After more than 30 years which he spent as a member of one of the world's most successful bands, Queen guitarist Brian May has finally finished his PhD thesis in astrophysics which he began as a student in the 1970s, the Times reported on Thursday.May, 59, earned a degree in astrophysics at Imperial College London but after years of studying interplanetary dust, he abandoned work towards his doctorate when Queen took off. His interest in the subject was reignited when he co-authored "Bang! The Complete History of the Universe", which tells the story of the universe from the Big Bang through its subsequent evolution, and was released last year.
"For the last nine months, I've done nothing except slave over my PhD, which is now written up, thank God." May reportedly told students at a ceremony at Exeter University in southwest Britain when he received an honorary doctorate.
"But there are times when you really want to give up. There are times when you go, 'Why on earth did I take this on?'"
May worked on the PhD between 1971 and 1974, and kept all his hand-written notes on the subject through the years, finally discovering them in his loft recently.
"People are aware he is here and there is a feeling it is pretty cool that he has come back to finish his PhD, even if he has not been hugely visible," Abigail Smith, a spokeswoman for Imperial College, was quoted as saying by the Times.
The rocker will receive his PhD next May, assuming his thesis is approved by supervisors.
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I had to do a little digging for this one.
I heard the story on the radio but they gave little information. So, since they call this the Information Highway, I got into the fast lane and tracked down the data.
I was really impressed with Brian May's story. All these years he's been in the limelight some critics even called him a guitar virtuoso. Yet somewhere at the back of his cranium he was still thinking about dust clouds between stars. Then he decided to pick up where he left off, submitted his thesis and will soon get his PhD.
I saw Queen in concert when I was just a youngling. I remember Brian May's guitar solo and he really was a virtuoso. But astrophysics? Talk about divergent frames of mind! I took a few astronomy courses that were tough. I can imagine how hard it was to work for a PhD in astrophysics.
And the dude is 59 years old!
Therein lies the lesson. We are never too old to pursue our dreams. In fact, our years of experience can help us make those dreams a reality. Never give up ...
Dr. Brian May is a fine example for all of us to follow.
