Brian May thinks Queen would need to be more diverse in today’s politically correct world.
The ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ guitarist was part of the iconic rock group with Roger Taylor, John Deacon and late frontman Freddie Mercury, who was openly gay and born in Zanzibar.
Speaking at the ITV Palooza in London, he said: “I am sure if Queen started now, we would be forced to have people of different colours and different sexes and a trans person, but life doesn’t have to be like that.
“We can be separate and different. Our generation made a lot of mistake, but not everybody in our generation was wrong and not everybody in this generation is right.
“A lot of people from our generation who are being called out have actually done a lot of good in their lives.”
Brian – who added that he prays “for more understanding” – admitted he worries “about cancel culture.
He explained: “I worry about cancel culture. I think some of it is good but it also brings bad things and injustices. We think in different ways but they weren’t necessarily worse ways.
“For instance, Freddie came from Zanzibar, he wasn’t British, he wasn’t white as such – nobody cares, nobody ever, ever discussed it.
“He was a musician, he was our friend, he was our brother. We didn’t have to stop and think: ‘Ooh, now, should we work with him? Is he the right colour? Is he the right sexual proclivity?’
“None of that happened, and now I find it frightening that you have to be so calculating.”
The 74-year-old star was speaking as he hit back at the BRIT Awards for ditching male and female categories in favour of a single Artist of the Year prize.
He addded: “It’s a decision that has been made without enough thought. A lot of things work quite well and can be left alone.
“I get so sick of people trying to change things without thinking of the long-term consequences. Some of these things are an improvement, some of them are not.”