Dr Brian May opens Media Centre
03 August 2009
LJMU Chancellor Dr Brian May opened the School of Engineering’s new Media Centre and treated all attendees to an impromptu performance on one of his own guitars.
Dr May, renowned rock star, songwriter and astronomer, is also an unrivalled manufacturer of guitars. As well as playing one of the instruments during the opening he event, he signed one of the famous guitars. This will now be kept in the new centre to inspire students.
When Dr May was 17, he and his dad manufactured the now famous ‘Red Special’ guitar, using only hand tools. The truly unique guitar has been Dr May's main instrument throughout 30 years of live concerts and has featured on all Queen albums.
A feat of engineering and mathematics, the ‘Red Special’ took two years to manufacture and is made from a 500-year-old mahogany fireplace surround. Due to the demand for the guitar with its trademark warm sustain and unique switching system, Dr May set up a company to manufacture signature models based on the original guitar.
With a great understanding of both engineering and music, LJMU couldn’t have found a better person than its own Chancellor to open the new Media Centre.
Students from this year’s new BSc Audio and Music Production degree programme, as well as BSc Broadcast and Media Production students, will be taught at the new state-of-the-art suite which will house an audio recording studio, internet radio studio, TV studio and gallery as well as a video and audio post-production suite.
