Which Rock Guitarist Was Once a Ph.D. Candidate in Astrophysics?

  • Thread starter Thread starter George Jones
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Astrophysicist
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the identity of a rock guitarist who was once a Ph.D. candidate in astrophysics, specifically focusing on Brian May of Queen. Participants share trivia, personal anecdotes, and insights related to May's academic background and his contributions to both music and science.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents a midterm question regarding which guitarist was a Ph.D. candidate in astrophysics, listing several names including Brian May.
  • Another participant recalls encountering this trivia in a publication, indicating familiarity with May's background.
  • Some participants discuss May's appearances on astronomy shows and his authoritative knowledge in the field.
  • There are mentions of May's guitar, including anecdotes about its construction and his unique choice of using a sixpence as a pick.
  • One participant notes that May's Ph.D. thesis on interstellar dust was completed after a long hiatus due to his music career.
  • Another participant questions the time limits imposed by academic institutions on Ph.D. candidates, sharing insights about the UK system.
  • Several participants express admiration for May's ability to balance his music career with his academic pursuits.
  • There are discussions about the relevance of May's research topic and the lack of significant changes in the field over decades.
  • One participant shares personal reflections on combining interests in music and astrophysics, finding inspiration in May's story.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that Brian May is the guitarist in question and express admiration for his dual career. However, there are varying opinions on the implications of his long academic journey and the relevance of his research.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference specific details about May's Ph.D. process, including the lack of official time limits in the UK and the nature of his research topic, which may influence perceptions of his academic achievements.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to fans of rock music, particularly those who appreciate the intersection of music and science, as well as individuals exploring academic paths in astrophysics or related fields.

George Jones
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
7,643
Reaction score
1,602
Here a question from a midterm that I gave to an Astronomy class (non-science majors) in Fall 2005. If I give this question again, it seems that I will soon have to modify it slightly.

Who, before becoming famous as a rock guitarist, was a Ph.D. candidate in astrophysics?

a) George Harrison.

b) Jeff Healy.

c) Eddie Van Halen.

d) Slash.

e) Brian May.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2062494.ece"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
I know this one. I first came across it in an issue of Physics World...I think it was in their Christmas quiz or something. :biggrin:
 
Man. Thats something.
 
Well he appears on The Sky at Night(astronomy show) Hosted by Sir Patrick Moore, on a frequent basis, and is very authoritative on astronomy, it would be hard for me not to know this. He made the right choice in retrospect I think. :smile: Besides you can earn a PhD at any time in your life within reason, how often does an opportunity for fame and riches drop in your lap?
 
Last edited:
You may also be interested to know that he and his father built his signature guitar together. He's quite an interesting character.
 
That's so cool!
 
turbo-1 said:
You may also be interested to know that he and his father built his signature guitar together. He's quite an interesting character.

I heard somewhere that he still uses and old sixpence as a pick. Not sure how true that is but you may know Turbo.
 
For pHD candidate? One of those names is recognizable as a former astronomy or astrophysics college student, but whether he was pHD candidate, I can't remember -- only read about his education from the inside of the album cover.
 
Mk said:
That's so cool!

Using a giant telescope in the Canary Islands, he was able to show for the first time that dust clouds in the solar system are moving in the same direction as the planets. He will receive his PhD next May, provided that his thesis is approved by assessors.
Very cool indeed! :cool::-p
 
  • #10
Kurdt said:
I heard somewhere that he still uses and old sixpence as a pick. Not sure how true that is but you may know Turbo.
Probably true. I used silver dimes for years, then moderated and used Tortex picks on nickel-wound strings with vintage-stagger Strat-type pickups. Eventually, I figured out that if I wanted to sound like the blues/rock players of the 50's, I'd have to use tortoise or plastic picks, heavy nickel-would strings with wound G strings and pickups with vintage-staggered pole-pieces. Duh! It only took ne about 20 years to figure out that the "best" and "newest" gear and the "hottest" pickups were taking me in the wrong direction more often than not.
 
  • #11
In an interview - he had submitted his PhD but had some corrections to do when Queen really began to take off. He also said that his topic of interstellar dust is so slow and boring that there hadn't been any major changes in the last 30years while he was busy elsewhere.

Info on the guitar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Special
 
  • #12
Easy!

Pop trivia - his first guitar was made from a toilet seat.
 
  • #13
So it was Brian May, guitarist of Queen. Very lenient of the institution to allow him to finish his pHD thesis after 30 years. Do institutions place a time limit on this usually?
 
  • #14
symbolipoint said:
So it was Brian May, guitarist of Queen. Very lenient of the institution to allow him to finish his pHD thesis after 30 years. Do institutions place a time limit on this usually?

It wasn't as if he hadn't kept up his studies, he was still keenly interested in the field. If as mentioned, the field was basically unchanged I'm not sure it would make much difference, as long as he went through the same procedure all PhD students do and gave a paper that was up to a Universities standard. I'm sure he was thoroughly examined on the subject of his work to make sure he knew his stuff. I doubt a University is going to put it's credibility on the line by accepting a half baked thesis.
 
  • #15
No in the UK there is no official time limit although if you are research council funded there are restrictions. You can keep applying for extentions and defer indefinately.
In this case I think his original PhD was at Imperial, where most of the members of Queen were students, but was granted this one by Hatfield. His supervisor is Michael Rowan-Robinson a very well known top UK astronomer.
 
Last edited:
  • #16
THANK GOD HE WENT ON WITH QUEEN INSTEAD OF HIS PHD. I'm actually listening to "don't stop me now" by queen RIGHT NOW. They are easily one of my favourite bands and I've only discovered them 2 weeks ago.
 
  • #17
May finished his dissertation, published it and received his PhD.

In 1974, when Queen was but a princess in its infancy, May chose to abandon his doctorate studies to focus on the band in their quest to conquer the world.

But last year, the curly haired rock star decided to fish out his unfinished work on interplanetary dust clouds.

The 48,000-word tome, Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud, which sounds suspiciously like a Spinal Tap LP, was stored in the loft of his home in Surrey.

. . . .
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1559314/Brian-May-Queen-legend-hands-in-star-thesis.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6929290.stm
May officially received his doctorate on Aug. 24, 2007, from the Imperial College in London. He also gained the appointment of chancellor for Liverpool John Moores University in November of that year, showing that he's not just any guitar hero.
http://www.livescience.com/space/080801-brian-may-doctorate.html

A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0387777059/?tag=pfamazon01-20
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #18
Two astrophotographers that I greatly admire and whose work often previews on an astronomy forum that I frequent, published a book of their work a while back. The title is Star Vistas. Greg Parker does the imaging from England and Noel Carboni (a Floridian software guru) does the processing. The three forewords to their book were written by Sir Arthur C Clark, Sir Patrick Moore, and Dr. Brian May. World-class astro-imaging, with some pretty prominent fans. Clark's foreword was written before his death (of course) while the book was in progress. Greg posted a picture of himself with Brian May at a signing (IIR), and he was STOKED, with a huge grin.
 
  • #19
wow...this is so cool and revealing. I am a rock/metal guitarist who is reading geophysics with an inclination for astrophysics. I thought it was not going to be possible to combine the two and was confused on what i really want to do...but this information has help me get my confidence and move on. This is what i have been waiting for. Thank God i found it.
Thanks everyone.
 
  • #20
I'm proud that I didn't recognize a single name on that list.
 
  • #21
lol at the Slash answer.
 
  • #22
PhDorBust said:
I'm proud that I didn't recognize a single name on that list.
Proud? Would you be proud to state that you didn't know that Dale Ernhardt Junior had something to do with race cars, or that you had no idea that Aretha Franklin might sing a bit? Please!
 
  • #23


Awesome solo at 2:18

You'll see the sixpence closer on 2:40 and 2:47

Brian May is so cool. B-)

(I don't know how to embed youtube videos.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #24
turbo-1 said:
Proud? Would you be proud to state that you didn't know that Dale Ernhardt Junior had something to do with race cars, or that you had no idea that Aretha Franklin might sing a bit? Please!


Probably more like proud you didn't know who Britney Spears was... Not that queen is that bad in my book but they where kinda fruity.