Brian May recently sat down with Guitar Player for an interview, where he opened up about his regretful decision about an incident involving Eddie Van Halen.
The guitarist had a chance to spend time with the late musician during his ‘Star Fleet Project.’ When asked about the depth of their friendship at the time, May replied, revealing his mistake about hanging out with Eddie:
“Ed I knew as a friend, but I’d very seldom had the chance to hang out with him. I got very drunk with him one night, ill-advisedly, because he could drink and I couldn’t. So I tried to match him, and it was a terrible mistake. I ended up falling over in his bathroom in his hotel room… That’s another story [laughs].”
Although Brian formed a relationship with Van Halen thanks to their joint effort, the rocker still has one regret about afterward. In a conversation with Variety last year, the Queen member explained:
“And I’ve been talking to Alex [Van Halen] and started thinking about how I wish I had stayed closer to Ed. I have a huge regret about that. He was a wonderful soul – a Peter Pan who never grew up, never wanted to grow up, and never should have grown up.”
May also disclosed during the same interview that he thought Eddie was incredibly skilled at playing the guitar, to the point where he felt outclassed by him in the studio. However, he enjoyed being around someone so talented.
The guitarist also announced in November 2022 that he returned to the studio for a new project, which includes unreleased guitar recordings by Van Halen. On July 14, 2023, ‘Star Fleet Project’ was reissued along with a compilation of additional session recordings and alternate versions called ‘Star Fleet Sessions.’
