In a recent interview with Guitar Player, Brian May discussed his regrettable choice on an event involving Eddie Van Halen. During the guitarist’s “Star Fleet Project,” he had the opportunity to interact with the late musician. May responded when asked how close they were at the time, admitting his error in hanging out with Eddie: “Ed I was friends with him, but I hadn’t had many opportunities to hang out with him. He could drink and I couldn’t, so one night I foolishly became very inebriated with him. So I made the awful error of trying to match him. I ended up tripping in his hotel room’s bathroom. That’s a different tale [laughs]. Van Halen and Brian worked together to establish a relationship, but the rocker still has one regret from the relationship’s aftermath.
Last year, the Queen member spoke with Variety and provided the following explanation: And as I was speaking with Alex [Van Halen], I began to reflect on how I wished I had stayed around Ed. I deeply regret doing that. A Peter Pan who never grew up, never wanted to grow up, and never should have grown up, he was a great spirit. May also mentioned in the same interview that he believed Eddie was a very accomplished guitarist and that he felt outmatched by him in the recording studio. He did, however, like being around someone with such brilliance. Additionally, the musician revealed in November 2022 that he had entered the studio once more for a brand-new project that featured previously unheard guitar tracks by Van Halen. The “Star Fleet Project” album was re-released on July 14, 2023, along with the “Star Fleet Sessions” collection of extra session recordings and alternate takes.
