In the interview to Guitar World, Brian May has commented about the results of the survey “The 100 greatest guitarists of all time”, where he ranked the first.

Mediamax presents the excerpts from the interview, in which Brian May speaks about fellow guitarists.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi is my number one. And I’ve always said that. To me, he’s still something superhuman. It’s like he really did come from an alien planet, and I will never know quite how he did what he did.

Young Brian May

 

I never stop learning from Jimi. These days I very seldom play his stuff but it’s kind of inside me anyway.

Jimmy Page

We went to the same primary school, although he was two or three years above me – and that’s a lot when you’re small. We live quite close to each other at the moment.

To me, he’s a master of invention. And he’s a major, major force in defining what heavy rock became as it was being born. I never get fed up of listening to those Zeppelin albums, and I never will.

Brian May, Paul Rogers and Jimmy Page

Photo: Paul Rogers’s twitter

We were boys trying to do our thing and hoping that one day we might be rock stars and live their life, and listening to Communication Breakdown and Good Times Bad Times, I remember I had that feeling of, ‘Oh my god, he’s doing what I want to do and I either have to give up or else I have to try bloody hard.’”

Eric Clapton

Eric is still my hero, of course. And it’s just wonderful. It’s like when the people at the Oscars say, ‘It’s great to be in this kind of company.’ What an amazing honour.”

Eddie Van Halen

Eddie is incomparable. He stands there as one of the pillars of the development of electric guitar technique. He’s a wonderful guy.

During lockdown, you start to look at your life again, and one of my regrets is that certain people, I think, I’ve let slip away.

Brian May, Toni Iommi and Eddie Van Halen in 1978

 

I haven’t talked to Eddie for a long time and I really regret that. I’d like to change that because he’s a fantastic guy, not just a great performer but an incredible spirit.

Toni Iommi

He is really my dearest friend and has been for so many years. I could write books about Tony because he’s just the most [pauses]... I don’t even know how to put it into words. He’s a luminous human being, with a wonderful, kind nature and an incredibly baffling sense of humour.

Brian May and Toni Iommi

 

And, of course, he is the father of heavy metal. He did that. He made that happen. And it’s from his fingers and his mind. That young ex-welder, he made that happen. So, you know, he forever wears that medal.

David Gilmour

I love him. I have an enormous respect for him. I saw one of his first shows with Pink Floyd, which I’ll never forget. He was doing crazy things with a bottleneck, which fitted right in with their kind of chaotic performances at the time. He’s always been a great favourite of mine. A beautiful player.

David Gilmour and Brian May at Rock Aid Armenia recording session in 1989

Photo: Michael Putland

And we did play together for Armenia at one point. I asked him to come in and play Smoke On The Water for Armenia Relief (Rock Aid Armenia-Mediamax).

Ritchie Blackmore

Another great hero of mine. He’s crazy. I think he’s one of the most dangerous guitar players ever. And I mean that is in the best possible way. He was there way ahead of any of us.