I MET BRIAN MAY.
JEEZUS h. flippin' Christ...I'm buzzing on adrenaline so much right now, it's amazing. I haven't felt something like this since the glory days of the rave scene...fucking incredible.
I can easily say that in my professional photo world, there are very few people who elicit such a feeling from often jaded shooters who've been around forever and have just about seen everything. And similarly, there are also very few people in the world who, in one way or another, touched something inside of you and changed your life for the better. Usually you don't get to meet people in either category. This afternoon, I was lucky enough to experience both, when I went down to Book Soup in West Hollywood to photograph the one and only Dr. Brian May. Yes, that Brian May--Queen guitarist, astrophysicist, animal rights champion, and sober-minded critic of many ill-conceived and stupid ideas. He was in town to do a signing for his new book "Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures In Hell", and I was there to cover it for Getty Images.
I don't mind admitting that I was on the proverbial pins and needles waiting for him to arrive, for a couple of reasons. First, Brian and I had actually missed meeting each other in the past by a whisker or two a couple of times, so I was anxious and happy to finally meet him. He and I have occasionally communicated over the years, so to at last see the man in the flesh after chatting here and there was a treat that I couldn't resist. Second, I was one of those fans back in the 1970s and 80s who was blown away by Queen, the first time around. It may be hard for fans today to fully understand, but when Queen came out, there was no other rock band like them, anywhere. And come to think of it, there still isn't today. Their massed-harmonized and sledgehammer sound was totally distinct and separated from the rest of the rock world, and a major reason for that was Brian May, one of the two main architects of that sound--the other of course being Freddie Mercury. Brian's guitar sound, courtesy of his home-made Red Special, was so amazing that it seemed to blow just about every rock fan away in the States. He simply didn't sound like anyone else, and he gained such a following among hard-core fans and other guitarists, that his playing quickly became held in the highest esteem. I've watched veteran musicians break into "We're Not Worthy!" moments in his presence. And as I said, you don't get to meet people like that--the ones who touched your life and changed it, even involuntarily--or at least, not very often. So, I was naturally buzzing at the chance.
As it turned out, everything went great. Brian arrived and got settled, and during the few minutes we had before I was to photograph him, we got to chat a little. I was very pleased and happy that he remembered who I was from our last set of emails--that's always a great feeling. Out of respect for the good doctor, I won't repeat our conversation verbatim, but I will say that it was nice to be able to joke with him a bit and share a smile. We then stepped over to the store's sizable Rock section (Brian: "You guys have a Rock section? My God!"), and knocked the shoot out in under two minutes. Here's an out-take:
So all in all, today was a very good day. Thank you Brian, not only for making my day (hell, my whole month!), but also for all the incredible musical moment's you've been responsible for, and the good work you continue to do on behalf of England's badgers and foxes. Here's a list of some links that lead to Dr. May's various endeavors, all of which are worth exploring, in my humble opinion:
Brian's web site
Team Badger
Brian's "Save Me" web site
The London Stereoscopic Company, Ltd.
The Red Special web site
Amazon listing for Diableries
...and finally, Brian on the roof of Buckingham Palace, in case you needed reminding how fantastic his playing is.
Now, here's hoping I get Jimmy Page at the Grove next week...!
I can easily say that in my professional photo world, there are very few people who elicit such a feeling from often jaded shooters who've been around forever and have just about seen everything. And similarly, there are also very few people in the world who, in one way or another, touched something inside of you and changed your life for the better. Usually you don't get to meet people in either category. This afternoon, I was lucky enough to experience both, when I went down to Book Soup in West Hollywood to photograph the one and only Dr. Brian May. Yes, that Brian May--Queen guitarist, astrophysicist, animal rights champion, and sober-minded critic of many ill-conceived and stupid ideas. He was in town to do a signing for his new book "Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures In Hell", and I was there to cover it for Getty Images.
I don't mind admitting that I was on the proverbial pins and needles waiting for him to arrive, for a couple of reasons. First, Brian and I had actually missed meeting each other in the past by a whisker or two a couple of times, so I was anxious and happy to finally meet him. He and I have occasionally communicated over the years, so to at last see the man in the flesh after chatting here and there was a treat that I couldn't resist. Second, I was one of those fans back in the 1970s and 80s who was blown away by Queen, the first time around. It may be hard for fans today to fully understand, but when Queen came out, there was no other rock band like them, anywhere. And come to think of it, there still isn't today. Their massed-harmonized and sledgehammer sound was totally distinct and separated from the rest of the rock world, and a major reason for that was Brian May, one of the two main architects of that sound--the other of course being Freddie Mercury. Brian's guitar sound, courtesy of his home-made Red Special, was so amazing that it seemed to blow just about every rock fan away in the States. He simply didn't sound like anyone else, and he gained such a following among hard-core fans and other guitarists, that his playing quickly became held in the highest esteem. I've watched veteran musicians break into "We're Not Worthy!" moments in his presence. And as I said, you don't get to meet people like that--the ones who touched your life and changed it, even involuntarily--or at least, not very often. So, I was naturally buzzing at the chance.
As it turned out, everything went great. Brian arrived and got settled, and during the few minutes we had before I was to photograph him, we got to chat a little. I was very pleased and happy that he remembered who I was from our last set of emails--that's always a great feeling. Out of respect for the good doctor, I won't repeat our conversation verbatim, but I will say that it was nice to be able to joke with him a bit and share a smile. We then stepped over to the store's sizable Rock section (Brian: "You guys have a Rock section? My God!"), and knocked the shoot out in under two minutes. Here's an out-take:
So all in all, today was a very good day. Thank you Brian, not only for making my day (hell, my whole month!), but also for all the incredible musical moment's you've been responsible for, and the good work you continue to do on behalf of England's badgers and foxes. Here's a list of some links that lead to Dr. May's various endeavors, all of which are worth exploring, in my humble opinion:
Brian's web site
Team Badger
Brian's "Save Me" web site
The London Stereoscopic Company, Ltd.
The Red Special web site
Amazon listing for Diableries
...and finally, Brian on the roof of Buckingham Palace, in case you needed reminding how fantastic his playing is.
Now, here's hoping I get Jimmy Page at the Grove next week...!
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