” There was a time there , about three seconds , when we were the biggest band in the world “, chuckles Queen guitarist Brian May in this month’s second part of the classic rock interview marking the 40th anniversary of the band . The first time I interviewed Brian in 1980 , he stood smiling in my Memphis radio station ROCK 103 for the first of many subsequent interviews , delightfully soft-spoken , gracious , thoughtful , and incredibly humble before playing to a sold-out 10,000-seat arena crowd a few hours later . Queen had succeeded as four real “mates” on an international scale , which would continue only to increase for the next decade . With four writers , the band had a surplus of strong songs , while Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury possessed such an operatic voice that it’s easy to forget that both Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor also sang lead on select songs .
What really impressed me then and now in this classic rock interview with Taylor and May is how appreciative Brian May was , of the fans , the countless deejays and journalists , for supporting Queen’s efforts over the years . Brian would later suffer a broken marriage , separation of his kids , and the passing of both parents , but nothing short of the untimely death of Freddie Mercury in 1991 could silence the original band . And even that wasn’t permanent . -Redbeard