Chris Lintott
Born	1980 Torbay
Citizenship	British
Known for	Astronomy Galaxy Zoo Television presentation

Christopher John Lintott (born 1980, Torbay) is an English astrophysicist currently serving as the Director of Citizen Science at the Adler Planetarium.^[1] He is a post-doctoral researcher who is involved in a number of popular science projects aimed at bringing astronomical science to a wider audience. He is the co-presenter of Patrick Moore's BBC series The Sky at Night and a co-author of the book Bang! – The Complete History of the Universe with Patrick Moore and Queen guitarist Brian May.^[2]

Academic background[link]

He attended Torquay Boys' Grammar School in Devon, whilst living in Churston Ferrers. Whilst at school, in 1999, he won a $500 Earth and Space Sciences award and the Priscilla and Bart Bok Honorable Mention Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for an article on Dust Around Young Stellar Objects. This came from a six week project at the University of Hertfordshire funded by a Nuffield bursary. Lintott read for a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge where he was a student of Magdalene College. He received a PhD in astrophysics from University College London, where his thesis was on the subject of star formation. He is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and is presently a researcher in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford and a junior research fellow at Somerville College.^[3] His research there focuses on galaxies, galaxy evolution, and on the application of astrochemical models of star formation to galaxies beyond the Milky Way; particularly the use of sulphur compounds as a signature of stars that are in the process of forming.

Popular science[link]

The Sky at Night[link]

He first appeared on the BBC astronomy programme The Sky at Night, presented by Patrick Moore, as a guest in 2000. As Moore's mobility has deteriorated, Lintott has had an increasingly prominent role, often providing on-location reporting from events covered by the programme. He now jointly presents the programme with Moore.

In July 2004 Moore suffered a near-fatal bout of food poisoning and Lintott took over as presenter of that month's episode.^[4] It is the only episode which Moore has not presented since the show was first broadcast on 24 April 1957.^[5]

Bang! - The Complete History of the Universe[link]

Lintott is the author, along with Patrick Moore and Queen guitarist and astronomer Brian May, of the book Bang! - The Complete History of the Universe, which was produced by Canopus Books and published by Carlton Books on 23 October 2006, has been translated into 13 languages, and recently appeared in paperback. As suggested by the title, the illustrated book is a history of the Universe from the Big Bang to its eventual predicted end. It is aimed at a popular science audience and claims to make its subject matter easily comprehensible to readers who come to it without any knowledge of astronomy.^[6]

Galaxy Zoo[link]

Lintott after a lecture for the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in April 2010

Lintott has been involved in an online crowdsourcing project where members of the public can volunteer their time to assist in classifying over a million galaxies.^[7] The project, named Galaxy Zoo, is inspired by Stardust@home, where the public were asked by NASA to search images obtained from a mission to a comet for interstellar dust impacts. Describing the Galaxy Zoo project, Lintott commented that, "One advantage is that you get to see parts of space that have never been seen before. These images were taken by a robotic telescope and processed automatically, so the odds are that when you log on, that first galaxy you see will be one that no human has seen before."^[7] Volunteers are asked to judge from the images whether the galaxies are elliptical or spiral and, if spiral, in which direction they are rotating.

Publications[link]

• Also see Galaxy Zoo Published Papers
• Lintott, Chris J and Viti, Serena, "Molecular signature of star formation at high redshifts" Astrophysics and Space Science, Volume 313, Issue 1-3, pp. 327–330
• Lintott, CJ; Ferreras, I; Lahav, O, "Massive Elliptical Galaxies: From Cores to Halos" The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 648, Issue 2, pp. 826–834.
• Lintott, Chris and Viti, Serena "Rapid Star Formation in the Presence of Active Galactic Nuclei" The Astrophysical Journal, volume 646, Issue 1, pages L37–L39
• Lintott, CJ; Rawlings, JMC, "Determining the cosmic ray ionization rate in dynamically evolving clouds" Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 448, Issue 2, March III 2006, pp. 425–432
• Lintott, CJ; Viti, S; Williams, DA; Rawlings, JMC; Ferreras, I, "Hot cores: probes of high-redshift galaxies?" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 360, Issue 4, pp. 1527–1531.
• Lintott, CJ, "The age of precision cosmology?" Journal of the British Astronomical Association, vol.113, no.4, p. 231-232

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chris Lintott

• Chris Lintott's Blog
• Astronomy podcasts by Chris Lintott and Harriet Scott
• Watch "The Sky at Night" free at the official BBC site

News items[link]

• Guardian article in August 1999

Sir Patrick Moore CBE, FRS, FRAS
Born	Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (1923-03-04) 4 March 1923 (age 89)[1] Pinner, Middlesex, England
Occupation	Writer, broadcaster and astronomer
Television	The Sky at Night
Political party	United Country Party (dissolved 1980)
Website
sirpatrickmoore.com/biography/

Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS (born 4 March 1923) is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of astronomy among the British general public.^{[citation needed]}

He is a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy, and presenter of the world's longest-running television series with the same original presenter, The Sky at Night on the BBC. As an amateur astronomer, he became known as a specialist on observing the Moon and creating the Caldwell catalogue. Idiosyncrasies such as his rapid diction and monocle have made him a popular and instantly recognisable figure on British television.

Moore is also a self-taught xylophone and piano player and an accomplished composer, and a former amateur cricketer, golfer, and chess player. In addition to his many popular science books, he has written numerous works of fiction, and was the presenter of the 1990s TV series GamesMaster. An opponent of fox hunting, he is an outspoken critic of the European Union, and served as chairman of the short-lived anti-immigration United Country Party. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II; his fiancée was killed during the war and he has never married or had children.

Early life[link]

Moore was born in Pinner in Middlesex on 4 March 1923 to Captain Charles Trachsel Caldwell-Moore MC (died 1947^[2]) and Gertrude, née White (died 1981^[2]) and moved to Bognor Regis, and later East Grinstead (both in Sussex), where he spent his childhood.^[1] His youth was marked by heart problems, which left him in poor health, and as a result he was educated at home by private tutors.^[1] He developed an interest in astronomy at the age of six^[3] and joined the British Astronomical Association at the age of eleven.^[4] He was invited to run a small observatory in East Grinstead at the age of fourteen, after his mentor – the man who ran the observatory – was killed in a road accident.^[5] At the age of sixteen he began wearing a monocle – an unusual step for a young man even in 1939 – after an oculist told him his right eye was weaker than his left eye.^[6] Three years later, he began wearing a full set of dentures.^[7]

Moore lied about his age in order to join the RAF and fight in World War II at the age of sixteen,^[8] and from 1940 until 1945 he served as a navigator in RAF Bomber Command, reaching the rank of Flight lieutenant. He first received his flying training in Canada, during which time he met Albert Einstein and Orville Wright while on leave in New York.^[9] The war had a significant influence on his life: his only romance ended when his fiancée, a nurse called Lorna, was killed by a bomb which struck her ambulance. Moore subsequently remarked that he never married because "there was no one else for me...second best is no good for me...I would have liked a wife and family, but it was not to be."^[10] In his autobiography he stated that after sixty years he still thought about her, and that because of her death "if I saw the entire German nation sinking into the sea, I could be relied upon to help push it down."^[11]

Moore stated that he was "exceptionally close" to his mother Gertrude,^[2] a talented artist who lived with him at his Selsey home, which is still adorned with her paintings of "bogeys" – little friendly aliens – which she regularly produced and which were sent out annually as Moore's Christmas cards.^[12] Moore wrote the foreword for Gertrude's 1974 book Mrs Moore In Space.^[13]

Career in astronomy[link]

After the war, Moore rejected a government grant to study at Cambridge University, citing a wish to "stand on my own two feet".^[4] He wrote his first book in 1952, Guide to the Moon (later retitled Patrick Moore on the Moon), which was published a year later.^[4] He wrote it on a 1908 Woodstock typewriter, which he continued to use in writing every book of his career.^[11] He also began teaching, first in Woking and then at Holmewood House School in Langton Green.^[14] His second book was a translation of a work of French astronomer Gérard de Vaucouleurs (Moore speaks fluent French).^[15] After writing his second original science book, Guide to the Planets, he penned his first work of fiction, entitled The Master of the Moon.^[16] This was the first of numerous young-adult fiction books based on space adventures (including the late 1970s series the Scott Saunders Space Adventure); he did write a more adult novel as well as a farce novel titled Ancient Lights, though he did not wish to find a publisher for either work.^[17]

During his time as a teacher at Holmewood he set up at his home a 12 ½ inch reflector telescope, which he kept with him into his old age.^[5] He developed a particular interest in the Moon, particularly the far side, a small part of which is visible from Earth as a result of the Moon's libration; the Moon has remained his specialist subject all through his life.^[5] He named the Mare Orientale (Eastern Sea) in 1946,^[18] along with H P Wilkins, though German astronomer Julius Heinrich Franz has also been credited with the discovery.^[19] Moore was also credited with the discovery of the transient lunar phenomenon, describing the short-lived glowing areas on the lunar surface in 1968.^[18]

He made his first television appearance in a debate over the existence of flying saucers following a spate of sightings in the 1950s; Moore argued against Lord Dowding and a few other UFO proponents.^[20] Following this, he was invited to present a live astronomy programme; he later noted that the greatest difficulty was in settling on an appropriate theme tune, Jean Sibelius' Pelléas et Mélisande was eventually chosen, and remained a key part of the show throughout its existence.^[21] The name of the show was originally planned to be Star Map, before The Sky at Night was thought of as a better enticement in the Radio Times.^[21] On 26 April 1957, at 10:30 pm, Moore presented the first episode of The Sky at Night, which was about the Comet Arend–Roland.^[21] The show was pitched to casual viewers up to professional astronomers, in a format which has remained consistent since its inception.^[22] Moore has presented every episode each month, except July 2004, when he was replaced by Chris Lintott because Moore suffered a near-fatal bout of food poisoning caused by eating a contaminated goose egg.^[23] Moore appears in the Guinness World Records book as the world's longest-serving TV presenter, by virtue of having presented the show since 1957. Since 2004, the programme has been presented from Moore's home, as he is no longer able to travel to the studios, owing to arthritis. Over the years he received many more financially lucrative offers to take his programme onto other networks, but has rejected them because he holds a 'gentlemen's agreement' with the BBC.^[24]

One of the highlights of the series came in 1959, when as a reward for his assistance in mapping the Lunar surface the Russians allowed Moore to be the first Westerner to see the photographic results of the Luna 3 probe, and to show them live on air.^[25] Less successful was the transmission of the Luna 4 probe, which ran into technical difficulties – it was also around this time that Moore famously swallowed a large fly that flew into his mouth; both episodes were live and so Moore had to continue on regardless.^[26] He was later invited to visit the Soviet Union, where he met Yuri Gagarin, the first man to journey into outer space.^[27] For the fiftieth episode of Sky at Night, broadcast September 1961, Moore became the first person ever to show a live broadcast of a direct telescope view of a planet; the result was another unintended 'comedy episode', as cloud obscured all view of outer space.^[28]

In 1965, he was appointed Director of the newly constructed Armagh Planetarium in Northern Ireland, a post he held until 1968.^[29] His stay outside England would be short partly because of the beginning of the The Troubles, a dispute Moore wanted no part of.^[30] He was appointed Armagh County secretary for the Scout movement, but resigned after he was told not to allow Catholics.^[31] In developing the Planetarium, Moore travelled to Japan to secure a Goto Mars projector.^[32] He also helped with the redevelopment of the Birr Telescope south of the border.^[33] Later on he was also a key figure in the development of the Herschel Museum of Astronomy in Bath.^[34]

In June 1968 he returned to England, settling in his current home in Selsey after resigning his post in Armagh.^[35] During the Apollo programme, Moore was a presenter of the Apollo 8 mission, stating that "this is one of the great moments of human history", only to have his broadcast interrupted by a showing of Jackanory.^[36] He was also a presenter of the Apollo 9 and Apollo 10 mission, and was co-presenter along with James Burke, of the BBC's television's coverage of the Moon landing missions.^[36] Moore does not remember his words at "The Eagle Has Landed" moment, and the BBC lost all the tapes of the broadcast.^[37] He continued to present Apollo missions 12 through 17.^[38]

He was elected as a member of the International Astronomical Union in 1966;^[39][40] having twice edited the Union's General Assembly newsletters he remains the only amateur astronomer to be a member of the IAU.^[41] He attempted to establish an International Union of Amateur Astronomers, though this venture failed due to lack of interest.^[42] During the 1970s and 80s, he reported on the Voyager and Pioneer programes, often from NASA headquarters.^[43] During this time he became increasingly annoyed by conspiracy theorists asking ludicrous questions, as well as by reporters who often asked him questions such as "Why waste money on space research when there is so much to be done here?"; he later said then when asked these type of questions "I know that I'm dealing with an idiot."^[44] Another question that annoys him is "what is the difference between astronomy and astrology?"^[45] Despite this he always made a point of responding to all letters delivered to his house, and he sent a variety of standard replies to all letters asking basic questions, as well as those from conspiracy theorists, proponents of hunting and 'cranks'.^[46] Despite his fame, as of 2003 his phone number was listed in the telephone directory and he was happy to show members of the public round his observatory.^[47]

He compiled the Caldwell catalogue of astronomical objects and in 1982, asteroid 2602 Moore was named in his honour.^[48] In February 1986 he presented a special Sky at Night episode on the approach of Halley's Comet, though he later stated that the BBC's better-funded Horizon team "made a complete hash of the programme."^[49] In January 1998, part of Moore's observatory in his garden was destroyed by a tornado, which passed through the area; the observatory was subsequently rebuilt.^[50] Moore campaigned unsuccessfully against the closure of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in 1998.^[51] One of Moore's favourite type of The Sky at Night episodes have been those that focus on an eclipse, and he has stated that "there is nothing in nature to match the glory of a total eclipse of the Sun."^[52] Moore was the BBC's presenter for the total eclipse in England in 1999 (the next such event will occur in 2090), though the view he and his team had from Cornwall was completely obscured by cloud.^[53] Moore was the patron for the South Downs Planetarium & Science Centre, which was opened in 2001.^[54]

On 1 April 2007, a 50th anniversary semi-spoof edition of the programme was broadcast on BBC One, with Moore depicted as a Time Lord and featuring, as special guests, amateur astronomers Jon Culshaw (impersonating Moore presenting the very first The Sky at Night) and Brian May. On 6 May 2007, a special edition of The Sky at Night was broadcast on BBC One, to commemorate the programme's 50th anniversary, with a party in Moore's garden at Selsey, attended by amateur and professional astronomers. Moore celebrated the record breaking 700th episode of The Sky at Night at his home in Sussex on 6 March 2011. He presented with the help of special guests Professor Brian Cox, Jon Culshaw and Lord Rees, the Astronomer Royal.

It was reported in January 2012 that because of arthritis and the effects of an old spinal injury he was no longer able to operate a telescope. However he was still able to present The Sky at Night from his home.^[55]

Activism and political beliefs[link]

Moore is noted for his conservative political views. In the 1970s, he was Chairman of the anti-immigration United Country Party, a position he held until the party was absorbed by the New Britain Party in 1980. He campaigned for Edmund Iremonger in 1979, as both men agreed that the French and Germans were not to be trusted.^[56] Iremonger and Moore gave up political campaigning after deciding that they were Thatcherites.^[56] Moore later campaigned on behalf of Douglas Denny (UKIP) for the Chichester constituency in 2001.^[57] A Tory voter for many years, he now remains a supporter and patron of the eurosceptic UK Independence Party.^[58] He briefly supported the Liberal Party in the 1950s, though condemned the Liberal Democrats, stating that he believed they could alter their position radically and "would happily join up with the BNP or the Socialist Workers Party... if [by doing so] they could win a few extra votes."^[57] He has also stated his admiration for the Official Monster Raving Loony Party,^[59] and wrote in his autobiography that Liechtenstein had the best political system in the world.^[60] Moore was a critic of George W. Bush's Iraq War,^[61] and has stated that "the world was a safer place when Ronald Reagan was in the White House".^[62]

Proudly declaring himself to be English (rather than British) with "not the slightest wish to integrate with anybody".^[59] Moore denies being ultra-right despite asking "can anyone please tell me where he [Enoch Powell] went wrong?",^[63] citing his opposition to blood sports and capital punishment.^[59] He devoted an entire chapter ("The Weak Arm of the Law") of his autobiography to denouncing modern British society, particularly "motorist-hunting" policemen, sentencing policy, as well as the Race Relations Act, Sex Discrimination Act and the "Thought Police / Politically Correct Brigade".^[64] He later wrote that "homosexuals are mainly responsible for the spreading of AIDS (the Garden of Eden is home of Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve)".^[65]

In an interview with Radio Times, he provocatively asserted that the BBC was being "ruined by women", commenting that: "The trouble is that the BBC now is run by women and it shows: soap operas, cooking, quizzes, kitchen-sink plays. You wouldn’t have had that in the golden days." In response, a BBC spokeswoman described Moore as being one of TV's best-loved figures and remarked that his "forthright" views were "what we all love about him".^[66] In his June 2002 appearance on Room 101 he banished female news readers into Room 101.^[67]

"I may be accused of being a dinosaur, but I would remind you that dinosaurs ruled the Earth for a very long time."

—Moore responds to those who criticise his Euro-sceptic and right-wing beliefs.^[68]

He is an opponent of fox hunting and blood sports.^[69] Though not a vegetarian, he has stated that he holds "a deep contempt for people who go out to kill merely to amuse themselves."^[70] He has been a lifelong animal lover, actively supporting many animal welfare charities (particularly Cats Protection). He has a particular affinity for cats and has stated that "a catless house is a soulless house".^[71]

Other interests and popular culture[link]

Because of his long-running television career and eccentric demeanour, Moore is widely recognised and has become a popular public figure. In 1976, this was used to good effect for an April Fool's spoof on BBC Radio 2, when Moore announced that at 9.47 am, a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that meant that if listeners could jump at the exact moment of an imminent celestial event they would experience a temporary floating sensation.^[72] The BBC received many telephone calls from listeners alleging that they actually experienced the sensation.^[72] He also was a key figure in the establishment of the International Birdman event in Bognor Regis, which was initially held in Selsey.^[73]

Aside from presenting The Sky at Night, Moore has appeared in a number of other television and radio shows, including Just a Minute and, from 1992 until 1998, playing the role of GamesMaster in the television show of the same name: a character who professed to know everything there is to know about video gaming.^[74] He would issue video game challenges and answer questions on cheats and tips presented in the Consoletation Zone.

Moore also was a keen amateur actor, appearing regularly in local plays.^[75] He also appeared in self-parodying roles, in several episodes of The Goodies and on the Morecambe and Wise show, and also broadcast with Kenneth Horne only a few days before Horne's death.^[76] He had a minor role in the fourth radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and a lead role in the Radio 1 sci-fi BBC/20th Century Fox radio play, Independence Day UK in which amongst other things, Moore fills in as a Navigator. He also appeared in It's a Celebrity Knockout, Blankety Blank and Face the Music. He has appeared on television at least once in a film prop space suit. He has also appeared as himself in the Doctor Who story The Eleventh Hour.

A keen amateur chess player, Moore often carries a pocket set around with him and has been honoured with the title of Vice President of Sussex Junior Chess Association.^[77] In 2003, he presented Sussex Junior David Howell with the best young chess player award on Carlton Television's Britain's Brilliant Prodigies show. Moore himself had represented Sussex in his youth.^[27]

Moore was also an enthusiastic amateur cricketer, playing for the Selsey Cricket Club well into his seventies.^[78] He also played for the Lord's Taverners, a cricketing charity team, as a bowler with an unorthodox action. Though an accomplished leg spin bowler, he was an 11th order batter and a poor fielder.^[79] The jacket notes to his 1960s book "Suns, Myths and Men" state that his hobbies include "chess, which he plays with a peculiar leg-spin, and cricket." He also played golf, and won a Pro-Am competition in Southampton in 1975.^[80]

Until being forced to give up owing to arthritis, Moore was a keen musician and accomplished xylophone player, having first played the instrument at the age of thirteen.^[81] He has composed a substantial corpus of works, including two operettas.^[82] Moore has also had a ballet entitled 'Lyra's Dream' written to his music. He once performed at a Royal Command Performance, and has also performed a duet with Evelyn Glennie.^[83] In 1998, as a guest on Have I Got News For You, he accompanied the show's closing theme tune on the xylophone and as a pianist, he once accompanied Albert Einstein playing The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns on the violin (of which no recording was made).^[84] In 1981 he performed a solo xylophone rendition of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K." in a Royal Variety Performance.^[85]

On 7 March 2006 he was hospitalised and fitted with a pacemaker because of a cardiac abnormality.^[86] Before such health problems he was an extensive traveller, and has set foot on all seven continents, (including Antarctica); he has stated that his favourite two countries were Iceland and Norway.^[87]

He is a friend of Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May, who is an occasional guest on The Sky at Night.^[88] The pair have co-authored a book with Chris Lintott, entitled Bang! The Complete History of the Universe. In February 2011, Moore completed (with Robin Rees and Iain Nicolson) his comprehensive Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy for Cambridge University Press. In addition he wrote Bureaucrats: How to Annoy Them under the pseudonym R. T. Fishall, which was published by Sidgwick & Jackson in 1981.^[89] In 1986 he was identified as the co-author of a book published in 1954 called Flying Saucer from Mars, attributed to Cedric Allingham, which was intended as a practical joke on UFO believers;^[90] Moore has never admitted his involvement. He once joined the Flat Earth Society as an ironic joke.^[91]

Honours and appointments[link]

In 1945, Moore was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. In 1968, he was appointed OBE and promoted to CBE in 1988. In 1999 Moore became the Honorary President of the East Sussex Astronomical Society, a position which he still holds. In 2001, he was knighted for "services to the popularisation of science and to broadcasting".^[92] In the same year, he was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society, allowing him to use the letters FRS after his name.^[93] In June 2002, he was appointed as Hon. Vice President of the Society for the History of Astronomy. Also in 2002, Buzz Aldrin presented Moore a BAFTA for services to television.^[94]

Bibliography[link]

Moore has written a large number of popular books. The website Astronomy Now Online estimates that Moore has published over a thousand books on popular science, including all known editions and reprints.^[95] The list below is therefore not exhaustive:

See also[link]

• Jack Horkheimer (American counterpart)

References[link]

Specific

General

• Moore, Patrick (2003), The Autobiography, Sutton Publishing, ISBN 0-7472-6427-9 

External links[link]

• Biography at the BBC website
• Bang! The Complete History of the Universe by Brian May, Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott

Brian May
Brian May in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Brian Harold May
Born	(1947-07-19) 19 July 1947 (age 64) Hampton, London, England, UK
Genres	Rock, hard rock[1]
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer, astrophysicist, author, contributor (The Sky at Night)
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, piano
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Hollywood, Parlophone
Associated acts	Smile, Queen, Phenomena, G3, Queen + Paul Rodgers, Kerry Ellis, Dappy, Irene Fornaciari
Website	brianmay.com
Notable instruments
Red Special Fender Telecaster

Brian Harold May, CBE (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer of the rock band Queen. As a guitarist he uses his home-built guitar, "Red Special", and has composed hits such as "Tie Your Mother Down", "I Want It All", "We Will Rock You", "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Who Wants to Live Forever".

He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for "services to the music industry and his charity work".^[2] May earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College in 2007 and is currently the Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.^[3] May currently resides in Surrey.^[4]

In 2005, a Planet Rock poll saw May voted the 7th greatest guitarist of all time.^[5] He was ranked at No. 26 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".^[6]

Early life[link]

Brian May, the only child of Harold and Ruth May, was born in Hampton, London and attended Hampton Grammar School (now Hampton School).^[7] During this time he formed his first band with vocalist and bassist Tim Staffell, named Nineteen Eighty-Four after George Orwell's novel of the same name.^[8] He left Hampton Grammar School with ten GCE Ordinary Levels and three Advanced Levels in Physics, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics.^[8] He studied Mathematics and Physics at Imperial College London, graduating with B.Sc. degree with honours.^[9]

Career[link]

Smile[link]

Brian May formed the band Smile in 1968. The group included Tim Staffell as singer and bassist, and later, drummer Roger Taylor, who also went on to play for Queen. The band lasted for only two years from 1968 to 1970, as Staffell left in 1970, leaving the band with a catalogue of only nine songs. Smile would reunite for several songs on 22 December 1992. Taylor's band The Cross were headliners and he brought May and Staffell on to play "Earth" and "If I Were a Carpenter".^[10] May also performed several other songs that night.

Queen[link]

May (right) on stage with Queen in 1979.

In Queen's three-part vocal harmonies, May's was generally the lower-range backing vocal. On some of his songs he sings the lead vocal, most notably the first verse of "Who Wants to Live Forever", the bridge on "I Want It All" and "Flash's Theme", and full lead vocals on "Some Day One Day", "She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettoes)", "'39", "Good Company", "Long Away", "All Dead, All Dead", "Sleeping on the Sidewalk", "Leaving Home Ain't Easy" and "Sail Away Sweet Sister".

Throughout Queen's career May frequently wrote songs for the band and has composed many significant songs such as the worldwide hit "We Will Rock You", as well as "Tie Your Mother Down", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "Hammer to Fall", "Save Me", "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "I Want It All". Typically, either Freddie Mercury or May wrote the most songs on every Queen album.

May playing his signature Red Special guitar, which contributed an essential part of Queen's sound

After the famous Live Aid concert in summer 1985, Mercury rang his bandmates 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.

For their 1989 release album, The Miracle, the band had decided that all of the tracks would be credited to the entire band, no matter who had been the main writer. Still, interviews and musical analyses tend to help identify the input of each member on each track. May composed "I Want It All" for that album, as well as "Scandal" (based on his personal problems with the British press). For the rest of the album he did not contribute so much creatively, although he helped in building the basis of "Party" and "Was It All Worth It" (both being predominantly Mercury's pieces) and created the guitar riff of "Chinese Torture".

Queen's subsequent album was Innuendo, on which May's contributions increased, although more in arrangements than actual writing in most cases; for the title track he did some of the arrangement for the heavy solo, then he added vocal harmonies to "I'm Going Slightly Mad" and composed the solo of "These Are the Days of Our Lives", a song for which the four of them decided the keyboard parts together. He changed the tempo and key of Mercury's song "The Hitman" and took it under his wing, even singing guide vocal in the demo. May also co-wrote some of the guitar lines in "Bijou".

Two songs that May had composed for his first solo album, "Headlong" and "I Can't Live With You", eventually ended up in the Queen project. His other composition was "The Show Must Go On", a group effort in which he was the coordinator and primary composer, but in which they all had input, Deacon and Taylor with the famous chord sequence. In recent years, he has overseen the remastering of Queen albums and various DVD and greatest hits releases. In 2004, he announced that he and drummer Roger Taylor were going on tour for the first time in 18 years as "Queen", along with Free/Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers. Billed as "Queen + Paul Rodgers", the band has played throughout 2005 and 2006 in South Africa, Europe, Aruba, Japan, and North America and released a new album with Paul Rodgers in 2008, entitled The Cosmos Rocks. This album was supported by a major tour.^[11]

Solo work and The Brian May Band[link]

May playing his Red Special

During 1983, several members of Queen explored side projects. On 21 and 22 April in Los Angeles, May recorded his first solo work, a mini-album entitled Star Fleet Project, on which he collaborated with Eddie Van Halen.^[12] May contributed to former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett's album Feedback 86, playing guitar on the track "Cassandra" and providing guitar and vocals for "Slot Machine". "Slot Machine" was also co-written by May.

May worked with his second wife Anita Dobson on her first album, in which she sang vocals to the EastEnders theme tune. In this form the tune became the song "Anyone Can Fall in Love".^[13] May himself produced the song, which reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1986.^[14] In 1989, May contributed guitar solos to the song "When Death Calls" on Black Sabbath 14th album Headless Cross, and the Living In A Box track "Blow The House Down" from the album Gatecrashing.

Following the death of Freddie Mercury in November 1991, May chose to deal with his grief by committing himself as fully as possible to work, first by finishing his solo album, Back to the Light, and then touring worldwide to promote it. He frequently remarked in press interviews that this was the only form of self-prescribed therapy he could think of.^[16] According to Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliot, "It was undoubtedly an enormous and terrible blow to lose someone he was so close to. Personally, I know it ripped the heart out of Brian, but having said that, he was in great spirits after the album was finished."^[15]

In late 1992, the Brian May Band was officially formed. An early version of the band was loosely formed for 19 October 1991, when May took part in the Guitar Legends guitar festival in Seville, Spain. The line-up for his performance was May (Lead Vocals & Lead Guitar), Cozy Powell (Drums & Percussion), Mike Moran (Keyboards), Rick Wakeman (Keyboards), Maggie Ryder (Backing vocals), Miriam Stockley (Backing vocals) and Chris Thompson (Backing vocals). The original line-up was May (Lead Vocals and Lead Guitar), Powell (Drums and Percussion), Mike Caswell (Guitar), Neil Murray (Bass), Ryder (Backing vocals), Stockley (Backing vocals) and Thompson (Backing vocals). This version of the band lasted only during the South American support tour (supporting The B-52's and Joe Cocker) on only five dates.

Afterwards, May made significant changes, feeling the group never quite gelled. May brought guitarist Jamie Moses on board to replace Mike Caswell. The other change made was in the backing vocal department, with Ryder, Stockley and Thompson were replaced with Catherine Porter and Shelley Preston. On 23 February 1993, this new line-up of The Brian May Band began its world tour in the US, both supporting Guns N' Roses and headlining a few dates.^[17] The tour would take them through North America, Europe (support act: Valentine) and Japan. After the tour ended on 18 December 1993, May returned to the studio with fellow surviving Queen band members Roger Taylor and John Deacon to work on tracks that became Made in Heaven, the final Queen studio album.^[18] The band took Mercury's solo album demos and last recordings, which he managed to perform in the studio after the album Innuendo was finished, and completed them with their additions both musically and vocally.^[19] Work on the album after Mercury's death originally began in 1992 by Deacon and May, but was left until a later date due to other commitments.^[18]

In 1995, May began working towards a new solo album of covers tentatively named Heroes, in addition to working on various film and television projects and other collaborations. May subsequently changed the approach from covers to focus on those collaborations and on new material. The songs included Another World, and featured mainly Spike Edney, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray and Jamie Moses. On 5 April 1998, Cozy Powell was killed in a car accident on the M4 motorway near Bristol, England. This caused a huge, unexpected disruption to the upcoming tour for The Brian May Band, with a new drummer being needed at short notice. Steve Ferrone was brought on to help May finish recording drums and to join the band for the early stage promotional tour of five dates in Europe before the world tour. Following the early promotional tour, Eric Singer replaced Steve Ferrone for the full 1998 world tour.

Later solo work[link]

From his last solo release in 1998 May has been performing as a solo artist, as part of an ensemble, and infrequently as Queen with Roger Taylor. On 22 October 2000, Brian May made a guest appearance at the Motörhead 25th Anniversary show at Brixton Academy along with Eddie Clarke (former Motörhead guitarist) for the encore song "Overkill". In the Queen's birthday honours list of 2005, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire "for services to the music industry".^[20] May is a friend of singer and musician Phil Collins and was a special guest at the Genesis reunion concert at Twickenham Stadium in 2007. On 17 November 2007, Brian May was appointed Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University,^[21] taking over from Cherie Blair, and installed in 2008.^[22] May worked extensively with stage actress and singer Kerry Ellis after he cast her in the musical We Will Rock You. He produced and arranged her debut studio album Anthems (2010), a follow-up to her extended play Wicked in Rock (2008), as well as appeared with Ellis at many public performances – playing guitar alongside her. He also contributed a guitar solo to Meat Loaf's Hang Cool, Teddy Bear album in exchange for the use of drummer John Miceli. Along with Elena Vidal, Brian May released a historical book in 2009 entitled A Village Lost and Found: Scenes in Our Village. The book is an annotated collection of stereoscopic photographs taken by the Victorian era photographer T. R. Williams and it is sold with a focussing stereoscope. May became an enthusiast of stereoscope photographs as a child, and first encountered the work of Williams during the late 1960s. In 2003 May announced a search in order to identify the actual location of the Scenes in Our Village images. In 2004 May reported that he had identified the location as the village of Hinton Waldrist in Oxfordshire.

On 20 May 2009, May and Queen band mate Roger Taylor performed "We Are the Champions" live on the season finale of American Idol with winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert providing a vocal duet.^[23] In November 2009, May appeared with Taylor on the UK series of The X Factor, with Queen mentoring the contestants, then later performing "Bohemian Rhapsody". In April 2010, May founded the "Save Me" 2010 project to work against any proposed repeal of the British fox-hunting ban, and also to promote animal rights in Britain.^[24] In February 2011 it was announced that May would tour with Kerry Ellis, playing 12 dates across the UK in May 2011.^[25]

On 18 April 2011 Lady Gaga confirmed that May would play guitar on her track "You and I" from her latest album Born This Way, released on 23 May 2011.^[26] On 26 August, May performed "We Will Rock You" and "Welcome To The Black Parade" with American rock band My Chemical Romance at the Reading Festival.^[27] On 28 August, May performed "You and I" live with Lady Gaga at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles.^[28]

Queen + Paul Rodgers and Queen + Adam Lambert[link]

2005 Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour

At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to touring in 2005, with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free and Bad Company). Brian May's website also stated that Rodgers would be "featured with" Queen as Queen + Paul Rodgers, not replacing the late Freddie Mercury. The retired John Deacon would not be participating.^[29]

Between 2005 and 2006 Queen and Paul Rodgers embarked on a world tour, the first leg being Europe and the second, Japan and the US in 2006.^[30] On 25 May 2006, Queen received the inaugural VH1 Rock Honors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and May and Taylor were joined on stage with the Foo Fighters to perform a selection of Queen songs.^[30][31] On 15 August 2006, May confirmed through his website and fan club that Queen + Paul Rodgers would begin producing their first studio album beginning in October, to be recorded at a "secret location".^[32] The album, titled The Cosmos Rocks, was released in Europe on 12 September 2008 and in the United States on 28 October 2008. Following the album the band again embarked on a tour through Europe and parts of the US, opening on Kharkov's freedom square in front of 350,000 Ukrainian fans.^[33] The show in Ukraine was later released on DVD.^[33] Queen and Paul Rodgers officially split up on 12 May 2009. Rodgers does not rule out the possibility of working together again.^[34][35]

At the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards on 6 November, Queen received the Global Icon Award, which Katy Perry presented to Brian May.^[36] Queen closed the awards ceremony, with Adam Lambert on vocals, performing "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".^[36] The collaboration garnered a positive response from both fans and critics, resulting in speculation about future projects together.^[37] Queen + Adam Lambert will play two shows at the Hammersmith Apollo, London on 11 and 12 July 2012.^[38][39] Both shows sold out within 24 hours of tickets going on open sale.^[40] Queen will also perform with Lambert on 30 June 2012 at Moscow's Olympic Stadium.^[41][42]

Highlights[link]

Brian May in 1979

Brian May began composing in 1968/1969, and through the years he has collaborated with other songwriters, including Frank Musker, with whom he wrote "Too Much Love Will Kill You", and with Elizabeth Lamers, whose music won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically & Lyrically in 1996.^[43] A meticulous arranger, he focuses on multi-part harmonies, often more contrapuntal than parallel – a relative rarity for rock guitar. Examples are found in Queen's albums A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races, where he arranged a jazz band for guitar mini-orchestra ("Good Company"), a vocal canon ("The Prophet's Song") and guitar and vocal counterpoints ("Teo Torriatte").

May explored a wide variety of styles in guitar, including sweep picking ("Was It All Worth It", "Chinese Torture"), tremolo ("Brighton Rock", "Stone Cold Crazy", "Death on Two Legs", "Sweet Lady", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Get Down Make Love", "Dragon Attack"), tapping ("Bijou", "It's Late", "Resurrection", "Cyborg", "Rain Must Fall", "Business", "China Belle", "I Was Born To Love You"), slide guitar ("Drowse", "Tie Your Mother Down"), Hendrix sounding licks ("Liar", "Brighton Rock"), tape-delay ("Brighton Rock", "White Man") and melodic sequences ("Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "These Are the Days of Our Lives"). Some of his solos and orchestral parts were composed by Freddie Mercury, who then asked May to bring them to life ("Bicycle Race", "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon", "Killer Queen", "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy"). May also performed notable acoustic works, including the acoustic guitar live version of "Love of My Life" from 1975's A Night at the Opera, the finger-picked solo of "White Queen" and the skiffle-influenced "'39".

In January 2007, the readers of Guitar World voted May's guitar solos "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Brighton Rock" into the "top 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of all time" ("Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted No. 20 and "Brighton Rock" was voted #41).^[44]

Aided by the uniqueness of his guitar – the Red Special – May was often able to create strange and unusual sound effects. For example, he was able to imitate an orchestra in the song "Procession"; in "Get Down, Make Love" he was able to create various sound effects with his guitar; in "Good Company" he used his guitar to mimic a trombone, a piccolo and several other instruments for the song's Dixieland jazz band feel. Queen used a "No synthesizers were used on this album" sleeve note on their early albums to make this clear to the listeners.^[45]

Other instruments[link]

The first instrument Brian May learned to play was the banjolele, which he then played on Queen's song "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" (live and in the studio). For "Good Company", he used a regular baritone ukelele which he had bought in Hawaii on a holiday. Occasionally, May would also record on other string instruments such as harp (one chord per take, then copied and pasted by the engineer to make it sound like a continuous performance) and bass (on some demos and many songs in his solo career, and the Queen + Paul Rodgers album).

As a child, he was also trained on classical piano. Although Freddie Mercury was the band's main pianist, Brian would occasionally step in (such as on "Save Me"). From 1979 onwards, he also played synthesisers, organ ("Wedding March") and programmed drum-machines for both Queen and outside projects (such as producing other artists and his own solo records).

May is also an accomplished singer.^[46] From Queen's Queen II to The Game, May contributed lead vocals to at least one song per album. May co-composed a mini-opera with Lee Holdridge, Il Colosso, for Steve Barron's 1996 film, The Adventures of Pinocchio. May performed the opera with Jerry Hadley, Sissel Kyrkjebo, and Just William. On-screen, it was performed entirely by puppets.

Musician[link]

May tapping.

Brian May has been referred to as a virtuoso guitarist by many publications and musicians.^{[48][49][50][51][52]} He has featured in various music polls of great rock guitarists, and in 2011 was ranked number 26 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".^[6] Former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar stated, "I thought Queen were really innovative and made some great sounding records.. I like the rockin' stuff. I think Brian May has one of the great guitar tones on the planet, and I really, really love his guitar work."^[52] May has used a range of guitars, most often the "Red Special", which he designed when he was only 16 years old.^[53] It was built with wood from an 18th century fireplace. His comments on the guitar:

"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."

—Brian May^[54]

In addition to using his home-made guitar he prefers to use coins (especially a sixpence from the farewell proof set of 1970), instead of a more traditional plastic plectrum, on the basis that their rigidity gives him more control in playing.^[55] He is known to carry coins in his pockets specifically for this purpose.^[55]

May's early heroes were Cliff Richard and The Shadows, who he says were "the most metallic thing(s) out at the time." Many years later he gained his opportunity to play on separate occasions with both Cliff Richard and Shadows lead guitarist Hank Marvin. He has collaborated with Cliff Richard on a re-recording of the Cliff Richard and The Shadows (then known as The Drifters) 1958 hit "Move It" on the Cliff Richard duets album Two's Company which was released on 6 November 2006. On Queen For An Hour 1989 Interview on BBC Radio 1 May listed Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton as his guitar heroes. In a 1991 interview for Guitar World magazine, May referred to The Who as "my inspiration", and on seeing Led Zeppelin stated, "We used to look at those guys and think, "That's the way it should be done."^[56]

During the time in which Brian May and his father were building the Red Special, May also produced plans to build a second guitar. However, so successful was the Red Special, that May simply had no need to build another guitar. These plans were eventually given to guitar luthier Andrew Guyton in around 2004/05, some slight modifications were made and the guitar was built. It was named "The Spade", as the shape of the body resembled the form shown on playing cards. However the guitar also came to be known as "The Guitar That Time Forgot". As yet, this guitar has not been used in any recordings and remains in May's possession.

Equipment[link]

Brian May performing in Frankfurt in 2005

Most of May's electric guitar work live and in the studio was done on the Red Special, which he built with his father during his teenage years.^[57][58][59] From 1975 onwards, he has also had some replicas made, some of which were also used for live and recording purposes, others were mainly spares. The most famous replicas were made by John Birch (in 1975—May actually smashed it during a concert in the States in 1982), Greco BM90 (featured in the promo video of "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" in 1977), Guild (back-up from 1984 to 1993) and Fryers (1997–1998, used both live and in the studio). On stage, Brian used to carry at least one back-up guitar (in case he broke a string) and occasionally would use others for certain songs or parts. Currently, May has his own company which makes guitars whose design is modelled after the original Red Special guitar.

• July 1973 – May 1974: Fender Stratocaster Pre-CBS
• October 1974 – May 1975: Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, and the Stratocaster from the previous tour.
• November 1975 – May 1976: Same two guitars as before, plus a natural finish John Birch replica of the Red Special.
• September 1976: Same three as before, plus a Martin D-18 acoustic for "'39".
• January 1977 – August 1979: Just the Birch replica plus an Ovation Pacemaker 12-string acoustic on some numbers ("'39", "Love of My Life", "Dreamer's Ball").
• November 1979 – June 1982: Birch replica (back-up), Fender Telecaster ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love" 2nd verse, middle-eight and solo), Ovation (acoustic numbers).
• July – November 1982: Added a Gibson Flying V as second back-up. On 9 August 1982 Brian smashed the Birch guitar, so the Flying V became the only spare.
• August to October 1984: The Flying V became a second back-up again as his main spare was the Guild replica. He also used Roger Taylor's Gibson Chet-Atkins Classical Electric.
• July 1985 – August 1986: Gibson Flying V no longer used. The rest remained the same.

Some of the non-RS electric guitars he used in the studio included:

• Burns Double Six on "Long Away" (1976) and "Under Pressure" (1981).
• Fender Telecaster on "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (1979). It was used for the video (but not the recordings) of "Back Chat" (1982).
• Gibson Firebird on "Hammer to Fall" and "Tear It Up" (album versions only, not on stage).
• Ibanez JS on "Nothing But Blue" (1991).
• Parker Fly on "Mother Love" (1993–1995).

For acoustic, he favoured Ovation, Martin, Tōkai Hummingbird, Godin and Guild. On a couple of videos he also used some different electric guitars: a Stratocaster copy on "Play the Game" (1980) and a Washburn RR2V on "Princes of the Universe" (1986).

In 1984 Guild released the first official Red Special replica for mass production, and made some prototypes specifically for May. However the solid body construction (the original RS has hollow cavities in the body) and the pick-ups (DiMarzio) that were not an exact replica of the Burns TriSonic did not make May happy, so the production stopped after just 300 guitars. In 1993 Guild made a second replica of the RS, made in just 1000 copies, of which May has some and used as a backup. At the moment, he uses the two guitars made by Greg Fryer—the luthier who restored the Old Lady in 1998—as backup. They are almost identical to the original, except for the Fryer logo on the headstock (May's original one has a sixpence).

In the studio, May used Yamaha DX7 synths for the opening sequence of "One Vision" and the backgrounds of "Who Wants to Live Forever" (also on stage), "Scandal" and "The Show Must Go On". He mostly used Freddie Mercury's 1972 Steinway piano and reportedly now owns the instrument in question. May was keen on using some toys as instruments as well. He used a Yamaha plastic piano in "Teo Torriatte", a "genuine George Formby Ukulele-Banjo" in "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" and in "Good Company", and a toy mini koto in "The Prophet's Song".

May has used Vox AC30 amplifiers almost exclusively since a meeting with his long time hero Rory Gallagher at a gig in London during the late '60s/early '70s.^[60] His choice is the model AC30TBX, the top-boost version with Blue Alnico speakers, and he runs the amp at full volume on the Normal channel.^[61] He also customises his amps by removing the circuitry for the Brilliant and Vib-trem channels (leaving only the circuitry for the Normal), and this alters the tone slightly, with a gain addition of 6–7 dB. He always used a treble booster which, along with the AC30 and his custom 'Deacy Amp' transistor amp, as built by Queen bass player John Deacon, went a long way in helping to create many of his signature guitar tones.^[62] He used the Dallas Rangemaster for the first Queen albums, up to A Day at the Races. Effects guru Pete Cornish built for him the TB-83 (32 dB of gain) that was used for all the remaining Queen albums. He switched in 2000 to the Fryer's booster, which actually gives less boost than the TB-83.

Live, he uses banks of Vox AC30 amplifiers keeping some amps with only guitar and others with all effects such as delay, flanger and chorus. He has a rack of 14 AC30s, which are grouped as Normal, Chorus, Delay 1, Delay 2. On his pedal board, May has a custom switch unit made by Cornish and subsequently modified by Fryer that allows him to choose which amps are active. He uses a BOSS pedal from the '70s, the Chorus Ensemble CE-1, which can be heard in "In The Lap of The Gods" (Live at Wembley '86) or "Hammer to Fall" (slow version played live with P. Rodgers). Next in the chain, he uses a Foxx Foot Phaser ("We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions", "Keep Yourself Alive", etc.), and two delay machines to play his trademark solo in "Brighton Rock".

May's lead vocals in Queen[link]

Personal life[link]

From 1974 to 1988, May was married to Chrissie Mullen, who is the mother of his three children: Jimmy, who was born on 15 June 1978; Louisa, who was born on 22 May 1981 and Emily Ruth, who was born on 17 February 1987. Chrissie and Brian separated in 1988. Their separation and eventual divorce was highly publicised by British tabloid newspapers following reports that he had an affair with EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, whom he met in 1986, and who gained fame in the 1980s as Angie Watts. After many years together they married on 18 December 2000.

He has stated in interviews that he suffered from severe depression in the late 1980s and early 1990s, even to the point of contemplating suicide,^[63] for reasons having to do with his troubled first marriage, his perceived failure as a husband and a father, his father Harold's death, and Freddie Mercury's illness and eventual death.^[64]

May's father Harold worked as a draughtsman at the Ministry of Aviation and had been a long-time cigarette-smoker. As a result, May dislikes smoking,^[65] even to the point where he has prohibited smoking indoors at his more recent concerts.^[66] His father was disappointed that he abandoned his scientific education to become a rock musician, but after he flew both his parents out to New York to attend Queen's first concert in Madison Square Garden, his father said that he "got it".^[67] According to The Sunday Times Rich List he is worth £85 million as of 2011^[update].^[68]

Astrophysics[link]

May studied physics and mathematics at Imperial College, University of London, graduating with a BSc (Hons) degree and ARCS in physics with Upper Second-Class Honours. He then proceeded to study for a PhD degree, also at the Imperial College departments of Physics and Mathematics, and was part way through this PhD programme, studying reflected light from interplanetary dust and the velocity of dust in the plane of the Solar System. When Queen became successful he abandoned his physics doctorate but did co-author two scientific research papers: MgI Emission in the Night-Sky Spectrum (1972)^[69] and An Investigation of the Motion of Zodiacal Dust Particles (Part I) (1973),^[70] which were based on his observations at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife. He is the co-author of Bang! – The Complete History of the Universe with Sir Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott, which was published in October 2006.^[71] In October 2007, more than 30 years after he started his research, he completed his PhD thesis in astrophysics,^[72] entitled A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud,^[73] passed his viva voce, and performed the required corrections.^{[74][75][76][77]} He officially graduated at the postgraduate awards ceremony held in the Royal Albert Hall, on the afternoon of Wednesday 14 May 2008. On 17 November 2007, May was appointed Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University,^[21] taking over from Cherie Blair, and installed in 2008.^[22]

Asteroid 52665 Brianmay was named in his honour on 18 June 2008 on the suggestion of Sir Patrick Moore (probably influenced by the asteroid's provisional designation of 1998 BM₃₀).^[53][78] May appeared on the 700th episode of The Sky at Night hosted by Sir Patrick Moore, along with Dr. Chris Lintott, Jon Culshaw, Prof. Brian Cox, and the Astronomer Royal Martin Rees who on leaving the panel told Brian May, who was joining it, "I don't know any scientist who looks as much as like Isaac Newton as you do".^[79] May replied that "that could be my after dinner comment, thank you very much".^[79]

Activist[link]

May filming for the BBC's The One Show in 2011 for an anti badger culling campaign

Brian May has formed a group to promote animal welfare. Though a Conservative Party voter most of his life,^[80] he has stated that their policies on fox hunting and the culling of badgers meant he did not vote for them at the 2010 General Election. His group, Save Me (named after the May-written Queen song), campaigns for the protection of all animals against unnecessary, cruel and degrading treatment; with a particular emphasis on preventing hunting of foxes and the culling of badgers.^[81] The group's primary concern is to ensure that the Hunting Act 2004 and other laws protecting animals are kept in place.^[24] In a September 2010 interview with Stephen Sackur for the BBC’s HARDtalk program, May said that he would rather be remembered for his animal rights work than for his music or science.^[82]

In March 2012, Brian May contributed the foreword to a target paper published by the think tank the Bow Group, urging the Government to reconsider its plans to cull thousands of badgers to control Bovine TB, stating that the findings of Labour's major badger culling trials several years prior were that culling does not work. The paper was authored by Graham Godwin-Pearson with contributions by leading tuberculosis scientists, including Lord Krebs.^[83][84][85]

Stereophotography[link]

May has had a lifelong interest in collecting Victorian stereophotography. In 2009, with co-author Elena Vidal, he published his second book, A Village Lost and Found, on the work of English stereophotography innovator TR Williams.^[86]

Discography[link]

Queen (band) portal

Albums

Studio albums

Live albums

Bibliography[link]

• May, Brian; Moore, Patrick; Lintott, Chris (2006). Bang! The Complete History of the Universe. Carlton. ISBN 1-84442-552-5. 
• May, Brian Harold (2008) (PhD thesis). A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud. New York: Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-77705-4. 
• May, Brian; Vidal, Elena (book with stereoscopic viewer). A Village Lost and Found. Frances Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-7112-3039-2. http://www.londonstereo.com/book.html. 

References[link]

External links[link]

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Queen (band) portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brian May

• Brian May's official homepage
• Brian May World
• Brian Interviews
• Queenpedia – Brian May Complete Song List
• Scientific paper with Brian May as co-author
• Brian May's astronomy book
• Brian May at the Internet Movie Database
• Five interview clips with Brian May
• Brian May's PhD thesis
• Brian May interview with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air, 3 August 2010
• Brian May: the interview, by Rachel Cooke, The Observer, Sunday 5 September 2010