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entertainment@heraldexpress.co.uk with JonPaul HedgeIINNTTEERRVVIIEEWW IINNTTEERRVVIIEEWW

L EGENDARY Queen guitarist Brian May wastreated like royalty when he popped in for a

book-signing session in Paignton.Expectant fans and hosts automatically rose to their

feet when the ace musician strolled nonchalantly into thePalace Theatre to launch the paperback version of Bang —The Complete History of the Universe.

A room on its feet seemed the only fitting greeting for aman who is considered rock royalty by many, especiallyafter his famous appearance playing God Save the Queenon top of Buckingham Palace to open HRH’s goldenjubilee celebrations in 2002.

But one of the greatest living guitarists wasn’t inPaignton because of his music, it was his love ofstar-gazing that led to the visit.

In true rock star fashion the 62-year-old doctor ofastronomy was more than an hour late for the signing, buthis reasons — bad traffic on the A303 — were somewhatless rock ‘n’ roll.

By the time I sat down to talk to the living legend I’dalready had a lengthy chat with co-authors, veteranastronomer and Sky at Night presenter Sir Patrick Moore,and his co-presenter Chris Lintott, a former Torquay Boys’Grammar School student.

Dressed in a black suit that looked more Oxfam thanSavile Row and wearing a pair of scruffy white trainersBrian looked every inch a rock star.

But as hosts clamoured to cater for his every need, hiscalm, laid back manner put those nervous about his arrivalinstantly at ease and was a reminder that althoughelevated to god-like status he was, after all, only human.

“I used to come to Paignton on holiday all the time,” herevealed as he talked about an upbringing which washumble compared to the vast sums he earned with Queen.

“We didn’t have much money when I was growing up.We used to scrimp and save the whole year.

“In those days you used to have to put shillings in thegas and electricity meter. My mum used to save theshillings up in little jars and there would be a jar forholiday.

“A few times we came to Paignton and really liked it.“I remember it very well, all the red sand. I was hoping

to have time to go down there today. It would be nice toget to the sea just for a minute.”

Brian May is a man known for his music. He wasrecently highly praised by instrumental rock guitarist,songwriter and vocalist Steve Via who said in Classic Rockmagazine: “He’s a class act from head to toe.”

But it was Brian’s extraordinary talent and, I was tolearn, drive for perfection, that gave him the opportunityto come full circle and return to astronomy.

His love of star-gazing began as a child, at about thesame time as he developed a passion for music.

His father helped him build a telescope and a guitar.Brian, who penned, among others, Queen’s hit We Will

Rock You, was in his fourth year of postgraduate studyand writing his thesis when his career with one of thegreatest rock bands of all time took off.

Music dominated his life and, 36 years after beginningthe project and probably one of the longest extensions onrecord, he handed in his thesis entitled Radial Velocities inthe Zodiacal Dust Cloud.

For a man who has achieved so much he is remarkablymodest, admitting that despite two honorary doctorateshe hadn’t been happy using the suffix until he achievedone he’d worked for.

“You can now call me Dr May,” he is reported as sayingwhen he handed in the 48,000-word thesis at London'sImperial College.

It was Brian’s phenomenal success with Queen thatfacilitated his return to astronomy and enabled him to ‘tieup the loose ends’ he left when he pursued his musicalcareer.

“I have come full circle and I consider myself veryfortunate,” he told me.

“You come to various forks in the road of your life —and you have to make a very bold decision to walk downone road and forsake the other. I have had a few momentslike that.

“It’s great if you find out at another point that you canreconnect to the past things you loved.

“I have been incredibly fortunate that the success that I

have had as a musician has given me a bridge to doanything I want, which is amazing.”

But had it not been for the determination of long-timefriend Sir Patrick Moore, Brian might never have returnedto astronomy.

“I didn’t really think I could do it,” he admitted.“But Patrick kept telling me I could take a year off and

finish my thesis, which I did. I surprised myself.”It was clear from meeting the three co-authors of Bang

that Sir Patrick, despite his insistence to the contrary, isthe boss.

“Patrick told me: ‘I have decided, you are co-writingthis’,” revealed Brian.

Bang — The Complete History of the Universe wasproduced by all three men but it was Sir Patrick who tookit upon himself to write the first draft... in just two weeks.

“By the time we met the first time to discuss things hehad written it,” said Brian.

“We proceeded to rip it to bits, reorganise, mould andget all sorts of inspiration together over the next fewmonths.”

He added: “It was a very, very interesting journey forme, and I learned a lot as well.

“I hadn’t been close to the subject for 30 years, so if wecould phrase the book in a way that made sense to methen I thought it would work for the public.”

Chris Lintott mentioned earlier that Brian would oftenkeep in him check when the language he used became toocomplicated.

“We argued over every word,” admitted both Brian andChris.

Bang made it on to the bestseller list and prompted

DR MAY’S LIFE HAS COME FULL CIRCLETHANKS TO DRIVE FOR PERFECTION

calls for a second book – something that, I am told, is nowin the pipeline.

Brian’s easy-going, relaxed manner made him a pleasureto talk to.

He smiled graciously when told that people in the queuewere singing Queen hits as they awaited his arrival.

He seemed almost unaware that the buzz in the roomcentred around him.

He greeted Chris warmly when he arrived. Then, afterbeing introduced to the star-struck gathering, his venturedconcern that he hadn’t seen Patrick to say hello.

Brian is softly spoken and gave no hint of a sizeable egothat could develop after so many years in the limelight.

He put much of his success down to his dad’s mantra: ‘Ifa thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.’

This instilled in him the philosophy that if he was goingto do something he would do it ‘better than anyone else’.

Looking at the magnitude of his success in music andastronomy, this drive and determination has paiddividends.

“I don’t find it possible to half-do anything. I have toimmerse myself in it and that’s where the satisfactioncomes from.”

Brian said that what he enjoys is ‘going into an area andfinding little corners that have never been unearthedbefore’.

“I always find that very exciting, in any pursuit. Thesame in music, astronomy and producing.”

And he announced: “I am producing an artist at themoment called Kerry Ellis.”

Brian met the singer when she auditioned for the firstrun of the hit West End musical We Will Rock You, basedon the songs of Queen.

“I was just blown away by her. I remember thinkingwhat if I am always going to be this entranced by peoplewho come in for auditions. But actually I wasn’t. She wasa one off,” he said.

“We’ve been working together for a long time now andwe nearly have an album ready.

“This is the same thing. I can’t half-do it. It has to be thegreatest thing ever.”

Brian’s other passion, something he has wholly

immersed himself in since his early days, is stereoscopicimages.

The last year has been spent working on a piece ofphotographic history resulting in a book called A VillageLost and Found.

The work is about rescuing an ancient English work ofart completely lost to the world called Scenes in OurVillage by a stereo photographer called TR Williams.

“It is one of those things that in my life I had to saygoodbye to for a while. But I was able to come back andrejoin that particular thread. It is a very big deal in mylife,” said Brian.

With time moving on and the book-signing running late,I could feel the atmosphere in the room becomingsomewhat tense as I monopolised Brian’s time.

Clutching a first edition of Bang belonging to a book-collecting colleague, I asked if he would mind signing itand three other copies I’d bought that day.

Brian smiled, borrowed my pen and happily inscribedthe volumes before being ushered to the signing table.

Within minutes he was grinning and chatting to thosewho had waited patiently in the queue. The book launchwas underway.

I could see people far back in the line wielding cameraseager to get a picture of their idol.

Brian’s last words echoed in my mind: “Some day I willprobably stop rushing around, but that doesn’t seem to beyet.”

I had a very short time with a man whose determinationto do it ‘better than anyone else’ saw him become a rockgod, and then use that Queen legacy to help pursue thedreams and aspirations he put on hold when his musicalcareer took off.

One thing will stay with me. Although this likeable chaphas been the focus of much adoration, he wasn’t self-important. He was warm, approachable, polite and down-to-earth — a true legend.● Signed copies of Bang — The Complete History of theUniverse can be bought from Torbay Bookshop inPaignton.

JENNA RICHARDS

ROCK STARS: Queen (from left) Brian May, Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury and John DeaconHONORARY DEGREE: Brian May receives his honorary degreefrom Exeter University

HONOUR: BrianMay with hisactress wifeAnita Dobson andchildren Louisa,24 and Jimmy,27, after theguitaristcollected his CBEfrom the Queenat BuckinghamPalace in 2005