When Brian May retreated backstage after Queen’s show-stopping performance at Live Aid in 1985, he had no idea what had just happened. He had no idea they’d just made history in the most unforgettable, explosive way imaginable. He had no idea, despite how much the crowd’s unity sent “big chills up my spine”.
But these moments, where it is well and truly, inherently all about the moment, are what Queen always thrived on. Throughout their entire journey, nothing followed a familiar pattern with a distinctive beginning, middle, and end; it was all about the movement of emotion and what felt right at any given time, even if it went against the grain. The most obvious example of this tenacity is ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, but it was also written in their attitudes, their “sense of humour”, as Roger Taylor once said, as well as their fierce resilience even when things weren’t going well behind closed doors.
It’s also the reason why biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody work so well. Yes, the story of Queen follows the kind of familiar narrative you might expect of a high-profile movie, but it all comes together on the basis of poignant moments, from the spontaneous creation of some of their biggest hits like ‘We Will Rock You’ to all the reasons why their Live Aid set stole the whole show. And mainly, it’s what Brian May cited as pure, unfiltered “exhilaration”.
As a guitar hero with a deep, visceral love for countless other guitar heroes, this is a feeling May knows beyond the appeal of Queen, something he learnt about from an early age when it came to the sheer power of rock ‘n’ roll. But it wasn’t just about how the instrument served the operation as a mere tool; it was how it could be used fluidly, like it told its own story beneath the words of the songs themselves.
“The Shadows’ Hank Marvin was an inspiration for all of us kids,” he told The Guardian. “He had an amazing, melodic, fluid sound. At the more rock’n’roll end, there is James Burton, one of the originators of rock guitar playing, who played for Elvis and Ricky Nelson. I was lucky enough to play with him recently. He’s a real inspiration. It’s not just the sound – it’s the fact that he can bend strings, and make the guitar speak.”
Even when May was slated as the best guitarist of all time, he used the opportunity to praise the talent of others, including one lesser-known maestro he regards as criminally underrated. “[Extreme’s] Nuno [Bettencourt] is outrageous,” he told Total Guitar, recalling the moment he watched Extreme perform a secret tribute to Freddie Mercury in 1992 at Wembley.
“My jaw dropped open,” May said, “It was incredible, the depth they’d gone into to play it so beautifully and perfectly, but also with their own interpretation.”
He continued: “They’re a magnificent group. Nuno’s really very underrated, I would say. He’s one of the greats. One of the greatest living guitarists, I would say.”
And May’s praise for the group didn’t start there, as he also pointed out their song ‘Get The Funk Out’ as one that’s stayed with him forever, not just from a musical standpoint but the emotional reaction it evokes, too. To him, it also included what he felt epitomised everything a guitarist and guitar solo should be, like the sounds came from somewhere primal within, rooted in technical proficiency combined with the complexity of sheer instinct and spontaneity. The kinds that beckon moments, even when they’re impossible to put into words.
