Brian May admits current state of the world “keeps me awake at night”
Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that he loses sleep worrying about the current state of the world.
In a new interview with the Radio Times, the Queen icon admitted, “I feel despondent about the world of humans.”
He elaborated, “It keeps me awake at night. The cruelty, the ignorance, the lies, the rewriting of history. I think an understanding and love of art and music make it impossible to be the kind of person who wants to go out and be cruel to others.”
Without calling out any specific world leaders or figures who are responsible for shaping the political climate, May added, “There’s so much suffering in the world, why would we want to add to it?”
The guitarist then explained that he believes division has been sown due to people no longer being able to agree to disagree, adding, “We’ve lost the ability to discuss things and respect other people’s point of view, we have a horrendous polarisation.”
He claimed, “If people spent more time looking at the stars and making music, none of this would be possible.”
In addition to his worries about the wider world, May has suffered health struggles in recent years, which have also shaped his worldview.
During an interview on Alan Titchmarsh’s Love Your Weekend on ITV in November, May said, “I’ve been lucky, I get these things, but I seem to be able to get out of them. They give you a wake-up call.”
Since suffering a minor stroke in 2024, May has returned to the stage for a series of public appearances and has seemingly made a full recovery.
While Queen don’t have any dates in their calendar and have not performed live in almost two years, May let slip in September that they are currently locked in talks regarding playing The Sphere in Vegas, stating, “I’m very keen on The Sphere. It’s got my mind working.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.