Brian May Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Queen guitarist Brian May has expressed his views on the use of artificial intelligence to make music, saying that he finds the prospect “massively scary”.The guitarist was speaking as part of an interview with Guitar Player when he revealed his concerns about the extent to which the use of AI could change the music industry for the worse.“My major concern with it now is in the artistic area,” he began when asked about his thoughts on the advancement of AI platforms. “I think by this time next year the landscape will be completely different.

Katcy Stephan Editor, composer, director and producer John Ottman is teaming with film and music industry executive David Franco to develop a dramatic biopic based on the life of world-renowned Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. The project, written by Kevin Lund and TJ Scott, has had been long-gestating, beginning 20 years ago when Ron Howard was set to direct. After many unsuccessful attempts, including with members of the famous Italian filmmaking De Laurentiis family in 2008, the project needed a new vision.

Carolyn Giardina “Queen Rock Montreal” will make its global streaming premiere May 15 on Disney+ as the first concert film available with Imax Enhanced sound by DTS. When it arrived in theaters in January, the remastered 1981 concert was Imax’s biggest exclusive engagement.

Bruce Springsteen has enlisted the help of Tom Morello to perform two songs for the first time on his ongoing tour – see the performances below.This past weekend (April 7), Springsteen brought the ongoing Springsteen & E Street 2024 tour to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California. Springsteen and co.

The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is reportedly being eyed to portray Bruce Springsteen in an upcoming film about the making of the singer’s 1982 album ‘Nebraska’.According to Deadline Hollywood, White is the favourite to play a young Springsteen in the film – reportedly titled Deliver Me From Nowhere – which was announced this January. Deadline notes that an negotiations with White have not begun, and that popular film house A24 is in talks to board the project.Scott Cooper – who directed the Jeff Bridges-led Crazy Heart, Black Mass, Antlers and more – is slated to direct the upcoming film.

Bruce Springsteen returned to Las Vegas last night (March 22), greeting the city with a rendition of Elvis Presley’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’ – check out the footage below.The track was included as one of a number of surprise setlist inclusions at the show, which also saw songs like 1992’s ‘Roll of the Dice’ and 1978’s ‘Racing in the Street’ get their first outings in several years.It was the second show of the 2024 leg of Springsteen’s current world tour, which has restarted after the Boss had to postpone a hefty chunk of shows in 2023 due to health concerns.The worries arose towards the end of last year, when the singer-songwriter needed to be treated for peptic ulcer disease, and was forced to delay all of his shows after playing in New Jersey on September 3.On March 19, they returned to the stage in Phoenix, Arizona, playing a set incorporating tracks from across his extensive discography, ranging from his first album, ‘Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.’, through 2022’s ‘Only the Strong Survive’.Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played in Las Vegas on March 22:‘Roll of the Dice’‘Lonesome Day’‘Prove It All Night’‘No Surrender’‘Ghosts’‘Letter to You’‘The Promised Land’‘Spirit in the Night’‘Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)’‘Nightshift’‘Mary’s Place’‘Hungry Heart’‘Racing in the Street’‘Last Man Standing’‘Backstreets’‘Because the Night’‘She’s the One’‘Wrecking Ball’‘The Rising’‘Badlands’‘Thunder Road’‘Viva Las Vegas’‘Born to Run’‘Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)’‘Glory Days’‘Dancing in the Dark’‘Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’In other Bruce Springsteen news, the Boss recently took part in Mark Knopfler’s star-studded charity re-recording of ‘Going Home’, which starred the likes of Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce

Mark Knopfler‘s Guitar Heroes have shared the official video for the new version of ‘Going Home’, which reveals a “who’s who” of guest collaborators on the track.The star-studded re-recording of Knopfler’s 1983 solo single was released last Friday (March 15), with all funds raised being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.Clocking in at almost 10 minutes, the new take on the Local Hero theme song sees the Dire Straits frontman join forces with rock icons including the likes of Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.Additionally, the Guitar Heroes’ take on ‘Going Home’ includes the last ever recording by the late Jeff Beck – which he laid down for the single shortly before his death in January 2023.Knopfler also enlisted The Beatles‘ Ringo Starr on drums, Sting on bass and The Who frontman (and Teenage Cancer Trust patron) Roger Daltrey on harmonica.Arriving today (March 22), the music video for ‘Going Home’ reveals who plays which parts on the collaborative charity single.

A special Red Nose Day 2024 show was broadcast live from Media City on Friday night (March 15).

Mark Knopfler’s re-recorded version of his song ‘Going Home’ has been shared, starring contributions from some of the biggest names in the rock world. Check it out below.After being teased earlier this year, the track officially dropped today (March 15), and sees all funds raised being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.A new take on Knopfler’s solo hit, the 2024 edition runs across nine-minutes, and sees the Dire Straits frontman join forces with rock icons including Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and many more.It also includes the last ever recording by guitar virtuoso, Jeff Beck – which he laid down for the track shortly before his death in January 2023.As well as the truly astonishing number of renowned guitarists on the track, Knopfler also enlisted The Beatles’ Ringo Starr on drums, Sting on bass, and The Who frontman (and Teenage Cancer Trust patron) Roger Daltrey on harmonica.The charity track was recorded at British Grove Studios in West London, and produced by Knopfler’s longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher.

Freddie Mercury could be on the way.Hints that a new hologram show featuring the late Queen frontman emerged after Mercury Songs Limited – the organisation which has ownership over the singer’s solo works – reportedly filed to trademark his moniker for virtual reality and 3D.News of the move was shared by The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column, which obtained the filing and reported that it covers “immersive 3D virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences” for “virtual environments” (via Music News).With the filing, it seems possible that the musician could return to the stage as a digital avatar, similar to that seen in the hugely successful ABBA Voyage shows in London.It also wouldn’t mark the first time that Mercury has been depicted on stage in recent years, following his death from bronchial pneumonia, a complication of AIDS, back in 1991. Two years ago, an optical illusion of the frontman was shown during Queen’s ‘Rhapsody Tour’, which the band embarked on with Adam Lambert.

Jimmy Page, Brian May and Tony Iommi came together to launch the new Gibson Garage in London.The moment took place in Soho yesterday morning (February 22) as the guitar manufacturer held a special preview of the shop, which is set to open on Saturday (February 24).It is inspired by the Nashville flagship branch and has over 300 guitars for sale, as well as a live music space downstairs and a made-to-measure counter for ordering bespoke, custom guitars.At the first preview of the store, Led Zeppelin icon Jimmy Page was in attendance to reveal a new collaboration with the brand – launching a replica of his iconic 1971 Doubleneck.As well as Page, Brian May of Queen and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath were in also attendance, and joined the Led Zeppelin guitarist in cutting the opening ribbon.

“Under Pressure” under protest.The 1981 hit — a colossal collaboration between British music gods Queen and David Bowie that soared to No. 1 in the UK and has remained a class-rock mainstay — didn’t mesh as well with May as it has with fans over the years.“I never liked it, to be honest, the way it was mixed,” May, 76, told “Total Guitar” magazine.Indeed, the Queen guitarist clashed with the late Bowie during the “very difficult” late-night studio session “after we had a meal and a lot of drinks.”An earlier version of the song — which was much more to May’s liking — “sounded like The Who” and was “massively chord-driven.”“I was beaming because I liked The Who.

The Dandy Warhols have shared their latest single, ‘I’d Like to Help You With Your Problem’, which features Slash on guitar. Check it out below.The song is set to be included on the band’s upcoming 12th studio album ‘Rockmaker’, which comes out on March 15 via Sunset Blvd.

Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that he has “never liked” the mix of ‘Under Pressure’, the band’s 1981 smash hit collaboration with David Bowie. Speaking in an interview with Total Guitar (via Guitar World), May revealed that the original version of ‘Under Pressure’ “sounded massively chord-driven,” but that much of its “heavy guitar was lost” following Bowie’s input on the final mix.Recalling the song’s creation, May said ‘Under Pressure’ was the result of spontaneous late nights in the studio, with the initial cut featuring a “pretty heavy backing track.” At first, May said he was “beaming” over the heavier guitar sound because it reminded him of The Who.May raised that comparison to Bowie, who said “‘it’s not going to sound like The Who by the time I’ve finished with it.’” May continued: “[Bowie] didn’t want it to be that way.”The guitarist said that the changes were made because “we all had different ideas of how [‘Under Pressure’] should be mixed,” specifically naming Bowie and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.“Basically it was Freddie and David fighting it out in the studio with the mix,” May recalled, “and what happened in the mix was that most of that heavy guitar was lost.”May went on to reveal that he originally played the main riff of ‘Under Pressure’ on an electric guitar, but that it was replaced by the “acoustic bits which were done first as a sort of demo.” As for the final mix that was eventually released, May admitted that he “never liked it, to be honest.”“I do recognise that it works.

Queen have shared a new clip of the performance of ‘We Are The Champions’ from their live movie Queen Rock Montreal. Check it out exclusively on NME above.After a London premiere earlier this week, a digitally-remastered cut of the recording of the rock icons’ legendary 1981 shows at the 18,000-seat Montreal Forum will be released in 450 IMAX Cinemas tomorrow (Thursday January 18).The live movie includes 12-channel surround sound, crystal-clear images, and IMAX’s customiSed theatre geometry, as the band deliver a set packed with classics including ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ and many more.“I don’t think we quite realised it at the time, but this film has preserved one of the highest peaks in Queen’s touring life, on stage in the old glory days,” said guitarist Brian May.

Tony Iommi has provided details for the box set of the albums Black Sabbath recorded with vocalist Tony Martin.In his 2024 New Year’s message – a yearly tradition the Black Sabbath guitarist has maintained since 2022 – Iommi addressed the box set of the Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath albums which was slated for release last year.“Last year, when I did my message, I did say we’d have a box set coming out,” said Iommi after warm holiday greetings to fans. “Well, now, I’m being informed that it will be out in May.

Queen‘s Brian May has joined Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi for a performance of ‘Paranoid’.The guitarists reunited to discuss the Black Sabbath classic for a segment in the new guitar-themed Sky Arts documentary, Greatest Guitar Riffs. “I’m sitting down with my mate, Brian, to talk riffs,” narrated Iommi at the head of the clip.

Brian May has shared that he is concerned over the increase in copyright strikes issued against Queen and Adam Lambert concert videos posted on social media.Yesterday (December 18), May took to his official Instagram page to share a screenshot of a fan’s post in which she claimed to have received a strike from both Universal and YouTube over Queen concert videos she posted on the platform.“Hi guys, it looks like Universal and YouTube are now coming for everyone who posts concert videos of Queen and Adam [Lambert]. I got a strike and deleted most of my concert videos. If you get multiple strikes you may lose your channel.

Sky Arts have revealed the UK’s favourite guitar riff in a brand new three part documentary series, titled, Greatest Guitar Riffs, which aired on November 24.A poll of 2000 music fans votes was carried out to find out the nation’s favourite riff, and included in the top 40 were Sam Fender’s ‘Seventeen Going Under’, Arctic Moneys’ ‘Do I Wanna Know’ and Pharrell William’s ‘Happy’.But the top choice was revealed as ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ by Guns N’ Roses. The track, which was released in June 1988, quickly topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the rock band’s only US Number One single.It came in at number 88th on Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time list in 2021, and is clearly still a favourite of the UK public.‘Purple Rain’ by Prince was the runner-up, with ‘Sultans Of Swing’ by British rock band, Dire Straits, coming in at third place.Director of Sky Arts, Phil Edgar-Jones, spoke on the series saying: “Whether its’ the late, great Jimi Hendrix, the stalwarts such as Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin, or the new artists coming through, rock n’roll will never die.”“There’s new talent coming through constantly.

Nandi Bushell got to perform with Queen guitarist Brian May in her first TV acting role – check out their performance below.Bushell is appearing in the BBC children’s comedy series Andy and the Band, which sees a fictional band called Andy and the Odd Socks embark on adventures around Planet Rock.“Planet Rock is in distress due to a lack of pure, honest rock music coming from Earth,” reads the BBC’s description. The Godfather of Rock (May) is concerned, but his Goddaughter Emerald (Bushell) beats him to the punch and sets off for Earth.”The series concludes with a Battle Of The Bands competition in which Bushell and May team up.

Duff McKagan has shared his thoughts on the use of AI in songwriting, revealing that he has no plans to let the technology “affect my creativity”.The Guns N’ Roses bassist was speaking as part of an In Conversation livestream with author Dan Jones last week (October 4), when he opened up about the inspiration behind his new solo album ‘Lighthouse’, his ongoing struggle with panic attacks, and thoughts on the use of artificial intelligence in songwriting.Discussing how his personal life and long-running interest in history acted as inspiration for the upcoming LP, the musician and songwriter also shared his thoughts on the increasing use of AI in the industry, and confirmed he has no plans to be experimenting with the technology any time soon.“You’re gonna always have guys like me who [have] just got their middle finger up. They’re gonna just keep creating and not even pay attention to it, really,” he began.

Queen and Adam Lambert have begun their 2023 ‘Rhapsody’ tour in Baltimore. Here’s everything they played on opening night.The legendary band launched the acclaimed show back in 2019, and brought it to the UK, Ireland and Europe last year.

Queen is back on tour with Adam Lambert providing lead vocals and the setlist is pretty incredible!

Queen and Adam Lambert are set to embark on their North American ‘Rhapsody’ tour next week – find all the details below.The legendary band launched the acclaimed show back in 2019, and brought it to the UK, Ireland and Europe last year.Per a press release, Queen and their frontman Lambert are now taking the newly “expanded and updated” production back to the US and Canada “where it first began”. The group have promised an “even more ambitious show” at the upcoming dates.Queen’s 2023 Rhapsody’ tour is scheduled to begin with two consecutive nights at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland next Wednesday (October 4) and Thursday (5).From there, they’ll visit Toronto, Detroit, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other cities throughout the month.

Queen‘s Brian May played a critical role in a NASA mission to bring the largest asteroid sample ever back to Earth.The legendary guitarist – who is also an astrophysicist and received his PhD from Imperial College in 2007 – assisted in helping to identifying the site from which the sample was taken.May is an expert in stereoscopy, which is the process of dealing with a pair of two-dimensional images that, when viewed by both eyes, can be used to create a 3D scene. The process was essential in helping to identify where the spacecraft could collect samples without damaging or destroying itself.Today (September 24), it was announced that a capsule containing about 250g of rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu as part of NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission had parachuted into the desert in Utah.A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal)May and his collaborator Claudia Manzoni contributed in the shortlist of possible sample sites on Bennu.

Queen and Adam Lambert’s ‘Rhapsody Tour’ kicks off in just two weeks, it isn’t too late to pick up last-minute tickets to catch the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers live this year.In fact, as of now, tickets are available for all 23 concerts on the nationwide run.That includes back-to-back gigs at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Oct. 12 and Friday, Oct.

Brian May and Roger Taylor have confirmed the line-up of their ‘official tribute band’ Queen Extravaganza and announced a run of tour dates for 2024.Queen Extravaganza has been touring together for over a decade and features a line-up that was hand-picked by May and Taylor to perform their music.May and Taylor have now confirmed that the line-up for next year’s tour includes Nick Radcliffe on guitar, François-Olivier Doyon on bass, George Farrar on drums and Alirio Netto and Gareth Taylor on vocals.You can see the full list of 2024 dates below and buy your tickets here.FEBRUARY26 – Wolverhampton, Civic Hall27 – Bradford, St George’s Hall28 – Newcastle, O2 City HallMARCH1 – Glasgow, SEC Armadillo2 – Derby, Arena4 – Swansea, Arena5 – Bristol, Beacon6 – London, Eventim Apollo8 – Stockton, Globe9 – Manchester, O2 Apollo10 – Oxford, New Theatre12 – Eastbourne, Congress Theatre13 – Ipswich, Regent Theatre15 – Plymouth, Pavilion16 – Bournemouth, International Centre 17 – Truro, Hall For Cornwall19 – Dublin, Olympia Theatre21 – Belfast, Waterfront HallMeanwhile, in other Queen news, an auction took place earlier this week saw over 1,400 of Freddie Mercury’s personal possessions sold off, which May admitted was “too sad” to think about.The auction saw handwritten lyrics for some of Queen’s most famous songs, jewellery worn by Mercury, and his collection of artwork go under the hammer.In a social media post, May said of the action: “Freddie’s most intimate personal effects, and writings that were part of what we shared for so many years, will go under the hammer, to be knocked down to the highest bidder and dispersed forever.“I can’t look.

Queen’s Brian May has admitted that an auction, which saw over 1,400 of Freddie Mercury’s personal possessions sold off, was “too sad” to think about.Held at Sotheby’s earlier this week (September 6), the auction saw handwritten lyrics for some of Queen’s most famous songs, jewellery worn by Mercury, and his collection of artwork go under the hammer.The item that fetched the most at the auction house was the piano that Mercury used to compose the hit song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – a 1973 Yamaha Grand, which sold for £1.7million. This surpassed the amount that John Lennon’s piano, which he used to write ‘Imagine’, reached in a previous auction.Ahead of the auction, May shared an old photo on Instagram of Mercury playing the guitar.A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal)He wrote: “At the time this photo was taken I’m sure it didn’t seem very important to see Freddie’s fingers dancing on my own home-made guitar.

Tom Rowe has been the main musical man behind Ted Lasso for all three seasons, including that memorable and catchy theme song, but it was an assignment to write a song that could really get to the heart of what the series and its title character is all about that has led to an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for Rowe and his key collaborator, singer and musician Sam Ryder.

Queen’s Brian May has taken to social media to hit out at the ongoing badger cull in England, describing it as a “blood bath”.The comments came in light of the way that the English government is working to end the spread of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) in cattle, which has led to a widespread cull of badgers.Taking to social media, the iconic guitarist revealed that he is currently working on a new documentary in partnership with the BBC, investigating the spread of the disease across UK farms.In the footage, May shared that he had visited a farm in South Wales in a “search for the truth” on whether the root of the issue is predominantly due to badgers spreading Bovine TB to cattle – and whether killing badgers will reduce the spread or not.“And so returning home with another piece of the jigsaw puzzle,” he said, travelling home after visiting the farm. “But at least hats off to Wales for looking for a humane solution.

Queen‘s Brian May says he regrets never having managed to collaborate with John Lennon.Across his career both as a solo artist and with his band, May has worked with a host of artists including David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Status Quo and more.In a new piece with The Guardian where fans asked May questions, one wanted to know which artist he regretted not having the chance to work with.May responded: “I very seldom turn down a collaboration. A regret is that I didn’t get the chance to work with John Lennon.”He added: “The Beatles didn’t always agree, they were always pulling and pushing – a bit like us and Queen – and I think John would be such a stronger pusher and puller.

Queen have become the latest act to receive a BRIT Billion Award for surpassing one billion streams in the UK. The band accepted the trophy just as they reached the 50th anniversary of their debut album, which was released in July 1973, the same year that BRIT Billion Award giver the BPI was formed. Which is all very convenient.“Thank you for presenting Queen with a BRIT Billion Award”, says guitarist Brian May.

Naman Ramachandran Rock group Queen have been presented with a Brit Billion Award by the BPI, the industry body for U.K. record labels and music companies, which is also home to the Brit Awards. The Brit Billion Award celebrates the band’s achievement in surpassing the landmark of 1 billion career streams in the U.K., as calculated by the Official Charts Company. Queen’s most-streamed hits include classics “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Under Pressure,” “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.”

Queen guitarist Brian May has said that their former bassist John Deacon is still “very much part of” the band.Deacon joined Queen in 1971 and contributed to all of the band’s albums. The bassist departed the music industry in 1997 after recording the Queen single ‘No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)’.

Queen guitarist Brian May has said that it’s “not impossible” that the band could discuss playing Glastonbury Festival.Back in 2019, May explained why the band would “never” play the festival, before doubling down on the comments this year.Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis previously called May a “danger to farming” and criticised the guitarist’s opposition to the controversial badger cull –  arguing that the process is a fight against the impact that bovine TB can cause when cattle become infected.May then said the band will never play Worthy Farm because “Michael Eavis has frequently insulted me, and I don’t particularly enjoy that. What bothers me more is that he’s in favour of the badger cull, which I regard as a tragedy and an unnecessary crime against wildlife.”In a new interview with The Guardian, May was asked once again about Glastonbury and whether he and Eavis could settle their differences.He said: “You can never say never, but it’s a very big matter of principle to me.

Since 2011, two of the three remaining core four band members - Brian May and Roger Taylor - have continued to tour with American Idol alumni Adam Lambert taking over from Freddie - but according to Spike, this wasn't always the plan.