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I'm not sure if one would consider him a virtuoso of guitar. Hes fantastic, true, but I'm not sure if virtuoso is the right title.
I agree. Virtuoso i ssubjective and too strong a term to be associated with this artist. Popularity and good musicianship does not, by any means, trascend one to virtuoso status. Lynnarmstrong 02:42, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
Question - is it customary to use the "Dr." title with people who have been awarded honorary doctorates?
There are two levels of doctorate in UK academia. The first level consists of the PhD (or DPhil at Oxford and Sussex, and formerly at York), and also the newer `vocational doctorates' like EdD, EngD and DClinPsych. These require about 3-4 years full-time study and research training, and the submission of a thesis containing a `substantial original contribution to knowledge' which is, in principle, publishable in a peer-refereed context (either as a book or in a journal).
The second level consists of the `higher doctorates' - DSc, DLitt, DMus, DD, etc. These are often, erroneously, believed to be purely honorary awards (in the USA they are only ever honorary). In the UK, though, while they are often awarded honoris causa, it is possible to earn one - almost always by submission of published work representing a `very substantial original contribution to knowledge'.
There are also many cases where someone who is eminently capable of obtaining an earned higher doctorate has been awarded an honorary one - a few years ago my university gave an honorary DSc to Andrew Wiles, for example. Were he to formally submit his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem for consideration, there isn't a university on the planet that wouldn't award him a substantive DSc forthwith.
Regardless of whether your doctorate is honorary or substantive (earned), you are entitled to call yourself `Dr'. It is, however, generally regarded as slightly bad form to do so unless your doctorate is substantive (although this has never stopped Ian Paisley), or if you're a qualified physician (the standard UK medical degree is the double-baccalaureate MB BS or MB ChB, which, while not being a doctorate, for historical reasons accords the holder the courtesy title of `Dr').
Brian May has a DSc, and may thus style himself `Dr Brian May' - the fact that it's an honorary one doesn't change that. Now, as I understand it, he never quite finished his PhD - he did all the research, and either never submitted his thesis, or didn't complete whatever corrections the examiners required. However, as I understand it, he does have two peer-refereed journal articles to his credit, so it seems reasonable to assume that he would have got the PhD had international megastardom not intervened. So although it would ordinarily be slightly bad form to call himself Dr, I think it's fair to say that he possesses the requisite level of technical knowledge in his chosen field, so I think the usual etiquette probably doesn't apply in this case. (For what it's worth, speaking as someone who did finish his PhD, I have no problem with Brian May calling himself Dr.) -- Nicholas Jackson 00:50, 4 April 2006 (UTC)
On a related matter, not even those doctors who have earned their degrees use "DSc" (or PhD or whatever) after their names except for relevant contexts such as within a university. He's Brian May CBE, not Brian May DSc CBE. I'm removing DSc. JackofOz 09:02, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
I would like to restructure this page a bit, but lack ideas. I've done a couple of little tweaks, but it needs some kind of overall structure. Something along the lines of intro, history, performing (broken into guitar, singing, other?), songwriting, personal, these days? Or should the whole thing be presented as a history? All ideas very welcome. The structure as it is, with a section on 'Gear' doesn't make much sense. The content I agree with, but not the structure... -- Stevage 20:37, 2 December 2005 (UTC)
Didn't he get knighted recently? Could someone verify and amend the article?
I personally think he deserves a knighthood. He has done probably more than some Rock Stars who already have them. I am holding a petition for him to be knighted: www.petitiononline.com/bmaykbe XRockxKittenx 21:45, 10 January 2007 (UTC)XRockxKittenx
One thing the article doesn't say is what a nice bloke he is.
At a club was working in the late 80s, none of the other staff had turned up to work for a party.
When they saw how overstretched and stressed I was getting, he and Anita rolled up their sleeves and pitched in, taking orders, delivering drinks to customers, collecting empties etc.
He saved my sanity that night chrisboote 09:50, 26 June 2006 (UTC)
Two of the audio samples are longer than suggested (30 seconds) for fair use, Image:Queen Get Down Make Love.ogg and Image:Queen - Brian May - Brighton Rock.ogg. The article, while nice, also fails to cite reliable sources in accordance with our Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons policy. I am going to remove these two samples from the article for now and hopefully the referencing issue can be resolved soon. Can't sleep, clown will eat me 08:06, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
The 'plays his coin with a sixpence' idea is mentioned at least three times in this article, and the first paragraph of the section 'contributions to Queen' is unmitigated crap. 64.26.170.32 14:56, 26 December 2006 (UTC)
1. I think the current pic of him must be replaced, because it is of him performing, and the infobox pic should be more neutral, almost like a passport photo, right? Can someone better than me on Wikipedia please upload a better infobox pic of Mr May? I am thinking maybe this one http://www.queenmania.net/images/fotografie/brian_may/brian_may_01.jpg or http://www.queenmania.net/images/fotografie/brian_may/brian_may_02.jpg or http://www.queenmania.net/images/fotografie/brian_may/brian_may_07.jpg - don't know if they are copywrighted, though :S //Thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by MatteusH ( talk • contribs) .
Okey, but you know any valid picture of him we can use? //Matteus
There should be some polls included, like in 2002 he came in fifth on Total Guitars poll.— miketm - Queen WikiProject - 07:47, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
I remember the name "Brian May" credited with the soundtrack of The Road Warrior and was about to mention it here - then saw on IMDB that it's not the same Brian May ( [1]). But this Brian May [2] has also been credited with a lot of soundtracks. Perhaps someone more involved with this entry might make mention? -- Davecampbell 03:50, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
Is "The album featured other greats such as Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Pete Green of Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, and Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo." really neccessary? I'll delete it if it remains unjustified... pomegranate 16:59, Jan 6, 2005 (UTC)
I agree that the Red Special is a unique guitar, but the orchestral arrangements he created were very little to do with the guitar itself. It was due to multi-tracking the guitars (recording seperate tracks after the other rather than trying to record all at the same time), and also in part due to his Deacy amp which John Deacon built for him.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.136.159.179 ( talk • contribs). any guitar in isolation will require other inputs to achieve a multi-layered, orchestrated sound. what the red special does show, is that brain may possessed a quite different approach to the guitar to many of his contemporaries. it would have been very easy to get the classic telecaster, stratocaster or les paul sound so popular in the 1960's. the fact that the red special is homemade, and has a number of innovations for its time, such as phase reversal and series pickup switching, used warm sounding burns trisonic pickups, would support the notion that brian may was looking to find new and innovative sounds. certainly the "deacy amp", and the use of a homemade treble booster, and other effects, were multi-layered in the studio to build an orchestrated sound. the red special guitar, therefore is a key component in the sound that was achieved. the guitar, after all, has a sound somewhere between a standard single coil strat type pickups and thicker humbucker sounds like that of the gibson les paul guitars. certainly another guitar would have produced a different outcome given the dynamics between the various multi-layers that constitute an orchestration. in essence, therefore, the sound produced was, and is, unique to the red special guitar.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.170.167.50 ( talk • contribs).
On the 50th Anniversary edition of The Sky At Night Brian was repeatedly referred to as 'Dr Brian May'. Anyone know if that means he's finished his Phd? -- Nickpheas 22:30, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
The University of London has a 10 year limit on the time taken to complete a PhD. (I know because it was an issue for me.) (Imperial College plans to leave the U of L but as of June 2007 is still a constituent college.) How is he getting around this? Blaise 21:02, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
I think that the degrees should stay there because he worked hard for those. and in response to Nickpheas' question he has finished is Phd -- KyleRog
Well as true as that may be I stand by what I said-- KyleRog But isn't the notable aspect of this that he is a rock star with those credentials, which, although not unheard of, is unusual? Kusturica 22:41, 11 September 2007 (UTC)bcj
On the Instruments section in the profile box i've added Ukelele which he played on Good Company and the Harp which he played on Love of my life. I know he doesn't make a habit of playing these but I thought it worthwhile to include.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.149.178.248 ( talk • contribs) 09:26, 29 June 2007.
Whoever worked out this page: the instrument -section without vocals and Keyboards is definitely incomplete - Brian May brought out 3 solo - records with him on "leadvocals", and he also sung leadvocals at one Song on almost every Queen - album. He also played Keyboards (of course just piano earlier on). For this reasons you should add Vocals and Keyboards in the instrument - section. h.a.d. Christian
Given that he has now completed his PhD in Astrophysics, is it really fair to consider him an amateur? It was not an honorary doctorate, it was a real, substantive degree...and yes, this is kind of nitpicking. Doregasm 00:02, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
WHOIS])|talk]]) 19:38, August 23, 2007 (UTC)
1. It is suitably referenced, and all major points are appropriately cited. 2. It reasonably covers the topic, and does not contain major omissions or inaccuracies. 3. It has a defined structure, including a lead section and one or more sections of content. 4. It is free from major grammatical errors. 5. It contains appropriate supporting materials, such as an infobox, images, or diagrams.
Consider adding a personal life section, ie current marriage, issue, and an early life section, ie parents, siblings, early schools. SriMesh | talk 04:19, 1 November 2007 (UTC)
It is not biased to call a guitarist a virtuoso when said guitarist was ranked number 19 of all time by MusiciansFriend, #29 by Rolling Stone Magazine, etc. If you have any question of his virtuosity, listen to the Brighton Rock solo. 141.155.63.226 21:17, 30 November 2007 (UTC) AukMaster, Nov. 30, 2007
This article is heavily biased. The first citation is a fansite that does nothing but praise him. It is quite inappropriate for an encyclopedia. Weasel words are everywhere: "he is often described as a virtuoso", is weaselly by not saying who thinks this and "virtuoso" is not a neutral term. You can add as many citations as you want to back up a term—if it's not neutral it's not neutral. I've added three tags to the top of this article. Hopefully the problems will be fixed and the tags can be removed. Grim 04:59, 7 November 2007 (UTC)
Oh, please! Being a successful musician is not necessarily dependent on being a good musician. A reader cannot judge the talent of a musician, one has to hear! —Preceding unsigned comment added by El Badboy! ( talk • contribs) 02:42, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
I dont car what any of you say! He is a virtuoso and he always will be one!!!!!!
24.18.201.174 (
talk)
23:34, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
I'm gonna delete "harp" from instruments because I think it's ridiculous to count it - he only recorded three chords of it, and they were done with copy n' paste. Piano, banjolele, bass, triangle, bells or even maracas would be more logical. I think only guitar and vocals should be listed along with piano (which he played in roughly a dozen recordings), ukelele-banjo (that he performed live with, composed on and recorded a full song with instead of a glued chord) and bass (which he played as a 1984 member and in most of his solo records). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Enoky ( talk • contribs) 17:27, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Shouldn't he be "Dr. Brian May CBE" now? I won't change it since I'm not certain how British honorifics work, but I think that's how it should be. Smw543 13:43, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
This section doesn't actually tell about his contributions to Queen, but just something which songs he wrote for post-Live Aid albums. Anyone up for rewrite? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.250.25.217 ( talk) 19:33, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
After the famous Live Aid concert in summer 1985, Mercury rang his band mates and proposed writing a song together. The result was "One Vision," which was basically May on music (the Magic Years documentary shows how he came up with the opening section and the basic guitar riff) and Roger Taylor on lyrics, with Freddie Mercury being more a producer and arranger than a proper co-writer, and John Deacon mostly absent.
Nowhere does this come remotely close to the truth. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.55.135.66 ( talk) 00:15, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
Hey all! I'm a big fan of Queen and Brian's article is the worst of all of them. I really want to improve this. I'll be fixing it up as much as I can. I am looking at other musicians articles and it seems it would be best (although I am not sure) to put the physics-related material into the biography section. I say this because to me it seems more of a biography thing because he got his PhD and list his topic or whatever. I think the "As a Musician" section should be removed and retitled "Career" with a section on Queen and a section on the Brian May Band. The stuff about his influence + style + equipment could have it's own section. Someone above is interested in a re-write so please state your ideas! -- Omnieiunium ( talk) 04:32, 28 July 2008 (UTC)
wasn't this song written and composed by lead singer freddie mercury? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.107.239.188 ( talk) 18:25, 26 August 2008 (UTC)
I think this article should probably mention he's married to Anita Dobson; she's famous, he's famous, so why not (whether it's a 2nd marriage may not be relevant). Other articles on Wiki also mention this (see The Miracle's pag).e He also has (I think) 3 kids. The marriage thing is vaguely relevant musically he's stated in the past his contribution to The Miracle (album) was affected due to his first marriage breakup and depression. -Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.170.108.203 ( talk) 16:05, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
Yes, it's relevant and I will add it. But I've always had this sneaking suspicion that Brian May and Anita Dobson are in fact the same person - they look identical, including having the same hairdo. Annatto ( talk) 11:14, 8 March 2009 (UTC)
Is it notable that Brian takes an interest in animal welfare and nature conservation [3] ? I certainly think his interest in stereo photography is notable - he has been give an award by the National Stereoscopic Association of America for two articles he published, together with Elena Vidal. [4] [5] [6] [7] -- 195.137.93.171 ( talk) 03:10, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
Yes it is. I have added a section on his campaign group Save Me. Though I don't know too much about it as I discovered it today on the Daily Politics (UK) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.22.41.77 ( talk) 20:26, 9 June 2010 (UTC)
Saying that Brian May IS an astrophysicist based on the finding that he graduated is absurd. If I pass small-engine repair in college, does that make me a mechanic? Nope. He has, on the other hand, actually PRACTISED music, and is thus a musician. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.193.50.224 ( talk) 04:14, 18 July 2009 (UTC) -- He's done a bit more than just graduate dude. He's an Astrophysicist because he's got 2 published papers and a post-graduate disertation. That is, he's a scientist with public original research to his name. 121.45.248.150 ( talk) 17:39, 2 December 2009 (UTC)
No, see WP:CREDENTIAL. -- Jaellee ( talk) 10:28, 13 December 2009 (UTC) Typical wiki! Have to be different from the rest of society.
As this has been the subject of some debate I thought I'd add a note. I added the title "Dr." to his heading as the BBC and Vice Chancellor of LJMU, Professor Michael Brown refer to him as "Dr. May', which seems definitive enough.
Manning (
talk)
07:41, 23 October 2009 (UTC)
His current work with West End actress and singer, Kerry Ellis, is scarcely mentioned. I think there needs to be a tad more on this subject? Stephenjamesx ( talk) 18:22, 10 September 2010 (UTC)
Could some one modify the standard musicians box to include alma mater and his school? I saw Queen on the first Canadian tour around 1978... and I had no idea he was a physics Phd. drop-out! And it would be proof that not all rock and rollers are brain dead morons....-- Oracleofottawa ( talk) 02:33, 14 October 2010 (UTC)
I just tried adding an alma mater to the info box, but it doesn't seem to be showing up in the published version. Does anyone know why? Mister Tog ( talk) 19:13, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Is it known if he has any? Because if he is an only child, it would be nice for that to be clarified in the article. Also, can we clarify this sentence?: "As a child, he was also trained on classical piano". Because I don't know if it means that he was a classically trained pianist or what. If it does, then that needs to be worded properly, because a piano is a piano, you can play any variety of music on it, not just classical. 24.189.87.160 ( talk) 05:24, 27 November 2010 (UTC)
And if you are reading any of this Dr.May, then please inform us of the facts on your soapbox. 24.189.87.160 ( talk) 05:36, 27 November 2010 (UTC)
According to Queenpedia, Brian belonged to more bands not only 1984, so why isn't written in his biography???? -- 82.139.5.13 ( talk) 15:31, 25 November 2011 (UTC)
That photo in the infobox is lovely. Much appreciation from one who knows the value of a photo in an encyclopedia, and the difference between crappy pics and true to life pictures!! Thanks! -- Leahtwosaints ( talk) 01:55, 5 February 2012 (UTC)
Is there to be no mention of his a. brilliant b. farcical performance atop Buckingham Palace in 2002 for The Queen's Golden Jubilee? Millions of people watched it, worldwide. Footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4nsifplvpk
And he talks about it here, with Rick Wakeman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigXhCq0MbA — Preceding unsigned comment added by O0drogue0o ( talk • contribs) 03:16, 29 March 2012 (UTC)
This says "occasional singer of the rock band Queen", but I thought he sang quite a lot of backing/harmony vocals, didn't he? Does this possibly mean occasional lead singer? 86.160.82.205 ( talk) 03:27, 10 May 2012 (UTC)
1) Reference #1 (in the first sentence of the second paragraph on the page) regarding May's receipt of the CBE honour appears to have been mistakenly changed at some point to refer to an article about Queen and Muse's music. It would be interesting to know what that link should be (or originally was) because ...
2) Regarding the wording of the above sentence, there is another reference (#23) further on in the page which links to the London Gazette. Following this link results in a citation which states only "For services to the Music Industry." It does not include the words "and for charity work" as has been stated here. Springtimeflowers ( talk) 10:55, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Who removed heavy metal? I'll add it back in, and I'll even add a reference even though it didn't need one but lord knows a certain mod is going to start complaining just for the sake of it. 108.81.33.59 ( talk) 20:18, 20 September 2014 (UTC)
/info/en/?search=Queen_(band)#Queen_.2B_Adam_Lambert.2C_Queen_Forever_.282011.E2.80.93present.29 included in Queen (band) not mentioned. Looks like his career ended in 2009 but May has been touring as noted in Queen article and will be touring South America later this year. 68.231.25.212 ( talk) 13:49, 13 May 2015 (UTC)
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So the "associated acts" in the infobox includes Queen + Paul Rodgers and Queen + Adam Lambert. Do these count as separate entities from Queen? I don't know what the standard for "associated acts" is, or how it applies to those sorts of collaborations, so I'm not going to change anything; I'm mostly curious. Argyriou (talk) 19:16, 5 November 2015 (UTC)
I would personally say that they are different acts in their own right as that have changed the name (albeit only slightly) and changed the lineup (again only slightly). Also they have different Wiki articles, so you probably should mention them as well. ILikeCycling ( talk) 23:29, 6 November 2016 (UTC)
@ 184.39.55.64: I think the old image is better, you can not see his face in the new one. Mlpearc ( open channel) 19:55, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
Didn't Brian have a Gibson SG? [8] — Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.2.142.50 ( talk) 19:57, 12 June 2016 (UTC)
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Have added a couple of brief notes on T. E. Conway. I thought it was a wind-up at first, but it is quite genuine! I was tempted to mention in the lead section that he has recorded under the Conway name, but I don't think it's of immense significance. It would be a shame to overlook it completely, though; it's quite funny really! Cpaaoi ( talk) 23:05, 16 August 2017 (UTC)
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I got into an editing war over adding "physicist" to the list of Brian May's top-level titles (musician, songwriter, etc.).
Given that he has a doctorate in astrophysics and continued to be involved in science afterwards, I fail to see how this is controversial. This is a part of his life, he has been engaged in scientific outreach, and while he lucked out in being able to continue his research and complete his doctorate as it was an understudied topic, that doesn't somehow mean his scientific credential is nullified.
Can someone explain why someone with a "scientific career" portion of their bio does not deserve a top-level title demonstrating the same? Maybe we should delete that whole section because he isn't "good enough"? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.153.194.244 ( talk) 23:07, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
I'm going to add it back in as it was removed without justification. I see repeated claims it needs to be sourced but things in info boxes don't need to be if they're supported by the article per MoS/Infoboxes. Kylesenior ( talk) 10:24, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
Going back through the article history he has been marked as an astrophysicist in before July 2008. I think more than ten years and ~4000 page edits is enough consensus. Kylesenior ( talk) 10:32, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
![]() | This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 1 | Archive 2 |
I'm not sure if one would consider him a virtuoso of guitar. Hes fantastic, true, but I'm not sure if virtuoso is the right title.
I agree. Virtuoso i ssubjective and too strong a term to be associated with this artist. Popularity and good musicianship does not, by any means, trascend one to virtuoso status. Lynnarmstrong 02:42, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
Question - is it customary to use the "Dr." title with people who have been awarded honorary doctorates?
There are two levels of doctorate in UK academia. The first level consists of the PhD (or DPhil at Oxford and Sussex, and formerly at York), and also the newer `vocational doctorates' like EdD, EngD and DClinPsych. These require about 3-4 years full-time study and research training, and the submission of a thesis containing a `substantial original contribution to knowledge' which is, in principle, publishable in a peer-refereed context (either as a book or in a journal).
The second level consists of the `higher doctorates' - DSc, DLitt, DMus, DD, etc. These are often, erroneously, believed to be purely honorary awards (in the USA they are only ever honorary). In the UK, though, while they are often awarded honoris causa, it is possible to earn one - almost always by submission of published work representing a `very substantial original contribution to knowledge'.
There are also many cases where someone who is eminently capable of obtaining an earned higher doctorate has been awarded an honorary one - a few years ago my university gave an honorary DSc to Andrew Wiles, for example. Were he to formally submit his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem for consideration, there isn't a university on the planet that wouldn't award him a substantive DSc forthwith.
Regardless of whether your doctorate is honorary or substantive (earned), you are entitled to call yourself `Dr'. It is, however, generally regarded as slightly bad form to do so unless your doctorate is substantive (although this has never stopped Ian Paisley), or if you're a qualified physician (the standard UK medical degree is the double-baccalaureate MB BS or MB ChB, which, while not being a doctorate, for historical reasons accords the holder the courtesy title of `Dr').
Brian May has a DSc, and may thus style himself `Dr Brian May' - the fact that it's an honorary one doesn't change that. Now, as I understand it, he never quite finished his PhD - he did all the research, and either never submitted his thesis, or didn't complete whatever corrections the examiners required. However, as I understand it, he does have two peer-refereed journal articles to his credit, so it seems reasonable to assume that he would have got the PhD had international megastardom not intervened. So although it would ordinarily be slightly bad form to call himself Dr, I think it's fair to say that he possesses the requisite level of technical knowledge in his chosen field, so I think the usual etiquette probably doesn't apply in this case. (For what it's worth, speaking as someone who did finish his PhD, I have no problem with Brian May calling himself Dr.) -- Nicholas Jackson 00:50, 4 April 2006 (UTC)
On a related matter, not even those doctors who have earned their degrees use "DSc" (or PhD or whatever) after their names except for relevant contexts such as within a university. He's Brian May CBE, not Brian May DSc CBE. I'm removing DSc. JackofOz 09:02, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
I would like to restructure this page a bit, but lack ideas. I've done a couple of little tweaks, but it needs some kind of overall structure. Something along the lines of intro, history, performing (broken into guitar, singing, other?), songwriting, personal, these days? Or should the whole thing be presented as a history? All ideas very welcome. The structure as it is, with a section on 'Gear' doesn't make much sense. The content I agree with, but not the structure... -- Stevage 20:37, 2 December 2005 (UTC)
Didn't he get knighted recently? Could someone verify and amend the article?
I personally think he deserves a knighthood. He has done probably more than some Rock Stars who already have them. I am holding a petition for him to be knighted: www.petitiononline.com/bmaykbe XRockxKittenx 21:45, 10 January 2007 (UTC)XRockxKittenx
One thing the article doesn't say is what a nice bloke he is.
At a club was working in the late 80s, none of the other staff had turned up to work for a party.
When they saw how overstretched and stressed I was getting, he and Anita rolled up their sleeves and pitched in, taking orders, delivering drinks to customers, collecting empties etc.
He saved my sanity that night chrisboote 09:50, 26 June 2006 (UTC)
Two of the audio samples are longer than suggested (30 seconds) for fair use, Image:Queen Get Down Make Love.ogg and Image:Queen - Brian May - Brighton Rock.ogg. The article, while nice, also fails to cite reliable sources in accordance with our Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons policy. I am going to remove these two samples from the article for now and hopefully the referencing issue can be resolved soon. Can't sleep, clown will eat me 08:06, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
The 'plays his coin with a sixpence' idea is mentioned at least three times in this article, and the first paragraph of the section 'contributions to Queen' is unmitigated crap. 64.26.170.32 14:56, 26 December 2006 (UTC)
1. I think the current pic of him must be replaced, because it is of him performing, and the infobox pic should be more neutral, almost like a passport photo, right? Can someone better than me on Wikipedia please upload a better infobox pic of Mr May? I am thinking maybe this one http://www.queenmania.net/images/fotografie/brian_may/brian_may_01.jpg or http://www.queenmania.net/images/fotografie/brian_may/brian_may_02.jpg or http://www.queenmania.net/images/fotografie/brian_may/brian_may_07.jpg - don't know if they are copywrighted, though :S //Thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by MatteusH ( talk • contribs) .
Okey, but you know any valid picture of him we can use? //Matteus
There should be some polls included, like in 2002 he came in fifth on Total Guitars poll.— miketm - Queen WikiProject - 07:47, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
I remember the name "Brian May" credited with the soundtrack of The Road Warrior and was about to mention it here - then saw on IMDB that it's not the same Brian May ( [1]). But this Brian May [2] has also been credited with a lot of soundtracks. Perhaps someone more involved with this entry might make mention? -- Davecampbell 03:50, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
Is "The album featured other greats such as Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Pete Green of Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, and Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo." really neccessary? I'll delete it if it remains unjustified... pomegranate 16:59, Jan 6, 2005 (UTC)
I agree that the Red Special is a unique guitar, but the orchestral arrangements he created were very little to do with the guitar itself. It was due to multi-tracking the guitars (recording seperate tracks after the other rather than trying to record all at the same time), and also in part due to his Deacy amp which John Deacon built for him.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.136.159.179 ( talk • contribs). any guitar in isolation will require other inputs to achieve a multi-layered, orchestrated sound. what the red special does show, is that brain may possessed a quite different approach to the guitar to many of his contemporaries. it would have been very easy to get the classic telecaster, stratocaster or les paul sound so popular in the 1960's. the fact that the red special is homemade, and has a number of innovations for its time, such as phase reversal and series pickup switching, used warm sounding burns trisonic pickups, would support the notion that brian may was looking to find new and innovative sounds. certainly the "deacy amp", and the use of a homemade treble booster, and other effects, were multi-layered in the studio to build an orchestrated sound. the red special guitar, therefore is a key component in the sound that was achieved. the guitar, after all, has a sound somewhere between a standard single coil strat type pickups and thicker humbucker sounds like that of the gibson les paul guitars. certainly another guitar would have produced a different outcome given the dynamics between the various multi-layers that constitute an orchestration. in essence, therefore, the sound produced was, and is, unique to the red special guitar.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.170.167.50 ( talk • contribs).
On the 50th Anniversary edition of The Sky At Night Brian was repeatedly referred to as 'Dr Brian May'. Anyone know if that means he's finished his Phd? -- Nickpheas 22:30, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
The University of London has a 10 year limit on the time taken to complete a PhD. (I know because it was an issue for me.) (Imperial College plans to leave the U of L but as of June 2007 is still a constituent college.) How is he getting around this? Blaise 21:02, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
I think that the degrees should stay there because he worked hard for those. and in response to Nickpheas' question he has finished is Phd -- KyleRog
Well as true as that may be I stand by what I said-- KyleRog But isn't the notable aspect of this that he is a rock star with those credentials, which, although not unheard of, is unusual? Kusturica 22:41, 11 September 2007 (UTC)bcj
On the Instruments section in the profile box i've added Ukelele which he played on Good Company and the Harp which he played on Love of my life. I know he doesn't make a habit of playing these but I thought it worthwhile to include.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.149.178.248 ( talk • contribs) 09:26, 29 June 2007.
Whoever worked out this page: the instrument -section without vocals and Keyboards is definitely incomplete - Brian May brought out 3 solo - records with him on "leadvocals", and he also sung leadvocals at one Song on almost every Queen - album. He also played Keyboards (of course just piano earlier on). For this reasons you should add Vocals and Keyboards in the instrument - section. h.a.d. Christian
Given that he has now completed his PhD in Astrophysics, is it really fair to consider him an amateur? It was not an honorary doctorate, it was a real, substantive degree...and yes, this is kind of nitpicking. Doregasm 00:02, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
WHOIS])|talk]]) 19:38, August 23, 2007 (UTC)
1. It is suitably referenced, and all major points are appropriately cited. 2. It reasonably covers the topic, and does not contain major omissions or inaccuracies. 3. It has a defined structure, including a lead section and one or more sections of content. 4. It is free from major grammatical errors. 5. It contains appropriate supporting materials, such as an infobox, images, or diagrams.
Consider adding a personal life section, ie current marriage, issue, and an early life section, ie parents, siblings, early schools. SriMesh | talk 04:19, 1 November 2007 (UTC)
It is not biased to call a guitarist a virtuoso when said guitarist was ranked number 19 of all time by MusiciansFriend, #29 by Rolling Stone Magazine, etc. If you have any question of his virtuosity, listen to the Brighton Rock solo. 141.155.63.226 21:17, 30 November 2007 (UTC) AukMaster, Nov. 30, 2007
This article is heavily biased. The first citation is a fansite that does nothing but praise him. It is quite inappropriate for an encyclopedia. Weasel words are everywhere: "he is often described as a virtuoso", is weaselly by not saying who thinks this and "virtuoso" is not a neutral term. You can add as many citations as you want to back up a term—if it's not neutral it's not neutral. I've added three tags to the top of this article. Hopefully the problems will be fixed and the tags can be removed. Grim 04:59, 7 November 2007 (UTC)
Oh, please! Being a successful musician is not necessarily dependent on being a good musician. A reader cannot judge the talent of a musician, one has to hear! —Preceding unsigned comment added by El Badboy! ( talk • contribs) 02:42, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
I dont car what any of you say! He is a virtuoso and he always will be one!!!!!!
24.18.201.174 (
talk)
23:34, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
I'm gonna delete "harp" from instruments because I think it's ridiculous to count it - he only recorded three chords of it, and they were done with copy n' paste. Piano, banjolele, bass, triangle, bells or even maracas would be more logical. I think only guitar and vocals should be listed along with piano (which he played in roughly a dozen recordings), ukelele-banjo (that he performed live with, composed on and recorded a full song with instead of a glued chord) and bass (which he played as a 1984 member and in most of his solo records). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Enoky ( talk • contribs) 17:27, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Shouldn't he be "Dr. Brian May CBE" now? I won't change it since I'm not certain how British honorifics work, but I think that's how it should be. Smw543 13:43, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
This section doesn't actually tell about his contributions to Queen, but just something which songs he wrote for post-Live Aid albums. Anyone up for rewrite? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.250.25.217 ( talk) 19:33, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
After the famous Live Aid concert in summer 1985, Mercury rang his band mates and proposed writing a song together. The result was "One Vision," which was basically May on music (the Magic Years documentary shows how he came up with the opening section and the basic guitar riff) and Roger Taylor on lyrics, with Freddie Mercury being more a producer and arranger than a proper co-writer, and John Deacon mostly absent.
Nowhere does this come remotely close to the truth. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.55.135.66 ( talk) 00:15, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
Hey all! I'm a big fan of Queen and Brian's article is the worst of all of them. I really want to improve this. I'll be fixing it up as much as I can. I am looking at other musicians articles and it seems it would be best (although I am not sure) to put the physics-related material into the biography section. I say this because to me it seems more of a biography thing because he got his PhD and list his topic or whatever. I think the "As a Musician" section should be removed and retitled "Career" with a section on Queen and a section on the Brian May Band. The stuff about his influence + style + equipment could have it's own section. Someone above is interested in a re-write so please state your ideas! -- Omnieiunium ( talk) 04:32, 28 July 2008 (UTC)
wasn't this song written and composed by lead singer freddie mercury? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.107.239.188 ( talk) 18:25, 26 August 2008 (UTC)
I think this article should probably mention he's married to Anita Dobson; she's famous, he's famous, so why not (whether it's a 2nd marriage may not be relevant). Other articles on Wiki also mention this (see The Miracle's pag).e He also has (I think) 3 kids. The marriage thing is vaguely relevant musically he's stated in the past his contribution to The Miracle (album) was affected due to his first marriage breakup and depression. -Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.170.108.203 ( talk) 16:05, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
Yes, it's relevant and I will add it. But I've always had this sneaking suspicion that Brian May and Anita Dobson are in fact the same person - they look identical, including having the same hairdo. Annatto ( talk) 11:14, 8 March 2009 (UTC)
Is it notable that Brian takes an interest in animal welfare and nature conservation [3] ? I certainly think his interest in stereo photography is notable - he has been give an award by the National Stereoscopic Association of America for two articles he published, together with Elena Vidal. [4] [5] [6] [7] -- 195.137.93.171 ( talk) 03:10, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
Yes it is. I have added a section on his campaign group Save Me. Though I don't know too much about it as I discovered it today on the Daily Politics (UK) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.22.41.77 ( talk) 20:26, 9 June 2010 (UTC)
Saying that Brian May IS an astrophysicist based on the finding that he graduated is absurd. If I pass small-engine repair in college, does that make me a mechanic? Nope. He has, on the other hand, actually PRACTISED music, and is thus a musician. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.193.50.224 ( talk) 04:14, 18 July 2009 (UTC) -- He's done a bit more than just graduate dude. He's an Astrophysicist because he's got 2 published papers and a post-graduate disertation. That is, he's a scientist with public original research to his name. 121.45.248.150 ( talk) 17:39, 2 December 2009 (UTC)
No, see WP:CREDENTIAL. -- Jaellee ( talk) 10:28, 13 December 2009 (UTC) Typical wiki! Have to be different from the rest of society.
As this has been the subject of some debate I thought I'd add a note. I added the title "Dr." to his heading as the BBC and Vice Chancellor of LJMU, Professor Michael Brown refer to him as "Dr. May', which seems definitive enough.
Manning (
talk)
07:41, 23 October 2009 (UTC)
His current work with West End actress and singer, Kerry Ellis, is scarcely mentioned. I think there needs to be a tad more on this subject? Stephenjamesx ( talk) 18:22, 10 September 2010 (UTC)
Could some one modify the standard musicians box to include alma mater and his school? I saw Queen on the first Canadian tour around 1978... and I had no idea he was a physics Phd. drop-out! And it would be proof that not all rock and rollers are brain dead morons....-- Oracleofottawa ( talk) 02:33, 14 October 2010 (UTC)
I just tried adding an alma mater to the info box, but it doesn't seem to be showing up in the published version. Does anyone know why? Mister Tog ( talk) 19:13, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Is it known if he has any? Because if he is an only child, it would be nice for that to be clarified in the article. Also, can we clarify this sentence?: "As a child, he was also trained on classical piano". Because I don't know if it means that he was a classically trained pianist or what. If it does, then that needs to be worded properly, because a piano is a piano, you can play any variety of music on it, not just classical. 24.189.87.160 ( talk) 05:24, 27 November 2010 (UTC)
And if you are reading any of this Dr.May, then please inform us of the facts on your soapbox. 24.189.87.160 ( talk) 05:36, 27 November 2010 (UTC)
According to Queenpedia, Brian belonged to more bands not only 1984, so why isn't written in his biography???? -- 82.139.5.13 ( talk) 15:31, 25 November 2011 (UTC)
That photo in the infobox is lovely. Much appreciation from one who knows the value of a photo in an encyclopedia, and the difference between crappy pics and true to life pictures!! Thanks! -- Leahtwosaints ( talk) 01:55, 5 February 2012 (UTC)
Is there to be no mention of his a. brilliant b. farcical performance atop Buckingham Palace in 2002 for The Queen's Golden Jubilee? Millions of people watched it, worldwide. Footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4nsifplvpk
And he talks about it here, with Rick Wakeman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigXhCq0MbA — Preceding unsigned comment added by O0drogue0o ( talk • contribs) 03:16, 29 March 2012 (UTC)
This says "occasional singer of the rock band Queen", but I thought he sang quite a lot of backing/harmony vocals, didn't he? Does this possibly mean occasional lead singer? 86.160.82.205 ( talk) 03:27, 10 May 2012 (UTC)
1) Reference #1 (in the first sentence of the second paragraph on the page) regarding May's receipt of the CBE honour appears to have been mistakenly changed at some point to refer to an article about Queen and Muse's music. It would be interesting to know what that link should be (or originally was) because ...
2) Regarding the wording of the above sentence, there is another reference (#23) further on in the page which links to the London Gazette. Following this link results in a citation which states only "For services to the Music Industry." It does not include the words "and for charity work" as has been stated here. Springtimeflowers ( talk) 10:55, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Who removed heavy metal? I'll add it back in, and I'll even add a reference even though it didn't need one but lord knows a certain mod is going to start complaining just for the sake of it. 108.81.33.59 ( talk) 20:18, 20 September 2014 (UTC)
/info/en/?search=Queen_(band)#Queen_.2B_Adam_Lambert.2C_Queen_Forever_.282011.E2.80.93present.29 included in Queen (band) not mentioned. Looks like his career ended in 2009 but May has been touring as noted in Queen article and will be touring South America later this year. 68.231.25.212 ( talk) 13:49, 13 May 2015 (UTC)
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So the "associated acts" in the infobox includes Queen + Paul Rodgers and Queen + Adam Lambert. Do these count as separate entities from Queen? I don't know what the standard for "associated acts" is, or how it applies to those sorts of collaborations, so I'm not going to change anything; I'm mostly curious. Argyriou (talk) 19:16, 5 November 2015 (UTC)
I would personally say that they are different acts in their own right as that have changed the name (albeit only slightly) and changed the lineup (again only slightly). Also they have different Wiki articles, so you probably should mention them as well. ILikeCycling ( talk) 23:29, 6 November 2016 (UTC)
@ 184.39.55.64: I think the old image is better, you can not see his face in the new one. Mlpearc ( open channel) 19:55, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
Didn't Brian have a Gibson SG? [8] — Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.2.142.50 ( talk) 19:57, 12 June 2016 (UTC)
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Have added a couple of brief notes on T. E. Conway. I thought it was a wind-up at first, but it is quite genuine! I was tempted to mention in the lead section that he has recorded under the Conway name, but I don't think it's of immense significance. It would be a shame to overlook it completely, though; it's quite funny really! Cpaaoi ( talk) 23:05, 16 August 2017 (UTC)
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:
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I got into an editing war over adding "physicist" to the list of Brian May's top-level titles (musician, songwriter, etc.).
Given that he has a doctorate in astrophysics and continued to be involved in science afterwards, I fail to see how this is controversial. This is a part of his life, he has been engaged in scientific outreach, and while he lucked out in being able to continue his research and complete his doctorate as it was an understudied topic, that doesn't somehow mean his scientific credential is nullified.
Can someone explain why someone with a "scientific career" portion of their bio does not deserve a top-level title demonstrating the same? Maybe we should delete that whole section because he isn't "good enough"? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.153.194.244 ( talk) 23:07, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
I'm going to add it back in as it was removed without justification. I see repeated claims it needs to be sourced but things in info boxes don't need to be if they're supported by the article per MoS/Infoboxes. Kylesenior ( talk) 10:24, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
Going back through the article history he has been marked as an astrophysicist in before July 2008. I think more than ten years and ~4000 page edits is enough consensus. Kylesenior ( talk) 10:32, 5 January 2019 (UTC)