Sir Brian May concedes 'it keeps me awake at night' as music icon blasts 'horrendous polarisation' of right and left

The music legend, who is also a respected astrophysicist, told the magazine he has long believed that science and art are fundamentally connected, despite being told as a child that he would have to choose between the two.

“That’s an easy one,” Sir Brian said. “I’ve always thought that art and science were part of the same thing, although I was told as a kid, ‘You have to choose one.’ I’ve fought that all my life.”

The guitarist, who rose to global fame with Queen, suggested that rigid ideological thinking mirrors that same false choice, with people increasingly pressured to adopt a single political identity rather than engage openly with complex ideas.

Sir Brian has previously warned that intolerance of nuance, particularly online, discourages people from asking questions or appreciating beauty in science, culture and the natural world.

“I think appreciating the beauty of the universe is a big part of finding out how it works,” he added, arguing that wonder and curiosity should sit at the heart of human progress rather than ideological dogma.

Sir Brian’s latest book explores galaxies through stereoscopic imagery, combining his scientific research with a lifelong passion for visual storytelling.

He said the project reflects the same refusal to accept artificial boundaries that have shaped both his academic career and his work in music.

Despite decades in the public eye, the 78-year-old said he remains deeply concerned about the direction of public debate, particularly the way opposing viewpoints are increasingly treated as enemies rather than differences of opinion.

Sir Brian appears to have shifted from a lifelong Conservative voter to a more openly left-of-centre activist, driven largely by his advocacy for animal welfare and a belief in what he calls “common decency” in politics.

Through his Common Decency campaign launched in 2015, he urged voters to judge candidates on personal integrity rather than party “colour”.

During the 2020 US election, he said he was shocked by the scale of political division and even suggested an independent “board of truth” to help heal the gulf between voters.

Although raised in a Conservative household, Sir Brian has said he moved left as he prioritised compassion for the vulnerable and became increasingly concerned about social inequality.

In recent years, he has urged voters to “vote for change” and remove what he described as a corrupt Conservative Government, while repeatedly condemning Brexit as a “tragedy” and “the dumbest thing Britain has ever done”.

He has also insisted that animal welfare transcends party politics, backing candidates from Labour, the Greens and individual Conservatives who oppose the badger cull and fox hunting.

Furthermore, Sir Brian has supported higher taxes on the wealthy, criticised austerity and backed the redistribution of hereditary land.

His activism continued into 2024 and 2025, when he resigned as vice-president of the RSPCA over welfare concerns and later criticised proposed AI copyright rules, accusing technology firms of being “monstrously arrogant” and threatening musicians’ livelihoods.

The guitarist's most recent controversy came after he issued a sharp warning to social media trolls while sharing a tribute to late bandmate Freddie Mercury.

Posting fan artwork depicting Mr Mercury at various stages of his life, including an illustration of the singer holding himself as an infant, Sir Brian wrote: “The most beautiful memories are the saddest. Remembering the one and only Freddie M.”

He dismissed claims the artwork used artificial intelligence, stating: “I’m going to say this only once, to you people who think you’re so clever. This has nothing to do with AI.”