

I'm not a person for sitting on beaches. What would I do?

I'm pretty basic as far as technique is concerned. I don't use many gadgets, and I like the sound my guitar makes, anyway.

I'm the nice guy who sits there signing everything that's put in front of me.

I never took sheet music seriously. I could do better myself just by listening to other people and using my own intuition.

In print, people can do anything to you. Everything you do is picked apart. People love it; they're waiting for you to make a mistake.

I spent 20 years of my life building up Queen, and now Im spending years of my life trying to get away from it.

I tend not to write on guitar very often. I tend to start off with keyboards.

I think a lot of people would be better off in America, where at least you would find some radio station somewhere that would play you.

I think Hammer's very cool: he has a great voice and great presence.

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.

I think Queen tribute bands are great. However, we have to keep them at arm's length, otherwise it could be too dangerous.

...I think the popular view of Science is a solid body of truth, shared by a whole lot of learned men in a room, all agreeing on the answers to the questions of how the Universe works. Whereas nothing could be further from the truth!!! The one truth that I see emerging from the History of Science is that experiment has always surprised theorists. Einstein included!

It's wonderful for me to see what 'We Will Rock You' has done. 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are the Champions' have kind of transcended the normal framework of where music is listened to and appreciated - they've become part of public life, which I feel wonderful about.

I've always lived in that guitar world. I have noticed kids being more into the real essence of guitar music now.

I was actually perfectly happy when I had no money, which lasted right up until we had a hit with Killer Queen, in 1974. I never wanted for anything.

Mantovani was a great influence on me.

My big hobby is photography. I collect stereo photographs from the 19th century.

My children hate me being such a big star. It's very hard for them to have a father who is always in the public eye.

My mum says I wanted to be a surgeon, but I don't remember that. I think from the time I knew what was happening, I wanted to be a guitar player.

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.

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.

Queen songs are not about the life of a rock star - they tend to be about the lives of normal people, which is why I think the songs connect so much. We're very lucky that they seemingly connect with every generation.

Queen songs tend to be about very personal things: personal dreams and personal ambitions.

Sanctions always hurt the poor, the weak, the children.

Sometimes if the guitar is the last thing to go on, it's very fresh.