C.C. Deville and us (Excuse the non pro pic!)
Disclaimer: So you’re looking at my new blog and the first few entries include politics and religion. The two biggest things they say to not talk about. Should I have tape on my mouth now? Already? Maybe I need to do a shoot like the one of Jessica Alba with the pretty black shiny tape wrapped tightly around her mouth, but she can pull it off. Well I guess it’s my blog so I’ll share what comes up at the time and I just happened to have a CRAZY run in to share! I find it gorgeous that our country has so much diversity to it and each person is so uniquely different and it makes the world and my shoots that much better! Most of my blogs will be my life which consists of unusual happenings or stories from behind the scenes. Read what interests you and skip what doesn’t but I promise you some fun. Oh and they may be long at times but hey, it’s the writer behind the camera in me. If you want to just see photos you can check out my web site www.imagesthatrock.com, but I promise you cool stuff here.
Here is the latest:
It was a Sunday night. Something personal made me feel like I wanted to give back that day. You know it’s that whole what goes around comes around except you don’t measure it. I have a home I like to visit when I can and it’s called church to most people. This night was different. My son was supposed to have a rowing race that morning for his school. I say supposed to as that’s a whole other story, called tonsillitis. After a rainy morning waiting to see my son row past me and feeling cold and wet I warmed up and then warmed up to the idea of getting rest enough to get up and go with my son to an evening service. There stood a young man with loads of energy and a thick accent warning of spit flying for those in the front row. He was a south African/ Australian guest speaker by the name of J.D. (Jon Daniel) who was really fascinating and powerful. Things he said were put into easy terms and just resonated. Everyone awed at his 50 year plan which included being in love with his wife in 50 years. She was the lily amongst the thorns and that every woman was a thorn, maybe a mighty fine thorn but a thorn compared to his wife who he obviously missed being miles from home. Every girls dream!! Yes please. I’ll take that kind of love!
On my way out the doors, my friend Shane had said he spotted CC, I knew who CC was, I mean hello…. I am a rock photographer so if I don’t someone needs to permanently retire me. (Just in case you don’t, he is the amazingly talented lead guitarist of the band Poison and is currently working on his own music project as well.) I couldn’t see him at first but we drove around the corner and then spotted him. He was on his cell phone. I wasn’t about to interrupt him but I wasn’t about to leave either. There’s some history and lets just say we have common friends enough for me to attend a few of the same parties (not the ones you think) and even a very private and personal bowling birthday party. Being that this was all in LA and we weren’t in LA I had to say hello. I waited quite a distance away but could hear his enthusiasm as he asked someone how their band was doing. Without trying to listen in I got the feeling he was spreading his positive love around. After his phone call I called his name as quietly as I could within ears reach of him.
CC turned around with a gleaming white perfect smile and eyes that could light up the night sky like 2 full moons. He was all aglow! I was too. I hadn’t seen him in forever and to just share stories and say hello was surreal for me (No “surreal life” pun intended). You know…. unexpected time…. unexpected place! That and the fact that I had never even been to an evening service and he usually goes at a different time so everything was just meant to be. While telling a couple of old school stories he grabbed out his phone and proudly showed me the photo of my him and old friend Rikki Rockett at his recent wedding. Congratulations Rikki! (Okay, my rock star friends don’t forget me when you have your weddings! You can call me to photograph it. Some forget when they see me shooting all my rock work and editorial work and we lose touch. When they remember it’s the perfect combo!)
I asked him if he’d like to go meet my son in the car and he did. As he got out of the car he wrapped his arms around my son saying “this is what I’m talking about!”. My son gladly took it in.
We talked about J.D.’s message. How powerful he was in his message and exciting delivery. That was right up CC’s alley. (He likes it loud so no surprise he’d want a message that knocks it out of the park.)
We swapped stories of how important our faith was. How imperfect we are, and the tough times I had been through recently and our complete importance of reliance on having faith and the amazing transformation he was continuing. He is on a journey! An unexpected one where he never thought his once deep dark life would take him. And Miss. Emotional Me, yes it brought a few tears. I was so happy for him that he looked so great and was feeling so well he was jumping out of his skin to share it! I remember CC as being that way. A presence larger then life but now he had found something larger then him! He had found God. I had to give him a big long hug just being so happy to see him so happy. Is it not the greatest thing to see people so happy? That is living!
He already seems to have great plans of how he’ll share his story to those who least expect it with other people and hope to make a difference in their lives. We agreed that it always makes life’s harder times seem a little more valuable. We both nodded in agreement on the lack of need to shove our ideas down anyone’s throat but he couldn’t wait to share with people his new found life. As imperfect as I am you won’t find me doing any preaching here but I am happy to share my thoughts.
So after our talk I gave him some info of where he could find me. I hope he does so if you see this CC, I hope you get in touch! I look forward to seeing him again and having so many more deep discussions or just hearing his distinct and infectious laugh once again.
We took pics to share with you from a little point and shoot camera so excuse the non pro photo here. The big story is not seeing a rock star. It’s when you see one who is totally transformed and happy and really living! I can see a million rock stars in a day and think nothing of it, but to me, I could not see his smile that night enough or maybe ever… especially as long as he is on this train. You know how the saying goes… “God bless him.” Well, he obviously is feeling really blessed! Cool!
~ jeanne
written November 3rd and 4th