A CHANCE MEETING

This is my second YouTube video, but the first where I'm actually talking and telling a story. Hopefully, I'll get more comfortable in front of the camera and continue to improve, making films that are a little more polished along the way.

It was a cold January day in 2011, and I was wandering around Claremont, California. Being a fan of classic cars, I couldn't resist crossing the road to photograph a parked DeLorean (yes, the one from Back to the Future).

While I was taking a closer look, one of the gentlemen sitting on a nearby bench asked if I was a photographer. I had a few old film cameras with me, so perhaps it wasn't too difficult to guess!

We got chatting, and it turned out that Stephen had been a model in his younger days. I asked if he minded me taking a portrait, and whether his friend Ray would be happy to have a few photographs taken too. Both were more than happy to oblige.

As I was reloading the film into my camera, Ray asked if I was from the UK. I guess the accent had given me away!

He then mentioned that he'd played at the Royal Albert Hall many years earlier. Naturally, I asked if he'd been in a band.

"MOI," he replied.

It took me a moment or two to make the connection.

"Do you mean the Mothers of Invention? Frank Zappa's band?"

He smiled and explained that he'd actually been the one to invite Frank Zappa to join the group, although he'd left before the band found any real commercial success.

It was quite an unexpected encounter, and certainly not the sort of thing you anticipate when you head out for a walk with a camera.

Mother of Invention vocalist Ray Collins was the founding member of 'Mothers of Invention'. He died on Dec 24th 2012, age 76.

Mother of Invention vocalist Ray Collins was the founding member of 'Mothers of Invention'. He died on Dec 24th 2012, age 76.

Ray Collins was a founding member and vocalist of the Mothers of Invention. He passed away on 24 December 2012, aged 76.

It's funny where a camera can take you, and the people you can meet along the way. Sometimes the best photographs come with a story you never expected to hear.

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Thanks for reading,

Peter