Queen icon Brian May recently spoke to Classic Rock and recalled one of his favorite memories with the late Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Also, the famous musician revealed that he had regret about Van Halen while explaining the main reason why he thought like that for years.
The two legendary guitarists, May and Van Halen, had a chance to spend more time with each other when they decided to collaborate on a special project. The Queen guitarist’s ‘Star Fleet Project’ was a mini-album from Brian May + Friends, including Eddie Van Halen, REO Speedwagon’s Alan Gratzer, Jeff Beck’s session bassist Phil Chen, and Alice Cooper’s keyboard player Fred Mandel. It was released on October 31, 1983.
In addition to the collaboration, they were very close and longtime friends, but May thought they should have had more moments together. The guitarist blamed himself for it, saying that he’s a shy and reclusive person, and May regretted not keeping in touch more with Eddie even though they always had a connection. After Van Halen passed away on October 6, 2020, the guitarist probably realized this inevitable regret.
Then, the reporter asked May to share a memory of Eddie Van Halen, which he could define as his favorite; the iconic musician highlighted that they have countless unforgettable moments, but one of them was very interesting. May stated that Eddie came to one of their concerts and went to the hotel with them. He brought Southern Comfort that can be a perfect Eddie Van Halen gift, and they drank more and more. May admitted that he lost himself so much that he found himself on the bathroom floor later.
May stated in his interview that:
“I really should keep in touch better. I tend to be a bit shy and reclusive myself. I regret terribly that I didn’t keep in touch more with Ed Van Halen.“
Here’s what the reporter asked:
“What’s your favorite memory of him?”
May responded:
“I have a lot of favorite memories, but I do remember him coming to see us play one time. We went back to the hotel afterward. He’d brought a bottle of his favorite drink with him, which I think was Southern Comfort. Anyway, he’s knocking it back, so I started knocking it back, and I completely lost it.
The next thing I remember, I was on the floor in the bathroom, having fallen and cracked my head on the washbasin. I don’t even remember going into the bathroom. It’s one of the few times in my life where I’ve gotten out of control.“
You can check out the work below.
