| NOVEMBER 2007 | © brianmay.com | |
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As
always, the opinions expressed in these pages are purely
and personally those of myself, Brian; they are not the
official views of Queen, or of any other organisation or
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**Thu 29 Nov 07** Well folks ... We had a frenetic few days ... about last Friday, we made a snap decision that we'd like to offer a track for World AIDS Day - a track which we've been enjoying in the studio ... Those who saw Queen plus P.R. on tour last year might remember that Roger sang a contemplative little song called "Say It's Not True" in our acoustic set ... Well, the idea came up to bring this song into the fold, as something Paul, Roger and I could put our collective stamp on .... and, in the atmosphere of 'good chemistry', the song grew rapidly into ... well, a modest Epic, I would say ! We all sing on it, it takes a new direction, and it packs a lot of surprises ... Our intention is to give the track away completely free for World AIDS Day - which is this weekend - so suddenly we had to pull out all the stops and really complete this recording ... So that's where I've been, this rainy night, until 6am ... down at Roger's studio, slaving over a hot mixer! I'm very excited about the way it sounds ... pretty adventurous, I think, and it has important things to say ... So it goes to mastering this morning ... and ... should emerge .... momentarily!! It's BIG!!! Watch this space! We haven't done this for a very long time ... but somehow the spirit of Queen has been very strong, the last few days ... and Paul has been in magnificent voice, I'm sure you will agree ... As for guitars ... they are not lacking ... I got some sore fingers along the way ... no holds barred .. Well, enough said - the track is perfectly capable of speaking for itself .... Cheers © brianmay.com |
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**Wed 28 Nov 07** [See Letters] This is great news ... and the most cheering thing I have heard today. So we are not alone ... !!! I really hope that the people of the world can unite in time to save the magnificent whales ... I have this recurring thought ... God loves ALL his creatures. It's time we realised it. Love © brianmay.com |
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**Wed 28 Nov 07**
Here is Kevin with us, at the launch of WWRY Las Vegas, ....... 2003 ... from Left to Right ....
he seemed only a boy ... RIP Kevin Dubrow Love © brianmay.com |
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**Mon 26 Nov 07** Ah ! Yes. Thanks !! How observant you all are !! Yes, I seem to be playing left-handed in that shot ... or else somebody had the negative wrong-side-up ! Well, it's nice to have such a simple problem. I wish they could all get solved so easily ! Have a great week, folks ... cheers © brianmay.com |
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**Mon 26 Nov 07**
Well, at the risk of being repetitive, here's a new stereo of Comet Holmes. It's much better than the first one, but most of the credit is not mine. I have been unable to get a peek at the comet for the last two days, owing to Clouds, Moon and London! So I missed the conjunction of the comet and Alpha Persei - otherwise known as Mirphak ... the brightest star in Perseus. So I had a look to see what other people had found ! These two beautiful images were up on a site called "SpaceWeather", which I recommend. They were taken just a couple of hours apart, during which the comet moved just a little against the star background, so I was able to combine them into a very enjoyable stereo. I hope you enjoy it, and my thanks to Dave and Darek - I hope they don't mind ! Yes, my brain has been hurting too much. This is a welcome escape. Cheers © brianmay.com |
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**Sat 24 Nov 07** Yes. Just a couple more words about the Whales - since I feel such a huge current of opinion here ... a will in the part of the world that I am in touch with, to defend these creatures - who truly belong to no man ... from the murderous whaling ships. I am conscious that this issue is NOT widely reported in Japan. I want to make it very clear that I have no issues with any particular country. Through the years, touring the world, I have seen that people are fundamentally the same everywhere ... and in every country there are people with good hearts, and also some, out of cruelty or selfishness, or simply ignorance, do terrible things. Anybody who knows me, knows that I have a huge love of Japan, and a link with so many of our friends there that can never be broken. They also know that I have successfully fought against the senseless killing of hedgehogs in my own country, and continuously campaign against the torture of our native foxes, by the bloody fox-hunts, a practice defended by some Englishmen as 'what we have always done'. In my view it is never a justification of a practice that it has a place in tradition of any given country. If this were true, we would all still be approving of slavery, cock-fighting, bear-baiting, and similar barbaric practices. Perhaps it is good that a person who has such a love and respect for Japan, myself, is making a noise about the awful decision of some Japanese to resume killing the World's whales. Just because it happened in the past is not good enough reason. But I know that it will not be possible for me, an outsider to change things. It will take the good, decent people of Japan to come forward and stand up, and DEMAND that this disgraceful project, which is angering the whole world, is stopped. I appeal to all my friends over there in the land of the Rising Sun ... help me ... help us, in the name of decency, to save these creatures. I know it may bring sideways glances, but please act according to your own conscience. Help us find out the truth. If the reason that is put forward for the decision - Scientific Experiment - really IS a monstrous lie - and something simply made up to make it possible for unscrupulous people to eat the flesh of whales .. let us see the truth. One of the wonderful things I have seen first-hand in Japan is honour. Their standards of honorable behaviour are incredibly high. If these whalers can be shown to be lying, then surely the deep sense of Justice in Japanese society will put them in their proper place, and put an end to this shameful episode. And surely nobody is going to tell me that these glorious creatures deserve to be killed for food? These are the only animals apart from humans who are known to sing ... one of the activities humans are most proud of. I will pray that the whales' songs are never silenced. Here is a picture of a Mum and baby Humpback - which I took in Australia a couple of years ago. Spending time around these beautiful mammals gives one a strong feeling that they are in many ways like us ... they love their children, they protect them, teach them, help them appreciate the finer things of life. Let's keep our eyes open ... and treasure our fellow-creatures.
With love Bri © brianmay.com |
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**Sat 24 Nov 07**
Rock On Always. Love X [And see LETTERS] © brianmay.com |
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**Thu 22 Nov 07** [Brian was asked whether his Imperial College Lecture transcript or broadcast was available anywhere? See LETTERS] Sorry ... I did ask for this lecture to be private ... well, at least as regards you-Tube. Why? I just wanted to try to do something spontaneous, like the old days, without having to worry what it would look like on the Net!! I could certainly work on a transcript of sorts ... although a lot of the important stuff was in the Q/A part. I WILL be publishing the thesis too .... Springer have taken it on ... hopefully shortly available ... Cheers © brianmay.com |
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© brianmay.com |
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**Thu 22 Nov 07** Please see also "SAVIOUR OF THE WHALES" HERE Wow. I have never seen such a huge avalanche of response to anything I have written on the Soapbox. You all seem to agree about the obscenity of the Japanese whaling, and the British, and other, fishing, involving the hideous waste of killing countless thousands of fish for no good reason. Thanks for the overwhelming vote of empathy. Thanks for wanting to save all these creatures, and end the hideous conscienceless killing. So what do we do? I am sure we somehow need to channel the power that we have to make a change for the better ... but how ... ? I am sifting through the (virtual) mailbag ... thanks for all your great thoughts ... I'll get back to ya .. Love © brianmay.com |
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**Tue 20 Nov 07** I was going to write about music tonight ... and what we have been doing in the studio .... but once again, the world has pushed music out of my head. Music, or science, photography, art, all excite me, inspire me, and they bring knowledge, joy, beauty, fun and laughter into the world ... but as the days go by, I look at the world and can no longer ignore the dreadful things I see .... dreadful WRONG things ... things that any child would look at, and know they are WRONG. It seems necessary to address this. It now feels like priority. Yesterday I was looking at murderous Japanese boats going out to kill 1,000 intelligent, beautiful higher mammals ... the magnificent whales. And we all sit back and watch it happen ? Today I watched, on the News, our own fishermen removing thousands of healthy cod and other fish from our seas, pick through them, comment ... "there aren't many prawns here" .... then wait until the caught fish were all dead, and throw thousands of them back in the sea .... DEAD. What is wrong with us? What are we? How can people comfortably look at those gasping creatures anyway - left to die horribly by suffocation? But to see this awful waste, this needless murder of animals and know that they cannot even feed people? It's beyond belief. I see that we, the British, are blaming the European law which limits the catch of fish in the North Sea. According to what I have just seen, there is no alternative to pulling these creatures out of the sea, watching them die, and throwing them back to sea. I do not believe this. What hurts my brain is that nobody is even CONSIDERING the idea that there might be a better way to behave. Why is nobody considering the idea that we could find a way of choosing which fish to pull out BEFORE this hideous carnage takes place? Are you telling me that if these people are fishing for prawns - there is no way to distinguish what is pulled in? This is appalling - worse - it is truly obscene. If anyone in power REALLY cared about our fishing industry, they would be researching ways to fish in a more intelligent and efficient way, so that, whatever limits are set, there is NO WASTE. No unnecessary killing. In effect, we are killing ourselves ... we have a law which is trying ensure that there ARE fish in our seas in ten years time ... yet we, the British, are indulging in a practice which completely defeats the good effects of this legislation. Surely the first thing to say is .. if we cannot fish without this insane wastage of food, life and dignity of creatures, STOP FISHING. Stop it, until things can be changed. We will not die without eating fish for a few months or years. But right now we are killing the world we live in, and the eventual casualties will be .... US. Yes, I am conscious that there would be jobs lost, and the government should be at this minute devising ways to help such people through. Retraining is needed ... but not just of fishermen, retraining of us ALL - we need a new approach, based on better principles. I despair. Can we please form a political party of Decency? Decency to ALL. To all Men, and to all Creatures? OK. Call me mad if you like. But I believe there is a better way. We CANNOT tolerate this madness - Can we? Love Bri I feel like just leaving this up on my Website ... and writing nothing else until I see some hope of the message getting through. Stop IT! Stop it NOW. Stop doing 'what people have always done' - if it leads to suffering, waste, injustice ... just .... STOP. © brianmay.com |
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