Brian May admits he still finds it hard to play Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody: “I still have to keep my wits about me or I’ll fall off the train”
You’d think after half a century of playing one of the most famous songs in rock history, Brian May would have it down cold. But according to the Queen guitarist, Bohemian Rhapsody remains as tricky as ever – so much so that he still has to ‘keep his wits about him’ every time he plays it.
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Speaking to Rolling Stone, May shares how the complexity of Freddie Mercury’s writing made the track both exhilarating and challenging to play.
“The idea for all the instrumental stuff in Rhapsody was growing while I was listening to him developing the song,” he says. “Freddie had some amazingly lateral thought processes. It was always easier for me to play on his songs than mine, ’cause there was so much stimulation coming.”
That said, the six-minute track is no walk in the park, even for its original guitarist.
“Bohemian Rhapsody is never that easy to play, even after all these years,” May admits. “I still have to keep my wits about me or I’ll fall off the train.”
And while the song continues to test him, the grind of constant touring is another challenge altogether. Though fans may be clamouring for yet another Queen tour, May, now 78, admits that life on the road no longer holds the same appeal.
“ I’ve had 50 years of touring and there’s a part of me that thinks it’s enough,” he says. “I don’t like the idea that you wake up in your hotel room and you’re trapped. I had a few experiences recently where stuff happened at home with my family and I could not go home. It got under my skin and I just thought, ‘I’m not sure if I want this anymore.’ I feel like I’ve given up my freedom too many times. So my feeling at the moment is I don’t want to tour as such. I still want to play shows. I still want to innovate.”
That innovation may soon find a new home in Las Vegas. May has his sights set on a Queen residency at the Sphere, the high-tech venue with 360-degree visuals that left him stunned after watching the Eagles perform there.
“ I’m very keen on the Sphere,” says the guitarist. “It’s got my mind working. I sat there watching the Eagles, thinking, ‘We should do this. The stuff that we could bring to this would be stupendous.’ So, yeah, I would like to do it. We’re having conversations.”
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