How I Discovered: Queen

Queen is a band that you never really seem to discover. Everyone knows "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions," and most people can sing along to at least part of "Bohemian Rhapsody." Few bands have so many songs that are so iconic: off the top of my head, I can remember commercials on TV featuring "You're My Best Friend," "Don't Stop Me Now," and "I Want It All." Much like the Beatles, I can't think of a time in my life where I wasn't aware of Queen's music.
Unlike the Beatles, I didn't stray too far from Queen's hits for years, letting my knowledge of them be defined by their compilation albums like Greatest Hits and Classic Queen. It will probably not amaze you to hear that I started diving into Queen's catalog when I got Spotify, starting with A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera. I then moved onto Queen and Queen II, learning more about this wonderfully bizarre group.
A lot of my appreciation for Queen has been because of my guitar playing. Brian May is one of the best rock guitarists of all time, and I've always tried to figure out why his playing style is so instantly recognizable. Learning about his work has naturally led me to imitate it somewhat; in fact, the biggest performance I've given as a guitarist was a Queen song, "Somebody to Love." Great artists inspire more art, and Queen has certainly done that for me.

Favorite album: A Night at the Opera (1975)
Favorite songs: "Somebody to Love," "Killer Queen," "You're My Best Friend," "Seaside Rendezvous," "Dragon Attack"