Brian May Joins Tony Iommi On Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’

Queen guitarist Brian May recently joined Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi to perform the Sabbath classic “Paranoid.”

The two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers paired for the three-part Sky Arts documentary series “Greatest Guitar Riffs,” which aired in the U.K. back in November. The video was recently uploaded to Guitar World‘s YouTube channel.

It shows the guitar legends discussing the first time they met in the early ’70s, with Iommi declaring that they’ve been “best friends ever since.”

They discuss Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” which Iommi says happened because they didn’t have enough tunes for their album, and their producer told them they needed another song.

“The others had gone out to have something to eat. I came up with this riff, so when they got back I played them this idea of ‘Paranoid’,” he explains. “It’s basic. It’s not technical by any means. What I’ve always done is, not try and play anything that’s flash. I play things that I think is right for the song.”

Iommi and May then jam on the song’s classic riff, although May seemed hesitant to play.

“I’m going to commit sacrilege by joining in!” May jokes, before adding, “It is a good riff. It will go far.”