Queen Guitarist Hails Katy Perry

Posted on Jun 15th 2009 5:00PM by David Chiu
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Queen's Brian May found a reason to emerge from his self-described "shell" after being silent for a while: his admiration for Katy Perry (something he and Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto don't have in common). In his Sunday blog post on his website, the guitarist wrote about seeing Perry's sold-out show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 10.

"I walked in," wrote May, "and there was Katy Perry and a hot young band tearing it up to an audience who responded to every note, and seldom sat down. No clicks, no backing tracks, no mime show ... no huge production ... no pretence. Just a really great young singer and artist, pouring her heart out."

One particular aspect of Perry's personality reminded May of his late Queen colleague Freddie Mercury. "But the best thing of all is her command of mood," wrote May. "Katy sings and talks lightly, full of cheeky humour, but, at the drop of a hat ... before you realise it's happened ... she has changed gear and is singing a serious song with a natural honesty and emotion ... and you are in her grip. She's a true entertainer."

The guitarist later met Perry and the two posed for pictures together. He later wrote, "I'm proud that we had this moment. Katy, you're great."

Perry equally professed her admiration for May when she blogged on her website about nervously playing in front of him at her show. (On her MySpace page, Perry cited Queen as one of her musical influences; she has also performed a cover of the band's 'Don't Stop Me Now' at her shows.) "He was so sweet and my stalker side came out for sure," she wrote of May. "If you haven't gotten into the amazingness that was/is Queen, get into it." She ended her post with a line from the Queen song 'Fat Bottomed Girls': "FAT BOTTOM GIRLS YOU MAKE THIS ROCKING WORLD GO ROUND!"