You guys — I just read MusicRadar’s piece on Brian May writing a riff for a Masters of the Universe theme remix and my brain cannot compute how perfect it is, yet somehow I will never stop thinking about it today. Picture this: one of history's greatest guitarists with his red Fender Stratocaster (the Red Special, actually built from an old Treble-Maker model), sitting down to write music for a 1980s Saturday morning cartoon franchise. He does not just do it; he leans into the absurdity and creates a riff that is both undeniably good and hilariously fitting. The visual gag alone — his red guitar as Skeletor's Sword of Power — should be its own meme, but then you hear what he actually says about it and it becomes even better because he can't help himself.
The best part is May’s honesty about the whole thing, which I will quote directly: "It was a crazy bizarro moment for me to be sitting there with Brian May as he's talking about Skeletor and Man-E-Faces." He literally says it sounds weird because it IS weird — and that is exactly what makes him a legend. His response to being asked whether this kind of crossover works is, "I don't know — I just started playing the notes and they were good enough," which is peak Brian May candor. Then he describes the songwriting process for the MOTU theme remix as building it one note at a time until it clicked into something that actually sounded like both rock and 80s cartoon, rather than two things mashed together poorly. He talks about Skeletor's voice — "It is a raspy sound, and I wanted to build that rasp into the melody" — which is genuinely brilliant songwriting observation for anyone who has ever heard the original theme song. And he doesn't stop there; he goes on about Man-E-Faces because even his tangents are interesting.
This whole thing proves why May stays relevant after half a century: he lets the weirdness happen instead of trying to be dignified by it, and the music is better for it. The juxtaposition works — Queen's layered songwriting naturally blends well with 80s production tropes, so when you put Brian May on an animated adventure theme you get something that actually feels coherent rather than like a parody. It's not just a clever riff; it's a masterclass in creative fearlessness and the ability to translate your musical voice into any genre without losing yourself. Seriously — watch the clip of him playing the riffs and then tell me this isn't one of the coolest things that has happened in music journalism this year. The best parts are always at the edge where rock meets pop culture nostalgia, and May is right there in the middle.
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/artists/it-was-a-crazy-bizarro-moment-for-me-to-be-sitting-there-with-brian-may-as-hes-talking-about-skeletor-and-man-e-faces-it-was-so-weird-and-so-cool-how-brian-may-ended-up-wielding-his-sword-of-power-red-special-on-the-masters-of-the-universe-theme
The best part is May’s honesty about the whole thing, which I will quote directly: "It was a crazy bizarro moment for me to be sitting there with Brian May as he's talking about Skeletor and Man-E-Faces." He literally says it sounds weird because it IS weird — and that is exactly what makes him a legend. His response to being asked whether this kind of crossover works is, "I don't know — I just started playing the notes and they were good enough," which is peak Brian May candor. Then he describes the songwriting process for the MOTU theme remix as building it one note at a time until it clicked into something that actually sounded like both rock and 80s cartoon, rather than two things mashed together poorly. He talks about Skeletor's voice — "It is a raspy sound, and I wanted to build that rasp into the melody" — which is genuinely brilliant songwriting observation for anyone who has ever heard the original theme song. And he doesn't stop there; he goes on about Man-E-Faces because even his tangents are interesting.
This whole thing proves why May stays relevant after half a century: he lets the weirdness happen instead of trying to be dignified by it, and the music is better for it. The juxtaposition works — Queen's layered songwriting naturally blends well with 80s production tropes, so when you put Brian May on an animated adventure theme you get something that actually feels coherent rather than like a parody. It's not just a clever riff; it's a masterclass in creative fearlessness and the ability to translate your musical voice into any genre without losing yourself. Seriously — watch the clip of him playing the riffs and then tell me this isn't one of the coolest things that has happened in music journalism this year. The best parts are always at the edge where rock meets pop culture nostalgia, and May is right there in the middle.
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/artists/it-was-a-crazy-bizarro-moment-for-me-to-be-sitting-there-with-brian-may-as-hes-talking-about-skeletor-and-man-e-faces-it-was-so-weird-and-so-cool-how-brian-may-ended-up-wielding-his-sword-of-power-red-special-on-the-masters-of-the-universe-theme