Credit: Raph Pour-Hashemi
Fri 7 August 2026 18:30, UK
Despite what their prestigious name might suggest, Queen were hardly angels sent from on high. Brian May made no mistake about that.
Plenty of sex, drugs, and rock and roll in their time was enough to slam the pearly gates well and truly shut, but having lived the life that they did together, the consequences of their exploits were something to worry about much later down the line. The screech of the guitar, the blinding of the lights, and the roar of the crowd would keep them happy for now.
Indeed, if anyone believes in any sort of afterlife in a religious context, that’s not something which is likely to cross the mind of a bona fide rock star. Instead, their sense of sanctuary can be found in the art itself. On that front, among the congregation of the rock and roll masses, May comes across like he is actually one of the most devout.
Yet because of his sheer dedication to the cause, the Queen guitarist is perhaps more attuned to bands with a similar worship of the genre to what he has. In this capacity, he is obviously one of the greats, but there is one group of classic rockers who take their job so strictly and seriously that even May looks up to them as gods.
“I love people that are so immersed in it that it’s serious,” he explained in an interview back in 1989. “I love AC/DC – what they do, it’s very pure. But we’re not that way, so we can’t pretend we are. It’s good to be able to step back and see the funny side of it, because it kicks out some of the shit.”
Admittedly, it is hilarious to hear AC/DC being described as anything other than satanic, let alone “pure”. Come on now, that might be taking things a bit too far. But there is a point to be made within this about the power of juxtaposing adjectives: that for as long as the band have fully committed themselves to their dark and twisted ways, the more stringent devotees to rock and roll they show themselves to be.
It’s testament to May’s decades in the business that he was able to pick up on that clever transition of craft, but it speaks to a much wider condition in rock where the more extreme and extravagant someone goes, it shows how desperate they are to be inducted into the fold of the greats. Freddie Mercury was certainly one of those.
Further reading: From The Vault
For the part of the guitarist, he might have downplayed the overall commitment Queen had to this cause, but in reality, they were just as proud as all the rest. They may not have expressed it in such blistering ways as the likes of AC/DC, but for a band with such a theatrical pomp and regal air, no one could say that they weren’t following some sort of rock and roll bible.
Of course, it was never about sinners and saints or heaven and hell, but rock and roll does often create this odd dichotomy between the two extremes that can be hard to understand. May did a lot of work to explain it using the example of AC/DC; that things weren’t as simple as being good or bad. Dedication made you the most valued follower.
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