Queen’s Brian May offers clarification of odd statement about Brit Awards’ non-gendered categories
Not even Brian May understands why Brian May was so opposed to the rule change
Aux News Queen
Last week, the Brit Awards—the U.K.’s big musical awards ceremony—announced that it would stop using gendered awards categories beginning in 2022. This came after a few years of calls for this change to happen, largely stemming from Sam Smith’s album Love Goes being ineligible for the Brit Awards due to the fact that they identify as non-binary. A spokesperson for the British Phonographic Industry, the organization behind the show, figured that if they were starting from scratch now, this is probably how the awards would be set up anyway.
The decision to drop gendered categories is not without its critics, though, most notably Queen guitarist Brian May. In an interview with The Mirror shortly after the change was announced, May said that it was made “without enough thought” and that “a lot of things work quite well and can be left alone.”
He went on to claim that Queen would be criticized for a lack of diversity if it had started today and that stuff like that shouldn’t matter, adding that Freddie Mercury was from Zanzibar and therefore “wasn’t white as such” but “nobody ever, ever discussed it” or questioned whether he was “the right color” or “the right sexual proclivity.” Now, he says, “it’s frightening that you have to be so calculating about everything.”
That… seems to be arguing in favor of the change, which was to get rid of labels rather than add more restrictive labels, but May made sure to dig his hole a bit further. He also suggested that Queen would be “forced to have people of different colors and different sexes and we would have to have a trans [person]” if they got together now, as if A.) it would be bad to have those things and B.) there are PC Police patrolling the U.K. arresting all bands that aren’t diverse enough.
But again, he’s the one saying Mercury wasn’t “white as such” and that nobody had any problem with this “sexual proclivity,” so it’s not totally clear why he has such an issue with this when he claims he was already doing something similar. Well, as it turns out, it may not be totally clear to May either, since he went on Instagram this weekend (via The Hollywood Reporter) to say that he got “stitched up by a journalist” who twisted his words to make him seem “unfriendly to trans people.”
May says he’s sorry to “anyone who has been hurt by the stories” and adds that he supports “humans of all colours, all creeds, all sexes and sexualities, all shapes and sizes—and all creatures. We all deserve respect an an equal place in this world.” Maybe he should just start with that stuff next time.
172 Comments
Today on “Bait an old person into saying old person things”…
At least it’s not a “bait a director into criticizing Marvel movies” day.
Weekdays only
“Brian May, what do you think of superhero movies?”“Please … stop asking me things. I’m so tired.”
There’s nothing out there for adults we complain while watching hours and hours of TV-MA serials on Netflix and Amazon.
In a blog post baiting young people into saying the usual young person things.
they are masters of baiting. (this joke is possibly as old as queen)
So he’s now saying he’s for every one of us, stands for every one of us?
Every man, every woman, every child
SHAFT!!!
Can ya dig it?
He is the champion.
He WILL rock you
He IS a fat bottomed girl.Wait, I think I’ve lost the thread here…
I’ll bring it back.“He’s a killer queen”
yeah…but…nothing really matters…
He doesn’t really understand the new terminology around gender because he’s just a good old fashioned lover boy.
Just being in love with your car can save you all this hassle.
Does he enjoy riding his two-wheeled, pedal-operated means of conveyance?
“We can’t do or say anything these days…”, complains people who do and say anything these days.Just hurry and go extinct, you fucking fossils.
You go extinct. Plenty of the young are with them. You are not our voice.
If May thinks that Freddie wasn’t “white as such,” he should probably read up on what White people were doing in Africa to begin with.
And no one cared about Freddie’s sexual orientation? Then why wasn’t it ever publicly disclosed until the very end of his career and life?
Brian May is too smart to be this stupid.
I don’t really understand your point about Freddie, pretty sure both his parents were Indian?
They were Parsi, an ethnoreligious group based in India but originally of Persian descent.
Persian Zoroastrians who fled persecution, IIRC.
I don’t know what they’re trying to say either, but anyway: Freddie Mercury was born in Tanzania (Zanzibar at the time) to Parsi parents; Parsis are an ethnoreligious group in India whose ancestors migrated from what is now known as Iran.
Didn’t Sasha Baron Cohen say that May’s pitch for the Freddie Mercury biopic was that it’d have Freddie die midway through the movie and it’d just follow the rest of the band?
I think the phrase was “as they went from strength to strength.”Reagardless of how he is presented by journalists, May routinely says things that make you go “eh?”
I knoe he said that on Stern. That may have been his interpretation, however.
I don’t know if he did or not, but what has that got to do with this story??
There was speculation around which specific member said it, SBC never specified. It was just “a meeting with Queen” in his telling, I’m pretty sure.I think that a lot of people suspected Roger Taylor at the time but I have read quite a few comments in response to this recent May story that indicate people are going “oh it was probably Brian actually”.
The top five on the UK album charts right now are by Adele, Ed Sheeran, ABBA, Oasis, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. If the PC police are forcing all this diversity on the industry, they fucking suck at it.
It gets marginally better after that, but this white victimhood narrative never makes any goddam sense or holds up to even a cursory Google search.
Google. The one true weakness of white people.
Wait, I thought that was 80’s Night.
Hey, it’s hard. I keep typing “the Google” into the little box, and it just says “password incorrect”. What the heck does that even mean, Jeff Bezos?
Ew, Oasis?!
They…Don’t Go Away.
Freddie’s sexual orientation was not by any means a secret. He himself never tried to hide it. You’re probably thinking of his AIDS diagnosis, which he did keep very private right up until the day before he died. But it was very well known that he was gay, certainly as much as other pop stars of the era like Elton John.
Freddie Mercury never publicly came out. Elton John didn’t come out as gay until 1992. They were like Liberace; anyone who considered the topic would immediately figure out they were gay, but to your grandma they were just “flamboyant” and “bachelors”.
Still waiting for Queen to rename themselves Royal Person.
ahem, DOCTOR May.
In the 80s there was this little thing going on called the AIDS epidemic that set back gay rights (which had only really gotten started in the 70s). From the very highest office in the U.S. (that mf Reagan) down to absolutely horrible parents (who disowned their dying children), the disease allowed a disgusting and dangerous homophobia to take hold. AIDS sufferers, and gay men specifically, experienced the worst kind of treatment at the hands of society. They lost their jobs, their healthcare, were kicked out of their housing, and denied all manner of basic decent treatment. This was happened at a time when an AIDS diagnosis was a 100% death sentence, and often a very bad death. As a nurse it was the hardest thing I ever lived through professionally. It was heartbreaking.That’s why people didn’t disclose their sexual orientation or their health status back in the 80s.
They worked with the guy who wrote “Rebel Rebel” and were an iconic part of the glam rock era but now he’s saying “we’d be forced to have a trans person today”? Huh? Androgyny is built in to rock and roll. Come on.Also, I love that he refuses to change his hair in any way and it still looks just as fabulous as it did in the ‘70s, just much more grey.
I guarantee you that May, like most cisgender people, cannot name a single trans musician despite their being so prevalent that the industry is forcing one into every band.
The lighting is kind there – I’ve seen it in real life. In the flesh it looks like a giant rotten weave made of static and pubes. He looks like he stinks.
He’s also a legit astronomer, so why not keep a Sir Isaac Newton haircut?
Why not hurl a piece of fruit at his head?
It feels like he probably deserves the benefit of the doubt. He’s apologised and clearly is at least trying to be an ally, if a slightly ham fisted one which is hardly surprising given he’s 74
I got your back on that; but, (and I know I’m not the one who said this) they have the choice to just shut the fuck up. Has no one ever said to a reporter “That’s a stupid question and I don’t want to talk to you.”?
im sure many have, but how many of the reporters would report on them being told their questions are stupid.
‘breaking news: my questions are asinine, people don’t want to talk to me and im terrible at my job. Back to you Kent’
That’s groovy for the reporters, I guess, but it would save Dr. May being raked over the AV Club.
Could be worse. He could work there. Then they’d really be socking it to him.
And the interviewee would then get a reputation – which would, of course, be widely reported on – for being difficult, arrogant, and a jerk to the media, which would harm public perception and their ability to make money.So they have to hope to hell that they don’t manage to stick their foot in it when they earnestly try to go along with a reporter’s line of questioning, and… well, sometimes this happens. It’s a calculated risk that doesn’t always work out.
Didn’t seem to hurt Billy Bob Thornton.
I love when Anne Hathaway basically told a very polite fuck off to a reporter for focusing on her diet and exercise routine for Batman after she made it clear she didnt feel the need to discuss it much. i believe she was “are you looking to start training and going to the gym? you should probably ask a trainer over me” im paraphrasing
“Still Refusing to Break Silence on Ellie Kemper’s Controversial Past, Dame Edna Doubles Down by Calling Reporter ‘Stupid’”
I’d read that.
Sam, your inference on what his position is is lacking. He is in no manner in support of the Brit Awards changes or contemporary societal developments
How dare that journalist force him to say words that he actually meant
Since when has The Mirror employed journalists?It’s possible he really said and meant everything, but Mirror writers tend to operate on the level of old Ed Anger columns in The Weekly World News.
Dear Dottie is my spirit animal
Ed Anger. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time.A long time.
What does Ed Asner have to do with this?
He’s trying to tell us that nobody – ever- discussed Mercury’s race or sexuality? Because I was a kid in the 80s and even I remember that’s absolute BS.
I mean, in the 70s Freddie and Halford were not in the closet nearly as much as they thought they were. We just mistakenly thought the whole band was gay, and only the bigots seemed to have an issue with it.
I’d like to note that I was a big metalhead in the ‘80s and didn’t find out Rob Halford was gay until well into the ‘90s. Looking back, this says more about me than it does about Rob Halford’s stage persona, which, wow.
I mean, I’m from SF, I have much older siblings and I was living in Germany in the 70s. I honest to god just thought Halford was out and no one cared.
Pretty sure you’re not The Lone Ranger on that one.
I forget when exactly I learned that Halford was gay, I do remember a gay coworker saying to me at one point “Honey, no straight man dies his hair that color.”I was at a concert in the 90’s or 00’s where he was opening for Judas Priest, and there was a guy in the bathroom line who had just learned that “Halford is a cocksucker, man”, and it seemed to have totally ruined his life. I was laughing so hard I could barely piss straight.
same. but to be fair, there were a lot of dumb stereotypes about gay men going on in the 80s. *GAY* was more boy george than rob halford.
I’d like to note that I was a big metalhead in the ‘80s and didn’t find out Rob Halford was gay until well into the ‘90s. Looking back, this says more about me than it does about Rob Halford’s stage persona, which, wow.
I remember seeing a news special or documentary, I can’t even remember if it was about metal, rock music, gay celebrities or what anymore, but it was some years after the major gay rock stars like Freddie, Halford and Elton were fully, officially out. There was a bit where Halford was being interviewed and he was saying something like “well, when I came out…” with a clip from a performance from before he did so where he was wearing a stud-festooned leather outfit, making you think “this guy had to come out? How was he in?”
I had friends who dressed like that — spiked gloves, lots of leather — who were not actively homophobic, exactly, but who would’ve taken great offense at being thought of as gay in any way. It wasn’t just me — a bunch of us literally thought Rob Halford was just awesome and metal (which he is), not gay (which he obviously was, now that we know what we’re looking at). A friend tells me he saw an interview with Rob where he expressed surprise at being cheered on by so many people who would’ve been very angry if they’d known he was gay.
It’s hard to imagine now but just the generation before ours was blind to how gay Liberace was. GenX was an improvement, but even we had our blind spots. I mean, we listened to Accept’s “Balls to the Wall” unironically. Some of us, anyway. 🙂
I don’t believe most people knew about Halford, byut then I was born in 1970 For myself, I kind of thought Halford was gay for the dumbest reasons when I was 11 or 12 watching You’ve Got Another Thing Coming, but it was not until later when I bought a Priest video collection and it had the video for Don’t Go on it (which I never saw on MTV), and I was like “Yep, he’s totally gay.” So, it was just confrimation a few years later when he came out.
Didn’t seem to be a secret after I Want To Break Free.
My feeling is that they got back INTO the closet slightly when American audiences became a going concern. The idea of a gay performer in the UK in the 70s was almost tedious in how unremarkable it was.
It’s weird to me to think of audiences for most music in the 80s being bothered by any artists being gay. The entire music scene (excepting a few genres like country and rap) was filled with androgyny, men wearing makeup, black leather clothing, etc. Gay, straight, somewhere in-between, didn’t matter. Even the supposedly highly masculine bands in the hair metal. It’s so weird to me to think that people were totally OK with that, but not with finding out an artist was gay.
In the case of Priest and Queen I think it was more of an industry concern than a social one. It’s often framed as “the fans can’t find out” but it was more accurately “we don’t want an advertising boycott”.
I think both fit into the category of musicians who we wouldn’t acknowledge as gay when we were younger and more naive, but it became totally obvious when they came out. Blatantly obvious. I mean, of course they were gay, but it was way before we could all wrap our heads around the idea that a rock star could be gay.
“It’s just their over-the-top stage persona! Rock stars aren’t like other people!”
“Halford can’t be gay- he’s in a heavy metal band!”
I remember people saying that about Rammstein, too. “Till Lindemann is too manly to be gay!” (Ever heard of bears?) Or the whole “everyone in [insert any genre or time period of music here] is flamboyant, they’re just Like That.”
I have a cynical feeling that listening to a diverse musician doesn’t make a person necessarily not hateful. Like even a racist would make an exception for Aretha Franklin or Marvin Gaye because they’re so goddamn talented.
I was a teen in the 80s. Most people knew Mercury and Halford were gay but a sizable portion of their audiences didn’t. You can guess who; the frat boys and whatnot.
Think he was saying that Freddie never made a big coming out statement, or discussed much about his sexuality with the band. That it wasn’t a big discussion point for them. It was just kind of accepted that he was bisexual. The papers did hound him when he was getting ill with Aids, though, and after he died they were pretty awful.
Moral of the story? Getting old and irreverent sucks.
To be fair, you can be young and irreverent. It just depends on your targets.
Right on, fellow young person.
Looking forward to it in 40 years!
If Music Band were around today, they’d be forced to include a Person with an Identity.
Music Band are my favourite squadron.
Old rock stars should just keep their mouths shut. They almost never come off well when they spout off about something.I sometimes wonder what kinds of things John Lennon would believe in if he was still alive and I’m not sure all of it would be good.
Oh im sure. He would have said something horrible in the internet age. Same with a lot of country singers, maybe its for the best Hank Williams didn’t live into his 90s.
Mick Jagger’s pretty good at not shooting his mouth off. Can’t say the same for his penis.
Mick did that song making fun of anti-vaxxers with Dave Grohl so, go Mick go! Keith Richards, however, is high on my list of rock stars I never want to hear spout off on politics.
That’s assuming we’d be able understand a single word from Keith Richards.
Oh, I managed to miss that.
I agree about Keith. I love his music, his guitar playing has influenced mine, but yeah, don’t sound off Keith. Please.
He’s up there with James Hetfield and the Gallagher brothers in rock stars I never want to hear discuss politics or social issues. Artists I would like to hear from: who Bruce Springsteen supported in the 2020 presidential primary and Bono’s take on tax policy
Bill Wyman’s dating tips!
Until I got to “rock stars” I thought you were talking about Leo and Ron Gallagher and no, I don’t know why my brain immediately went to them and not Liam and Noel.
maybe yoko would be keeping him in check
Though speaking of Lennon, Paul McCartney seems to be one of the few aging classic rock stars who seems to have realised that the general public would by and large very much prefer it if he just put all his energies into just keeping his head down and making music instead of making sure the world knows his opinions on diversity, COVID restrictions and transgenderism.
I often wonder how Lennon et al would be today. Like would Jim Morrison be a plastic surgery nightmare? Would Cobain collaborate with Lil Nas X? How about Janis Joplin, does she end up in celebrity rehab? Does Jimi make a cameo appearance in White Men Can’t Jump?
Old and irreverant is great. Old and irrelevant sucks.
Fuck off, being irreverent is awesome.
Straight old rich white guy whines about how he would be “forced” to have an inclusive band these and we are supposed to buy his faux victim bullshit? Are he, Clapton, Nugent, and Morrissey starting a band of bigots?
Are he, Clapton, Nugent, and Morrissey starting a band of bigots? Supergroup!
Morrissey’s gay, dude. Nugent wouldn’t be in a band with him if you put a gun to his head. Well, okay, yeah, if you put a gun to his head he would, but only because he’s also a coward.
Oh no, now they’re going to try to cancel Brian May. 🙁
but May made sure to dig his hole a bit further
We could perhaps give May the benefit of the doubt unless given a reason otherwise.
Not only are people working this stuff out for themselves at the moment, they’re also working out how to talk about it publicly.
Very, very true. Can’t put it more succinctly than that.
The eagerness to jump on people, just because they didn’t get the latest memo, may feel good in the moment but repels people rather than bring them forward. By all means, let’s experiment and try out new ideas, but there’s so many complex biological and sociological and psychological factors at play it’s foolish to act like one has all the answers.
Plus… PLUS…. If anyone on this comment thread thinks they have the Holy Word now and it won’t change drastically in as little as 20 years… they’re fucking myopic. The worst trend of 2015-2021 is to dig up shit people said in the past, years ago. Because everything is recorded now, and we’re all going to be raked over the coals for what we believed was the new Gospel. Us lapsed Catholics recognize dogma when we see it. We’ve seen “god’s word” change dramatically over thousands of years. I’ll believe in the new rules when they last into my 80s. Until then I’m 100% silent on all possible shit like this.
I love how “treat people respect and leave them the fuck alone when they live their lives differently from yours” is classified as a “latest memo” that people need time to digest. lol
I hear you for sure, I just wish that sometimes people understood that it’s perfectly okay to say “that’s an issue I don’t know much about and can’t really speak to, sorry, I’d rather not speak to it than say something off!” versus trying and fumbling. I absolutely give room to people to fumble a bit versus being just outright transphobic, but it’s always valid to say you don’t know enough to make a statement.
Exactly. Shutting the fuck up is free.
People are still working this shit out? Damn. It’s been years. I have trouble understanding why it’s so hard.
And you should be shown patience and help while you have trouble understanding. Hopefully you can do the same in return.
Don’t show me patience. Explain to me what the fuck I’m missing. Trans people have been “a thing” that we recognize in society for decades. People who are different from us have been “a thing” that we recognize in society for centuries. What is the fucking deal? And exactly how much patience should be shown to people whose obstinate refusal to finally get it causes real harm for those populations of different folks? They’re the ones paying the cost of your patience.
You’re missing that in this case we’re talking about a 74 year old man who seemingly hasn’t really thought about these sorts of things for most of his life, and is now being asked questions about it publicly in real-time (unlike us). Yes, his initial reactions are problematic, even ridiculous. But he evidently thought better of it, hence his apology.
Sure, but transgender issues have been in the news for the past 20 years, at least. Does he deserve extra patience because he has had the privilege of willfully choosing not to think about it until now? And as someone said above, when asked questions in public he always has the option of saying “idk.”And yes, he issued an apology (in which he blamed the reporter), and no one is coming for him with pitchforks, so I’m not sure what else you want for him. If everyone had given him “patience” and no one had told him his initial comments were “problematic, even ridiculous” do you think he would have “evidently thought better of it”? I’m guessing no.
It’s not about trans issues, certainly not anti-trans. May only used the word as an example. He doesn’t have any particular problem with trans people. And it seems to me that someone had the patience to talk to him, or he had the patience to check himself, hence his apology.
I don’t understand what you mean when you say it’s not about trans issues. He was asked what he thought about getting rid of gender categories, and the reason they’re getting rid of gender categories is to make room for gender non-conforming people (I realize not all gender non-conforming people identify as trans). And he went on a rant about racial and gender diversity and how unfortunate it is that all of a sudden bands have to think about those things (even though it’s not true that they have to at all). He may not have a particular problem with trans people, but he does have a problem with getting rid of gender categories for these awards because according to his initial comments, there was nothing wrong with the system, even though it left certain gender non-conforming people out.And what do you mean by “someone had the patience to talk to him”? Can you explain your thinking in reaching the conclusion that he walked back the comments because a single person happened to patiently explain it to completely without being prompted by people talking about him on social media/news and noticing there how his comments were received and coming up with damage control?
I don’t understand what you mean when you say it’s not about trans issues.
He may not have a particular problem with trans people
I think you answered your own question there. He said something thoughtless, then apologized and clarified. End of story. Getting upset about this now, or making it out to be more than it is, is pointless.
And I said “someone had the patience to talk to him, or he had the patience to check himself”. Which ever way he came to his conclusion, he still apologized and clarified. There’s not much else to say.
I’m not sure if you’re missing the point on purpose or if you’re just really missing it. He said something “thoughtless” because over the past few decades he has willfully chosen not to think about these issues and not to engage with them even while the people affected were suffering true harm, and the fact that he and people like him chose to willfully ignore these issues has extended the duration of that harm. And you’re wanting us to show him patience beyond those few decades of a headstart he’s already had. And I am still not understanding what it is you want people to do or not do. Again, no one is coming for him with pitchforks. No one is calling for his head. What exactly are you asking for here?“someone had the patience to talk to him, or he had the patience to check himself”“And I’ll ask you again: do you honestly think either one of those things would have happened if the internet hadn’t alerted him to the problem?
I asked for people not to be reactionary and judgemental. There are lots of issues in the world that we all (you included) don’t think about. You’re causing real harm to people and the world. Getting angry at you won’t fix them. Giving you information and patience is a start. You’re already fortunate enough not to be in the public eye while you’re working it out.
And yes, of course it’s possible for people to change their mind when presented new information. You can’t know if he’s really had a change of heart. Point is he’s not doubling-down on being a bigot, and publicly at least has indicated the opposite. Why get upset and argumentative about it now?
Okay, taking the second thing first, tell me which issue that has been in national news for a couple of decades do I not think about? Which issues that have been in the news for a couple of decades do you choose not to think about? And if such issues exist, you’re right, I and you are passively allowing harm to come to those victimized populations. Why do I or you deserve patience for that? And yes you could give me information, but if I’ve chosen to ignore the issue for 20 years up until now, why do you think I’ll suddenly become a sponge for your information right at this moment without any other incentive (such as my fan base suddenly thinking I’m an asshole)?Taking the first part now, I’ll have to ask you the same question I’ve asked you twice now but which you haven’t answered. Do you think that he would have had this public change of heart, genuine or otherwise, if it had not for people reacting to his initial comments in the the way only the internet can? If the internet had ignored his comments, would he have come back with his I’m sorry if you were offended apology?And who is getting argumentative about it now? I’m arguing with you, not him. I don’t give a shit about his comments or his apology. What I give a shit about is people like you who jump to the defense of people like him when literally nothing bad has happened to him. It’s so patronizing. Show him patience, he’s old, he has advanced degrees in science but his weak little brain can’t grasp this stuff, poor guy. Just let it be. He said something shitty. People are saying out loud that it was shitty, and let that be fine. He’s fine. If I said something shitty I’d expect people to say it was shitty. What is the actual consequence you think you are avoiding here?
Gender issues haven’t been discussed in mainstream news for the past couple decades the way they are today. The idea that gender is a spectrum is still strange to many people, especially older people, who have thought for their whole lives that everyone is either male or female. But when you explain the actual science to them, most understand and adjust their speech accordingly – like May did.
You’re speculating that it was the internet that caused his apology. He may have just as likely been spoken to by family, friends, his manager, publicist, etc. or just realized himself that what he said was ridiculous. Hence answering your repeated question doesn’t matter.
And the consequence I’d like to avoid is articles like this in the first place. The article itself ends with May’s apology saying “Maybe he should just start
with that stuff next time.” and yet the article didn’t start with it. This article is structured to be borderline intentionally inflammatory. It could have started “Brian May has apologized for…” but instead lists all his mistakes, making the reader think he’s an unrepentant bigot, before ending with “May says he’s sorry to…” Just look at the comments here. People will take any reason and opportunity to write a mean/angry comment, and it’s just not warranted in this case. He’s not Chappelle or Rowling.
“Gender issues haven’t been discussed in mainstream news for the past couple decades the way they are today.”I don’t know what this means. I didn’t say they had been discussed “the way they are today,” and I don’t think that’s a thing that can be quantified anyway, but regardless, the fact that gender is a spectrum has certainly been discussed in the mainstream for years, so the fact that it’s new to him is no one’s fault but his own. And again, “this is new to me and I’m not able to speak about it” is an available answer at all times.“You’re speculating that it was the internet that caused his apology.”I’m speculating based on historical evidence. You are speculating that it’s not, which is the answer you’d give if you had the integrity to answer the question, which you don’t.
Gender as a spectrum has only been discussed in the mainstream in recent years, and then only mainly amongst people who it interests, such as myself. I don’t expect everyone to be like me or in my situation, hence I give them patience and information. You too seem to want to give information, only angrily and rudely which is obviously not helpful.
And not everyone will give your preferred answers in public every time. But when someone apologizes and it seems sincere, that’s the bottom line and it’s time to move on. Getting upset about it is a waste of energy on your part.
And what’s your historical evidence? That he went on instagram? You think he doesn’t have friends, family, managers, publicists that talk to him? There are different types of damage control if you’d just stop and think about it instead of trying to make an argument out of nothing. And you question my integrity? Check yourself.
“Gender as a spectrum has only been discussed in the mainstream in recent years, and then only mainly amongst people who it interests”That’s simply not true. It’s simply not true. It’s true that it was mainly discussed among people it interests, but May doesn’t get extra patience for choosing not to be interested in it all this time, which is my point. But it’s 100% not true that it wasn’t mentioned in mainstream media until “recent years” and as long as you continue to believe that this discussion isn’t going to get anywhere.“You too seem to want to give information, only angrily and rudely which is obviously not helpful.”Really? When did I give Brian May information at all, let alone angrily or rudely? I don’t recall saying shit to him.“Getting upset about it is a waste of energy on your part.”Why is what I do with my energy any of your concern? And you’re wasting just as much energy as I am getting “upset” about my being “upset.” I also never said I was “upset” about it. “And what’s your historical evidence? That he went on instagram? You think he doesn’t have friends, family, managers, publicists that talk to him?”I wasn’t talking about just him. I’m talking about the countless publicist-apologies we’ve seen after celebrities say something shitty and get taken to task for it. And yes, I know he has publicists to talk to. That’s my point.“And you question my integrity?”Yup.
It seems your points boil down to “fuck May for not being as good a person as me”. He apologised and you can’t prove he’s insincere. Don’t come after me for trying to defuse this comments section.
“It seems your points boil down to ‘fuck May for not being as good a person as me’.”I guess that’s what it would boil down to for someone who’s more interested in making a point than in reading anything I’ve said. I never said fuck him. I haven’t said anything mean about him at all. I said fuck you. Well I haven’t said it, but I’m saying it now, for thinking it’s your job to tone police marginalized communities and for thinking Brian May needs you to protect him from…as it turns out, literally nothing.
You think Brian May should have known better by now. You basically said so. But what is better? In this case, it’s what you think it is, hence you want May to be more like you. Well, he wasn’t. At the time he wasn’t as good as you. But he then apologised and you can either accept that or not. You seem to be saying you don’t. Well, your cynicism isn’t a reason for myself and others not to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Now, I know my writing here has no effect on May or marginalized communities. This article here was published after the events were over. Any “harm” has already been done or not. All I’ve done is try to defuse this comment section, in which some wish to follow the lead of the article and continue to bash someone who I think doesn’t deserve it. That’s my opinion on May. If you’ve read anything else into what I wrote, then that’s your problem.
So stop the insults please. We can see you’re upset. No need to be unpleasant about it, although you’ve been writing aggressively from the start. Perhaps you should get some professional help.
“You seem to be saying you don’t.”I don’t “seem to be saying” any such thing. His apology wasn’t to me. It’s not mine to accept or reject.“All I’ve done is try to defuse this comment section”For what purpose? And “defuse” it from what? “who I think doesn’t deserve it”And there you have it. You like Brian May, and so you don’t want anyone saying anything even remotely not nice about him, even though it doesn’t affect him in any real way whatsoever. You’re tone-policing people because you’re a fan. It’s not your job. Mind your business.“Perhaps you should get some professional help.”lol And when will you get professional help for your megalomaniac need to keep people from expressing disappointment in a celebrity you like on the internet?This conversation is over now. You can have the last word; I know that’s what you’re waiting for. I’m not gonna read it, though. Ta.
Oh dear, you clearly implied May gave a “publicist-apology”, forced by “the internet”, hence you don’t think he’s genuinely sorry or thought better of it. And if it’s not obvious why someone would want less angry comments when they think they’re unwarranted, then I don’t know how to explain it more than the multiple times I have.
Not only have you shown you don’t know how words work, you don’t know how conversations work, but you also don’t know how people express themselves in threads on the internet. You’ve proven you’re “someone who’s more interested in making a point than in reading anything I’ve said” because you literally just asked me a question and also said you’re not going to read my reply. I’ll dismiss this. It’s embarrassing for you.
WTF is wrong with him?
He’s old and someone stuck a microphone under his nose.
Dude can backpedal all he likes but coming out with things like ‘we would be forced to have more diverse people and maybe even “a trans” ‘ is pretty cut and dried. Go home disappointing boomer.
This is just typical boomer shit. Nobody is forcing anyone to hire any musicians they don’t want to hire. It’s just ridiculous senile babbling. What’s surprising about this is who it’s coming from. I always assumed Brian May was way more intelligent and compassionate than this, being both a legit astrophysicist and having an LGBTQ+ icon as the frontman of his band.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say a lot of the people you currently look up to will end up saying pretty tone-deaf shit if they’re allowed to live long enough. It’s going to happen. It always happens. Everyone gets old and turns stupid in one way or another.
I am always more shocked when the comments of 74 year old wealthy straight white males on the topics of race, gender, and sexuality do make sense.
His comments blew up on a guitar tablature site, mostly with people agreeing with him. I really hate that rock music has become a place for old fossils.
And I still can’t find a good tab for “Tie Your Mother To A Bicycle”.
And 19 year old idiots with the taste and opinions of old fossils.
I can’t imagine what it must be like for people to look at such a narrow gap of time in musical history and think, “Yeah, this was the PINNACLE and it’s been terrible ever since.”
It is the pinnacle if you like a certain type of music though. I love rock music and have tried to stay current, but the majority of stuff that has come out since the 90’s has been uninteresting to me. You could say the same for people who like other genres like jazz. While there is still good stuff being made, most fans would probably argue that it peaked in the 1950’s.
Oh, do you know my dad?He’s also a bigot and an asshole! Im not saying the musical thing and the shitty person thing tie together, but I’m not… NOT saying that either
Once rock music stopped being shoveled into their ears at the same rate as other pop music, it became very easy to cling to what they already know.
um, it’s DOCTOR May.
Never forget Queen is the band who gave us the song “Fat Bottom Girls,” a song that is both extremely problematic and yet rocks.
I’m pretty sure that header photo is Rowan Atkinson in a bad Brian May wig.
So anyone watching the Beatles’ reaction to the British press have any doubt as to how they could have possibly f*cked up?
The problem I see with this whole thing is that the upshot is that they are going to give out fewer awards, and most likely it’s going to be women and non-binary artists that lose out.
Yes, for women that is a risk (it’s a go-to TERF argument that I think does occasionally have some merit), but given that non-binary artists were apparently excluded from the awards by the old categories, they cannot really lose out by the change.
It’s not a risk…it’s a certainty.
The solution is to ban award shows.
So an old man said something dumb and insensitive to a tabloid and apologized after realizing he was in the wrong. Honestly I hope I’m as kind and decent when (and if) I make it to my 70’s.
#CancelQueen?
wow, a 74-year old doesn’t have the most progressive view on every issue? Stop the presses!!!
“British Phonographic Industry”Well, I read that as something else entirely, and I’m still not sure I was wrong.
I’m sure they have gendered-category awards too.
Just want to add a bit of context from across the pond. UK news media is a transphobic (among other things) garbage fire that isn’t above complety inventing quotes in order to push its agenda. There are examples of entire interviews being invented by journalists, so I’d be inclined to give May the benifit of the doubt on this one.
“He went on to claim that Queen would be criticized for a lack of diversity”Is this a thing that’s happening to bands nowadays? I’m suspicious.Also wasn’t Freddie Mercury Indian or something? That’s not “not white as such,” that’s just not white.
Was he saying “Freddie could pass”? That’s what I thought it sounded like.
It’s hard to say. I looked at the fuller comments on The Mirror and it’s still hard to say. It honestly sounds like the random ramblings of your old uncle at Thanksgiving. I can’t get a good bead on why he said that. It’s still weird to describe being able to pass as “not white as such.” I’m gonna stop thinking about it before it infects my brain.
Just like my uncles…if they had advanced degrees in astronomy and played the guitar.
I guess an advanced degree in astronomy doesn’t help one understand the simple concept of non-gendered award categories.
Oddly enough, I saw a great demonstration of zodiacal light about two mornings ago, and I thought “Hey, that’s what Brian May explained in his astronomy PhD thesis.” Somehow, I think the reputation of the guy who was both the lead guitarist of Queen and the astronomer who successfully explained a light phenomenon that had been poorly understood for millenia will survive an AVClub blurb written by Barsanti, of all people.
I shouldn’t be surprised at the obvious bias on this site, but May nothing wrong, and he’s 100% right in his views. Removing gendered awards categories is simply ridiculous. And for what? Because a handful of people want to feel extra-special by giving themselves make-believe titles and statuses? Sam Smith can identify as a giraffe if he likes, it doesn’t make him less male; his chromosomes are XY. Notice the majority of people “identifying” as something other than what they are belong to a specific age group? These are the desperately needy attention-seekers, bereft of character, pathetically attached to the validation received from ‘Likes’. Let’s see these people a few years from now when the spotlight is of them; what next for attention?
I shouldn’t be surprised at the obvious bias on this site, but May nothing wrong, and he’s 100% right in his views. Removing gendered awards categories is simply ridiculous. And for what? Because a handful of people want to feel extra-special by giving themselves make-believe titles and statuses? Sam Smith can identify as a giraffe if he likes, it doesn’t make him less male; his chromosomes are XY. Notice the majority of people “identifying” as something other than what they are belong to a specific age group? These are the desperately needy attention-seekers, bereft of character, pathetically attached to the validation received from ‘Likes’. Let’s see these people a few years from now when the spotlight is of them; what next for attention?
Again, I’m not surprised, but the bias on this site is unreal! So much for freedom of speech if it doesn’t conform to popular opinion.