Brian May: Looking Back on His ‘Bizarre Gardening Accident’
Brian May is one of rock’s most fascinating figures. After all, unlike other rock icons, his astrophysics doctorate was earned and not “honorary.” Even so, May still isn’t immune to rock and roll tropes. If you want proof, look no further than the Queen guitarist’s Instagram back in May 2020.
In the early months of the Coronavirus pandemic, May shared a photo of himself wearing a mask and video of a seemingly empty hospital. In a lengthy caption, he began by reassuring fans he wasn’t in the hospital with COVID-19. Instead, May was hospitalized with a very unique injury. He explained it exactly the way a guitar god with a doctorate would:
“I managed to rip my Gluteus Maximus to shreds in a moment of over-enthusiastic gardening.”
While he did assure fans that he would be fine, May did inform them that he would be taking a break from social media. He said, in part, ” … The pain is relentless … I just need some healing silence for a while.”
Of course, anyone who’s fluent in This is Spinal Tap will be reminded of John “Stumpy” Pepys, the first drummer for Spinal Tap. Pepys, sadly died from “a bizarre gardening accident.” So, when news of May’s injury started to spread, Michael McKean (aka: Spinal Tap’s David St. Hubbins) shared the classic tweet below.
“...a bizarre gardening accident...” https://t.co/jGgPrHlO7c
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) May 8, 2020
Brian May is a Doctor and a “Sir”
As if “Doctor” and “Real Life Spinal Tap Figure” weren’t enough titles for the Queen guitarist, Brian May is also a “Sir.” In case you forgot, May was knighted in March 2023 by King Charles III.
A photo of May being knighted was shared on Queen’s X (formerly Twitter) account. It was captioned, “Arise Sir Brian May. Brian’s investiture as a Knight of The Realm took place today at Buckingham Palace. The knighthood was presented to Brian by His Royal Highness, King Charles. Many congratulations, Sir Brian!”
Arise Sir Brian May ⚔️🎸
— Queen (@QueenWillRock) March 14, 2023
Brian's investiture as a Knight of The Realm took place today at Buckingham Palace. The knighthood was presented to Brian by His Royal Highness, King Charles.
Many congratulations, Sir Brian!
📸©️ Alamy pic.twitter.com/nE3ZmfvPSZ
