It's never too late to finish what you started in science : Respectful Insolence

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It's never too late to finish what you started in science

Category: Music • Science
Posted on: July 13, 2007 1:01 PM, by Orac

Case in point: Soon to be Dr. Brian May of Queen. After 33 years, he's now going be an astrophysicist.

Rock on, Brian!

Comments

Well he's already a genius on guitar so astrophysics should be a breeze for him.

(see, not single Mercury or Uranus joke)

Posted by: notmercury | July 13, 2007 1:09 PM

That is just the coolest thing ever.

Okay, so he's a millionaire, some of the rest of us, not so much. Mebbe makes some of the logistics a little simpler. But still: yes, you can do an advanced degree later in life. Sometimes, anyway.

Cool thesis, too.

Posted by: AJ Milne | July 13, 2007 1:14 PM

Very cool! I had thought about doing the same thing (not leaving a world-famous rock group, but going back into physics), but a colleague told me that, even then when I was 35, that departments would already see me as a liability among all the 25-year-olds. Glad to see that May didn't have to worry about that!

Posted by: Occam's Trowel | July 13, 2007 1:55 PM

As a HUGE Queen fan (dating back to 1973, when I was 5!), I read once that the members of Queen had more degrees (bachelor's and advanced) than any other rock band -- I believe all had at least a master's degree. I believe Roger Taylor, the drummer, is a DDS, Freddie had an MFA, and John Deacon's fiels is engineering. Remember the repeating lines in "Now I'm Here" and "The Prophet's Song"? John actually built special microphones for those songs.

Way to go, Brian May! I've loved you my whole life!

Posted by: Angela | July 13, 2007 2:19 PM

Dr. May will be joining MC Hawking and Buckaroo Banzai in the upcoming "Monsters of Science" tour.

Posted by: Chris Tucker | July 13, 2007 5:12 PM

that gives me hope. there may be life after kids afterall.

Posted by: knobody | July 14, 2007 11:26 AM

I seem to recall that the members of The Hooters also had a surprising number of degrees in the sciences.

Posted by: Occam's Trowel | July 14, 2007 3:45 PM

I study at Imperial, and have spoken to friends who have had slightly surreal realisations while standing in the library lifts...

Posted by: Mark | July 14, 2007 5:36 PM

His mother must be so proud, now he'll be able to get a "real" job.

Really not much difference between rock idol and astrophysicist. They both like stars and work at night....

Posted by: brook | July 14, 2007 6:06 PM

His mother must be so proud, now he'll be able to get a "real" job.

Really not much difference between rock idol and astrophysicist. They both like stars and work at night....

Posted by: brook | July 14, 2007 6:06 PM

brook, they can't work in theoretical physics though. They keep breaking the strings.

Posted by: Coin | July 14, 2007 6:38 PM

Of course not, air guitarists are the theoreticians.

Posted by: brook | July 15, 2007 6:44 AM

On the very first Queen album I ever heard (A Night at the Opera), the song which impressed me the most was '39. It's a haunting acoustic song about the human effects of Einsteinian time dilation. Not surprisingly, Brian wrote this one.

Posted by: DaveW | July 23, 2007 2:21 PM

DaveW, that brief but beautiful song was my favorite as well!

~David D.G.

Posted by: David D.G. | July 23, 2007 2:46 PM