Brian May, Rock Legend, Publishes His Thesis

A year ago we took note when Brian May, guitarist for Queen for the last 30 years, submitted his thesis for a Ph.D. in astrophysics. The news now is that the thesis has been published. You, too, can read all about the population of tiny asteroids and space dust that cause the Zodiacal light. The completed thesis appears as the book "A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud" (Springer and Canopus Publishing Ltd., 2008), available at Amazon for $71.96. May was awarded his Ph.D. last summer and accepted a position as chancellor at a British university in November.

Comments

Too pricey

[Ron_Fitzgerald]

$71.96? Come on, Halo 3 was only $60 and that cost $100,000,000 to make.

Re:Too pricey

[reset_button]

I just paid $60 for a copy of MY OWN dissertation! Five years of hard work and then my university makes me pay $200+ for copyright and publishing, then charges me another $60 to get a copy!

Re:Too pricey

[CowardWithAName]

So tell him where to stick that fancy label.

Somehow I doubt May has been sleeping on any sidewalks recently...

</inside-joke>

Rock music

[DivineGod]

This sorts of gives that term a new meaning?

Re:Rock music

[Ron_Fitzgerald]

I though for sure the first bad joke would have something to do with Mercury!!

Full thesis title

[radimvice]

"Another One Bites the Dust: A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud".

Re:Full thesis title

[philspear]

I wonder if he used a radio-ga-ga telescope to get his data?

Re:Full thesis title

[nick_davison]

The rotation of oscillating rotational planets, as influenced by female homo sapiens with large gluteal regions.

Re:Full thesis title

[tyrione]

The rotation of oscillating rotational planets, as influenced by female homo sapiens with large gluteal regions.

Fat-bottomed Girls to the less verbose-minded.

Two down, two to go

[plopez]

Now all he needs to do is learn how to do brain surgery and start making movies.

If you don't get the joke, rent this one:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086856/

and watch the extended version

Professors

[Enderandrew]

His astrophysicist professors kept arguing with him that despite his assertions, fat-bottomed girls did not make the world go round.

Re:Professors

[meringuoid]

His astrophysicist professors kept arguing with him that despite his assertions, fat-bottomed girls did not make the world go round.

However, it appears that travelling at the speed of light would make a supersonic man out of you.

Dedicatory

[gmuslera]

To all people that didn't finished school to search for fame and fortune.

Good for him

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure beats getting coked out and dying in a gutter like some other rock legends.

Re:Good for him

[philspear]

As someone going for their PhD, I have to wonder if it actually does.

And he still plays!

[Master of Transhuman]

Andrea Corr & Brian May performing "Is This The World We Created?" at the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Concert at Hyde Park on June 27th 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amG-3BiiEu8

Beyond impressed

[Pheidias]

To an opera singer who is wading into comp. sci. / AI / brain science (and rapidly getting submerged, I must admit), this is rather inspiring.

Come on, Neil Peart! Don't let the guitarists get all the PhD's!

Re:Beyond impressed

[rob1980]

Peart is a fantastic writer. If he put out a thesis in anything I'd take a look just because it'll be an interesting read.

WIth a cool doctoral dissertation like that

[Hawthorne01]

the guy will finally be able to score with the chicks!

Rock legend becoming a PhD?

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

That's not news. PhD's are ten a penny and I see no reason to assume that rock legends are less intelligent than the rest of us. It's like those news stories that make a big deal of educated women. "And she has a degree in Mathematics - ooh, aah!"

Now a PhD becoming a rock legend on the other hand. That would be news! Becoming a rock legend is not an ordinary everyday occurrence.

Obligatory Simpson's

[LM741N]

Homer: "Rock stars- they know everything!"

I think...

[david.given]

...he's going to be the only person in academic history to actually generate any income from selling his Ph.D thesis.

Re:The real question is...

[mike260]

Is Brian May a LaTeX user? Perhaps he could write a song about it.

I Want to Break Free?
Chinese Torture?
I'm Going Slightly Mad?

He's no Buckaroo Bonzai

[CrazyJim1]

Sure he's a rockstar and astrophyics scientist... But is no neurosurgeon, race car driver, nor comic book hero. He gotta ways to go.