Brian May

I was actually perfectly happy when I had no money, which lasted right up until we had a hit with Killer Queen, in 1974. I never wanted for anything. ”

There's nothing I'm embarrassed about. ”

I really thought I was pretty good before I saw Hendrix, and then I thought: Yeah, not so good. ”

Everybody thought I was a bit of an eccentric for wanting to be out there looking at the stars, but I still do. ”

The music itself is very challenging, so I've never really felt the lack of stimulation. I love to be creating; I love to be making things and solving problems, I suppose, and when I'm not, then I'm not an incredibly good person to be around. If I'm not busy, then I think I would be disaster. That's just the way things are. ”

In print, people can do anything to you. Everything you do is picked apart. People love it; they're waiting for you to make a mistake. ”

I spent 20 years of my life building up Queen, and now I'm spending years of my life trying to get away from it. ”

Queen songs are not about the life of a rock star - they tend to be about the lives of normal people, which is why I think the songs connect so much. We're very lucky that they seemingly connect with every generation. ”

I think music is about our internal life. It's part of the way people touch each other. That's very precious to me. And astronomy is, in a sense, the very opposite thing. Instead of looking inwards, you are looking out, to things beyond our grasp. ”

I like to go for a walk or swimming or in the garden when I can. It's a busy kind of life, but I guess I'm lucky. ”