The guitarist Brian May holds in the highest regard: “Colossal”
Armed with his trusty Red Special and a sixpence, Brian May established one of the most distinctive oeuvres in guitar playing. While his band Queen are a musical Marmite for many music fans, with the same said for his approach, objectively, no one can say that May is not a great guitarist.
From ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to ‘Brighton Rock’, May laid down a collection of searing moments that have confirmed his place at the table amongst the guitarists he calls his heroes. While May has cited various players as impacting his style, the man he deems the most important to his life and career is the late Jimi Hendrix.
During a 2020 interview with Total Guitar, May said that the Seattle native is his “number one” and that he still learns new things from him even now. He explained: “Every time I go back to Hendrix, I’m thrilled and stunned, and I get that feeling all over again, like either I’m going to give up playing guitar, because I can’t face up to this, or I’m gonna really have to get into it in a big way and try and do what is in my own body and soul. I never stop learning from Jimi.”
While Hendrix is indisputably May’s ultimate idol, the Queen legend has always been up to date with the latest direction the instrument has taken and has effused about a fascinating menagerie of axemen from across history, ranging from Kurt Cobain to Eddie Van Halen.
When appearing on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show in 2023, May reacted to fans dubbing him the ultimate six-string player before revealing a collection of those he deems his favourites. He explained: “I take everything like that with a pinch of salt, really, ’cause you can’t say who’s best. The nice thing about guitar playing is that everybody’s different. You can’t really rank people.”
Hendrix also featured alongside Cobain and Van Halen, but perhaps the most intriguing inclusion was that of Steve Vai, a man May dubbed “colossal”. Notably, the American guitarist cut his teeth with the eminent Frank Zappa before establishing himself as one of the greatest virtuosos. He has since recorded with Public Image Ltd, Mary J. Blige, Alice Cooper, and Motörhead, a short list that conveys the reach his dynamic playing has. Of his playing, Brian May said: “Steve Vai is just colossal, beautiful.”
Vai’s inclusion among May’s favourites speaks volumes about the kind of guitarist he values. Where Hendrix represented raw, untamed expression, Vai embodies a different kind of brilliance. He is an artist rooted in precision, discipline and almost otherworldly technical command. Emerging from Frank Zappa’s notoriously demanding band, Vai honed a style that blurred the line between composition and performance, treating the guitar less like a rock instrument and more like a limitless sonic tool.
Yet what makes Vai stand out isn’t just his virtuosity, but the emotional intent behind it. For all the dizzying runs and complex phrasing, there is a melodic sensibility that keeps his playing grounded, something that clearly resonates with May’s own approach. In Vai, May sees not just a technician, but a musician capable of translating imagination into sound.
Watch Steve Vai in action below.
