Radio interview (Bayern 3 - Germany)
November 25th, 2001

Exclusive interview with Brian May
 

Brian May about "Harry Potter":

"I am a fan of "Harry Potter" - as my children. I have read two of the books until now.
I haven´t seen the movie yet but I´m looking forward to it."
 

Brian May about Freddie´s private life:

"He wasn´t boring but he was really different. He was very shy.
He was someone who had the normal kind of hopes, fears and dreams and the normal insecurities
but on stage he became the person that everybody wants to be."
 

Brian May about Queen:

"At the time it was just a big rushing thing. We were always looking forward and we didn´t have time realizing what happened.
We were so much on the run and working on the next projects. Sometimes I wish that I could go back and walk through it again
because I think we were too busy at that time.
But we had a lot of fun. Sometimes I miss that feeling. It was a feeling of being connected of the main pulse of the world.
We knew we could go to any city in any country in the world and something special would happen."
 

Brian May about his life these days:

"My life now is very different. I see enough of my family. I made it to have a proper relationship with a woman, which maybe I never had in my life.
A relationship where we´re supportive of each other and work on it."
 

Brian May about Robbie Williams:

"We are in a very strange position as Queen because we´re still recognized as some kind of force in music but we´re not able to
go out and do what we´re used to do. So there´s something inside us which is always looking around and thinking: "I wonder what if..:"
I saw a recording of Robbie singing in Slane Castle. I thought: "That guy is one of the very few I´ve ever seen who has the
kind of charisma and connection to the audienc that Freddie had." He is not like Freddie, he´s not like replacing Freddie, but he has something,
and that would probably work with what we did.
We looked at the possibility at doing some gigs together - as one off event. It almost happened but it didn´t quite happen. Someday we´ll tell you why."
 

Brian May about Queen Parties:

"In New Orleans for instance I was desperately in love with someone who wasn´t there and spent a lot of the evening looking for her.
I have to say it was all part of the experience and a worthy part. It´s not just  us enjoying it, but a whole team
I wouldn´t make any apology for it.  I thorougly enjoyed some of it. We were able to do it and we were in a unique place.
I think we didn´t hurt anybdy by doing it. Nobody was abused"
 

Brian May about going on tour with Queen:

"I thought to be a good father. Strangely enough I was able to suceed for most of our touring life. It was when we stopped touring
when things really began getting difficult. I think the effort for me and for my wife at that time was so severe, that we fell into different positions.
So when everything was over, we looked at each other and we didn´t know each other anymore. Really a tragedy."
 

Brian May about the news of Freddie´s illness:

"One evening he got us all together and said "Look, by now you know what I´m dealing with. I don´t want to talk about it.
I don´t want it to change the way we interact. As far as I´m concerned we say nothing to anyone, and that means anyone,
and just we get on and make the best music we can until  I can´t anymore.
And that was the only conversation directly we had about it the last three years or so.
Freddie was amazing and even in his last bit of lyric-writing, which is "A winter´s tale",  there´s no bitterness.
In those last few months he experineced all of life to the full, whether it was his paintings or his new house in Montreux..
We enjoyed our times togerther and we had some great meals out in Montreux. I remember Freddie had such joy in such a quiet life that we had there.
It´s  a genuine miracle to be able to be that light and optimistic and full of joy about the world when looking at your own certain death."
 

Brian May about his hair:

"I´ve been through such a period of  hating what I looked like. I hated the fact that my hair was waving and not doing what I wanted it  to do.
Everybody had straight hair and looked cool. I had this wavy horribly bush on my hair and I was really embarrased.
Then I found a way of give into it and let it happen.
I´m sure it won´t be there forever. Eventually I will get bold and eventually I will get fat. I was never a fashionale person and never will be."
 

Brian May about astronomy:

"I have a telescope, which I made with my dad. I was out with my youngest daughter and she´s never experienced what Saturn looked like.
And she says "I can see. Are there rings outside?" and that was such an exciting moment for me."
 

Brian May about the Lasershow in Munich, which opens in December 2001:

"As you know one of the problems that we have if we´re trying to do Queen things is that we don´t have Freddie.
And the Planetarium is one of the few places where you can do things enough in such a special way - so that you  might even forget that he´s not there.
That´s one attraction. The other attraction  is that I´ve been trained to be an astronomer. For me it´s a great opportunity to combine this with the music"
 
 

interview transcribed by Oliver Tamminga