I don’t know if you’ve ever had your mind truly blown by the levels of expertise shown by a particular artist.
However, often, it’s the sort of thing that convinces you to either pick up an instrument in the first place or confirms that you’re never going to make it to that level and that there’s no point continuing when the bar has been set so high. The first person that often springs to mind as being an example of a mind-bendingly good musician is Jimi Hendrix, who, in a brief career, managed to frazzle the minds of audiences with the most electrifying approach to guitar playing that the rock and roll world had witnessed.
Of course, there have been plenty of others who have challenged him for a position on the Mount Rushmore of incredible guitarists, many of whom were directly persuaded to pick the instrument up as a result of his influence. Brian May, for example, may not necessarily hold a huge amount in common with Hendrix in terms of his own individual style, but the sheer ferocity he brought to Queen as their guitarist and his ability to whip up indelible solos while exerting very little effort have placed him firmly amongst the greats.
May was also privileged in the sense that he was surrounded by other musicians in the band who could equally have been placed on their respective podiums for their own instruments. In particular, Freddie Mercury always had the ability to astound when it came to his songwriting and vocal ability, ever proving his dexterity and desire to push himself to the limit. Roger Taylor and John Deacon combined make up one of the finest rhythm sections in classic rock as well, and there’s no doubt that May would have been blown away by the talents of the trio that he worked alongside for the majority of his career.
However, in terms of being left dragging his jaw along the floor at the ability of other guitarists, it was a close friend of his who introduced him to the most impressive player, and one who had a profound effect on him and his outlook on guitar playing like no other had done before.
Speaking in an interview, May revealed his love for Eddie Van Halen. “Ed was a phenomenon, and I guess that hardly needs saying,” he said, with an air of awestruck admiration still lingering. “I met him for the first time through Tony Iommi, my great friend from Black Sabbath, when I was watching the two of them.”
“Van Halen were opening up for Black Sabbath,” May continued, stopping to stare into the camera as if to suggest that this now feels like a preposterous claim. “It was in the Circus Krone in Munich, and I hadn’t seen Tony for a while, and I’d never seen Van Halen.”
Adding, “Luckily, I got there in time to see him play, and I was just like, ‘Wow, what is this? What is this guy? What is he doing?’ I can’t even begin to figure out what this guy’s doing and how his fingers are moving. It was a bit like seeing Jimi Hendrix for the first time, like, how does anyone do that? What has he got that’s so magical that we’ve never seen before?”
He may well have been stunned and at a loss for words about the abilities of Van Halen, but the two would eventually work together in 1983 on the Star Fleet Project EP, which saw May recruit a number of friends for an extra-curricular project. It might seem like a lot for the ears to handle, but there’s no doubt that having this duo in the same room would have been the most extraordinary jam session to have witnessed.