Who influenced my music the most... everyone you love influences your music the most. It's hard to say. I lost my mother a year ago as well and that was in my work as well. The biggest emotion in creation is the bridge to optimism.

1998 Brian May

Biography
   

May was born in Hampton, in Middlesex, and attended Hampton Grammar School (now Hampton School). He went on to study at the Imperial College London departments of Physics and Mathematics, and was part way through a Ph.D. programme at Imperial College, studying reflected light from interstellar dust and the velocity of dust in the plane of the Solar System, when Queen became successful. He abandoned his astrophysics doctorate - temporarily, as it later turned out - but did co-author two scientific research papers: MgI Emission in the Night-Sky Spectrum[9] and An Investigation of the Motion of Zodiacal Dust Particles (Part I)[10], which were based on Brian's observations in Tenerife. As of August 2007, he has submitted his PhD thesis (Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud) and passed his thesis defense[11]; subject to corrections he will graduate in early 2008. [12] He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in November 2002 by the University of Hertfordshire and another in July 2007 by the University of Exeter, although it is not customary in the United Kingdom for honorary doctors to use the title. Most recently, he was the co-author of "Bang! – The Complete History of the Universe" with Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott, which was published on October 23, 2006.

May is known for being rather quiet and reserved at parties. He has stated in interviews that he suffered from depression in the late 1980s, even to the point of contemplating suicide,[13] and that drug use would have worsened any problems he faced. At the time, during the recording sessions of the Queen album The Miracle, he was splitting up with his wife Chrissy, his father died, and as a result of Freddie Mercury's illness, Queen retired from touring.

May's father Harold had been a longtime cigarette-smoker, and this likely contributed to his early death. As a result, May dislikes smoking, even to the point where he specifically prohibits smoking indoors at his more recent concerts. He often writes about his opinion on smoking on his website: http://brianmay.com.

His avoidance of alcohol can be traced to an early concert where Queen played with the band Aerosmith, and May had a conversation with fellow guitarist Joe Perry backstage. Perry brought out a bottle of whisky, which the two drank between themselves. May felt so unpleasant during the concert that he promised himself never to have more than one drink before playing.

May married actress Anita Dobson, who played Angie Watts in EastEnders, on November 18, 2000. He has three children: James (Jimmy) (1978), Louisa (1981), and Emily Ruth (1987) from his first marriage to Chrissy Mullens. May lives in West End, Surrey