Tone Report Weekly 179 | Page 26

Brian May of Queen If you ever want to feel like a real waste of space, take a moment to consider the extraordinary life of Queen guitarist and co-founder Brian May. Actually, that’s “Dr. Brian May,” rock star guitarist, composer, and astrophysicist. In 1974 May was in the middle of pursuing a doctoral degree in astrophysics from the Imperial College London, studying light reflected from interplanetary dust, when Queen began to make a name for itself internationally. 26 TONE TALK // Of course he dropped the science stuff and hit the road to be a world-famous guitarist for a few decades. In 2006 he decided to get back in the game and re- enrolled at Imperial College, submitting his thesis and earning his Ph. D in 2007. Since then he’s worked with NASA and written a book on the history of the Universe, among many other things. All in a Day’s Work: 6 Guitar Heros With Day Gigs Like Us