It added: “Pete Townshend’s a god of guitar and always will be! I’d seen him stand there and let the guitar explode into life on its own.”
In the caption, May reiterated his admiration for Townshend. “I’m glad I said this – I probably don’t say it enough,” he said. “I can’t imagine Rock Guitar without Pete Townshend. Looking back, it seems to me he basically invented it!”
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He continued: “I was lucky enough to be there watching. My playing owes so much to him. I’m not talking about the blues-influenced playing which also underpinned the evolution of 70s and 80s rock music – Townshend brought to the scene a blistering clang of super-amplified but not over-saturated chords – razor-edged monoliths crashing angrily through our brains, biting rhythmic hammer blows which would change the likes of me forever.
“If you want to feel what I’m talking about – put on ‘My Generation’ at full volume on your home system – and gasp in wonder!!! Keith Moon drumming insanely, John Entwistle thundering a massive bass with the sonic breadth of a full orchestra – and an aggressive young Shepherds Bush rebel Roger Daltrey – a punk icon long before the invention of ‘Punk Rock’. Completely Awesome.”
The rock guitarist says he sees The Beatles as "the greatest" and yet laments what he feels is their "underrepresentation in the world today", compared to the presence of Queen music.
I have this theory that anyone who writes songs or poetry or paints cannot avoid being autobiographical,” he says. “I’m a depressive. I don’t wallow in it, but I have that in me, and sometimes it will take over, and that’s how I feel.
The 74-year-old also shared fond memories of working with George Harrison and praised John Lennon.
"I lived the life of a rock star, but not truly to excess. And there is a lot of confusion in there, because I got married shortly before we first started touring – and that’s not a great idea – so I resisted getting sexually involved on tour, and for a long time, didn’t, but then gradually, I think some of the walls came down. But for me, the music was always it.”
Brian said: “The Beatles were our bible. Absolutely at every stage in their career and their music development, they were models. And they still are to me, I must say. I love all those albums. To me, they are the greatest. They are the pinnacle of writing, performance and ethos of rock music. They broke down so many barriers, they changed the world many times. I will always love The Beatles without any reservation.”
