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Brian May, Rock Legend, Soon-To-Be Astrophysicist
xPsi writes "Brian May, the guitarist for the legendary rock band Queen (age 60), has finally decided to submit his Ph.D. thesis in astrophysics. The title is 'Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud.' From the article: 'May was studying astrophysics at Imperial College when he formed Queen with singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor in 1970. He dropped his doctorate research into interstellar dust as the band met with increasing success.' And, hey, if this whole Rock-n-Roll thing doesn't pan out, at least he'll have something to fall back on."
He may get to meet some chicks!
Rock on... \m/ \m/
It is never too late for scholarly accomplishment and is encouraging to see folks go back to finish work begun many years prior or even to begin studies later than would be traditionally done. I'd like to think that if I can achieve a certain financial independence that I'd complete a second Ph.D. later in life in a field completely unrelated to the one I am working in now. Perhaps something cool like history...
On top of that, perhaps Dr. May's degree will help focus a little positive attention on science given that many in politics these days seem to have made us scientists out to be the boogey man/woman.
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http://www.banguniverse.com/
How cool is it that after all of the concerts, the world tours, the money, that he completes a life project like this?
How many people that attain the level that Queen rose to, would just spend their time spending the money?
I think it's awesome that he's going to finish up.
My mom says I'm cool.
"Earlier this month, the writer of such Queen hits as "We Will Rock You" and "Fat Bottomed Girls" was granted an honorary doctorate from Exeter University in Devon, England."
Because nothing says "academic" like singing "Fat Bottomed Girls" at the next Faculty Meeting...
I wonder if the physics department here will be expecting me to finish mine, 17 years after the funding ran out and now several years after the detector shut down... Now, maybe if they have my data on backup tapes and there's a spare Vax 11/750 going...
Are you kidding? How else can you get through a PhD in physics?
I think one of the contributing factors to be considered is that he's rather well off financially, won't have to work another single day in his life again and is basically free to do as he damn well pleases. I think in such circumstances, quite a few older people would be able to finish their studies, especially in a field that has become a life-long passion (which is rather the norm with astronomers than an exception). Kudos for Brian May for pulling this one off though, it's hard work even *with* a lot of passion involved.
Ever wondered whats wrong with the world? http://www.ishmael.org/
Nothing really matters
...
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the stellar wind blows
It sounds like he is a real life Buckaroo Banzai, like in the 1984 movie "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension." Buckaroo Banazi was a rock star, particle physicist, neurosurgeon, and race car driver. So, it really is possible to do all that! That was the movie where Earth was invaded by aliens flew around in space ships which looked like giant sea shells.
Buckaroo Banzai
Brian May's a bit of a hacker. Most of his music was played on a guitar he built himself.
For example: "The tremolo system is made from an old hardened-steel knife-edge shaped into a V and two motorbike valve springs to counter the string tension."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Special
Environmentalism is the new Victorianism. Everyone ties on a green corset and pretends we're virtuous.
Instead of a party animal and physicist who spent a lot of time drumming, here's a drummer who's taken advantage of the world around him, and is contributing to man's exploration of astrophysics. Very cool.
Oh, and if you're ever interested in a superb read about a real life nerd superstar, check out "Surely, You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
Ryan Fenton
...for late PhD submission.
Acid is pretty much the drug least likely to fry your brain...
Anyway, the most common - and probably most destructive - drug used by musicians is...alcohol!
He never really dabbed into drugs, nor did most of the band (from what I've read...)
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May quote -
"...May dislikes smoking, even to the point where he specifically prohibits smoking indoors at his more recent concerts."
As well as
"His avoidance of alcohol can be traced to an early concert where Queen played with the band Aerosmith, and May had a conversation with fellow guitarist Joe Perry backstage. Perry brought out a bottle of whisky, which the two drank between themselves. May felt so unpleasant during the concert that he promised himself never to have more than one drink before playing."
he'll be the commencement speaker and play "We are the champions" AND he'll get paid royalties for it.
this is great. Queen was an amazing group. to think that Brian May had that in him as well? Very nice.
nature loves variety::society hates it get your variety at http://www.monkeypantz.net
May will soon join the ranks of Ph.D.-holding rockers including Milo Aukerman of the Descendents and Greg Graffin of Bad Religion. Dexter Holland of The Offspring was a Ph.D. candidate as well; unfortunately he did not complete his degree.
Many kudos to May, as his musical talent has been a gift to the world. Similarly, he will give outstanding contributions to the scientific community in the future.
Of course, back then, that was quite a bit of money for a teenage boy.
Equivalent to about GBP250 US$500 in today's economy, according to this calculator.
the pun is mightier than the sword
I agree that a second Ph.D. is pointless for the reasons you say, however...
So in fact what you really want to do is read for a BA (or BSc) in a new area - just do it at a good university (which unfortunately rules out most).
No, to get started in a new field you want to take MA or MSc courses in a new area; the BA/BSc is supposed to prepare you for graduate study in general. Or just read the books and watch the lectures on-line.
http://woodside.blogs.com/cosmologycuriosity/2006/ 05/queens_39_and_r.html
http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/04/26/relatively-pl easant/
The zodiacal dust is actually dust in our own solar system - you can see it at dawn and dusk as the zodiacal light. However, one suggestion in Brian May's thesis is that there may be a component of the zodiacal dust that is interstellar. It's something that future observations he's proposing could test.
It's interesting to note that very little has been done on the zodiacal light since he started his PhD work in the early 70s. However, the next generation of cosmic microwave background satellites like Planck will need improved knowledge of foreground dust so that its contaminating emission can be removed. This has added new interest and impetus to the kind of studies that Brian May is resurrecting.
For example, the bass player and singer of French death metal band Carcariass has a PhD in CS, and publishes research on distributed numerical techniques. Not only that, he's been working and publishing while the band has been releasing new CDs...
To within half a percent, pi seconds is a nanocentury. -- Tom Duff
FTA:Greg Fryer, an Australian guitar luthier, produced 3 copies of the Red Special in 1996/97 with permission from May, who allowed Fryer to x-ray the body for information on the internal cavities in the body, taking exhaustive body measurements for CAD/CAM reproduction, Fryer named his three replicas John, Paul and George. May has 2 of these guitars, John and George while Fryer kept Paul, which was built with slightly different tone woods for a "more aggressive edge" tonally, for himself.
I found this statement odd, since I have always found May's sound to be extremely aggressive and forward. Kind of the antithesis of Mark Knopfler. IMHO, the Queen songs that have turned into sports anthems (We Will Rock You, We are the Champions), have some of the most aggressive guitar riffs in any music.
Sorry, what you're saying is a bit misleading. While the opus that leads ultimately to a Ph.D. is formally called a dissertation, it is colloquially (and almost universally, in the program that I was in) referred to as a thesis, by people who are actually in the thick of doing it: "Christ, I'm *never* going to finish this *$&#! thesis."
Websters defines thesis (definition 4) as: "a dissertation embodying results of original research and especially substantiating a specific view; especially : one written by a candidate for an academic degree."
Kind of a pointless post, I know, but I thought I'd mention it . . . And, from an aging Ph.D. holder to an even older candidate: Hooray for you, Brian May! What a kickass (and inspiring) story. Apparently, 60 really *is* the new 30 . . .
Yeah, but his guitar pick only cost him sixpence.
I hope that the seven of you who get that joke enjoyed it.
"I guess the moral of the story is, don't paint your airship with rocket fuel." -- Addison Bain
we will, we will Doc you
I take it you don't do much clinical medical research? The M.D./Ph.D. combo is not uncommon there. The M.D.'s usually have done a residency/passed the specialist boards, too.
I'm told the working title for his thesis was The Orbital Mechanics of Fat-Bottomed Girls: Making the Rockin' World Go 'Round.
Patrick Moore is extremely old and sooner or later will permanently stop presenting the show. Brian May is appearing on the show more and more frequently as time goes by. Someone is needed who (a) knows astronomy and physics thoroughly enough to maintain standards, and who (b) can hold the attention of an audience. I spy a candidate...
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.