Guitarist Turns To Politics

Queen guitarist Brian May has talked candidly about the coalition Government, saying, “We need a change of government, and if there isn’t one, I think we will all slit our wrists.” The statement came when May was asked for Queen’s Christmas message during an interview with The Guardian and is not the first time May has opposed aspects of the current coalition government.

Previously, May lead thousands on an anti-badger culling march, protesting Prime Minister David Cameron’s planned proposal. At the time, May said, “If the Government don’t listen to us today the pressure will still be there. I’m not the person who cares about money, I care about everything else.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the interview, the guitarist and Queen drummer Roger Taylor also spoke favourably about Adam Lambert – the former American Idol contestant who has been fronting the band since 2012, filling in for the late Freddie Mercury.

Discussing the singer, May said that Lambert successfully managed to put his own spin on the band’s classic canon. “If Adam does something camp, it’s because it’s Adam,” May said. “He’s not trying to be Freddie. Freddie is mentally and physically present throughout the show and everyone knows that.”

He continued to praise Lambert’s sense of “fun”, elaborating, “He brings a lot of fun to the situation, the way Freddie did. In the old days, we were worried about everything being perfect. And now we have a real awareness that there aren’t many people out there playing completely live, so you treasure the mistakes you make.”

Lambert, meanwhile, stated that filling in for Mercury was like filling in for a “myth”. “Freddie is like a myth,” he said. “It’s like he’s not real. When I look at footage of him, the voice, the command of the stage – it is extremely intimidating to walk up to.”

Queen with Adam Lambert will perform a special gig on New Year’s Eve near London landmark Big Ben which will be televised live on BBC One from 11.15pm.