A Little Post About 'A Little Book of Language'

I was recently lent a book that I instantly knew I would be interested in, but until I'd read it I didn't know just how good it would be. The book is 'A Little Book of Language', the author is David Crystal, and my verdict is that it is incredible.

A Little Book of Language- David Crystal

Starting with the magical and peculiar way children pick up language skills and covering things like sign language, texting and place name definitions, David Crystal opens up a whole wonderful world of language in a way that is exciting and had me hanging on the end of every sentence and eagerly turning the pages to learn more. Although he is an expert linguist and a professor at Bangor University, this book isn't written like a textbook you'd find on a school bookshelf. Instead, he expresses the abstract ideas of how language works in a way that sounds just as though he is having a friendly conversation with his readers, which makes this book an even better read.
With 40 chapters each ending with a section of quirky examples not always about the English language, I found it hard to put this book down and have spend the last two days constantly reading it. As a lover of language myself, I was really keen to finally read this book and have now found myself being inspired to pick up where I left off two years ago with learning Spanish.
At the end of Chapter 40, David Crystal leaves it up to the next generation- you and me- to keep a love of language alive and to make our world of language a better place. That's something I'm doing right now as I'm sat here writing this, I'm using one of the most powerful tools a human can have- language. Without sounding too philosophical, this book has really changed the way I perceive language, and if you were to give it a read, maybe the same will happen to you.

My Interview with Katie McPansy Grogan

Katie McPansy Grogan

After admiring her work for quite some time, I managed to catch up
with the lovely Katie McPansy Grogan of McPansy Photography. Katie, from Kansas City, Missouri, has photographed many huge stars including Green Day, Ringo Starr and Slash, as well as showing off her talent with portraits and wedding photographs. Being a fan of the many artists that she's photographed and her work, I found it rather fitting to do this interview.

So Katie, you've photographed a whole range of people for different reasons. What was your favourite event to shoot?

"I can easily say that my favourite show that I have ever shot was of course Green Day in Chicago. I got to photograph exclusively for the Idiot Club for Green Day's first show back in 2013. It was amazing for me on so many levels. Green Day was the first band that I ever got the opportunity to photograph back in 2009 so it was like everything came full circle. I went from being a complete amateur with a point and shoot camera, literally scared out of my mind, to a professional who has easily over 200 shows under my belt and somewhat of a name for myself. I mean, if someone came up to me at that first Green Day show that I photographed and told me that a few years down the road I'd end up shooting for Ringo Starr, I would have deemed that person insane and probably called that an asshole for trying to lie to me like that."

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong- McPansy Photography

 

How long have you wanted to become a photographer? And what would you say to people with the same aspirations?

"I wanted to be a photographer ever since I was a little kid. I used to snag my mom's disposable cameras as a child and line up my stuffed animals and take photos of them. So you can say that I've always had an interest in the world of photography. Then when I got into my teen years I became an avid concert-goer. But it never really clicked that I could possibly combine my two biggest passions of music and photography together until I graduated high school. I used to always watch the photographers at concerts with complete envy. I never thought I'd now be up there by the stage with my camera and having those same eyed of envy on me from kids who have the same dreams that I did.
When people ask for my advice on how to get started, all I can say is just shoot as much as you can. Start with local bands for sure. It's not only fun but it's easy to just hit up local bands in your area and basically say 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'.  Local bands want photos and you want the experience and work for your book. Everyone's happy. Also, when you attend local gigs, be sure to talk to people! Network like crazy! Word of mouth is super important and you never know who you might meet. Then finally people need to hear the harsh truth: if you're trying to get into music photography or any type of photography for the money, don't. You'll be extremely disappointed."

Rob Zombie- McPansy Photography

It must be pretty nerve-racking for you for that time before the event starts. How do you get yourself pumped and do you have any lucky rituals you do?

"I wouldn't say nervous! I do get butterflies before every show, especially if it's a major artist or someone that I really admire. That feeling when the lights go down and the crowd cheers is a feeling that I honestly cannot describe.
I don't really have any pre-show rituals or anything. It's easy for me to get pumped and ready to shoot. Sometimes all it takes is stepping into the venue. I feel so at home at concerts so as soon as I'm there, I'm ready to go!"

Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump- McPansy Photography

If you could go to any time, any place and photograph one event, what would it be?

"Wow, that is a difficult question! There are so many that come to mind immediately. But I have to go with The Beatles when they played in Kansas City in 1964. One, it's The Beatles. Two, it has quite a bit of personal meaning- it was my mother's first concert as a child and it was the only time The Beatles did a show in my hometown, Kansas City."

Ringo Starr- McPansy Photography

 What is your proudest achievement?

"So far my proudest achievement was making it to the finals of NME Music Magazine's music photography contest in 2012 and getting my photo of The Flaming Lips shown in Getty Images Gallery in London for an entire month. I only wish I was able to go to London to see it while it was there."

The Flaming Lips- McPansy Photography

Katie's image at Getty Images Gallery, London

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography, from the eyes of someone who loves your work, is definitely your talent. What else do you enjoy doing when you're not living every music photographer's dream?

"Believe it or not, sometimes I actually attend concerts as a patron without my camera. Sure, I feel a little lost without my camera but I still very much enjoy going to shows as a fan. Other things I enjoy in my spare time include playing video games, spending time with my close friends and, when I get the chance to, I love making videos for my YouTube channel."

What exciting things have you got lined up for the near future?

"Coming up here in the next couple of weeks, I'll be shooting for Steel Panther and Judas Priest. And there are a lot of great shows happening in Kansas City in the next couple of months so I'm hoping to end 2014 with a bang!

Alice Cooper- McPansy Photography

Katie's work and information about what she does can be found by heading over to her website or finding her on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.