Published Thursday,  April 30, 2009, in The Alive! Newspaper.

By Chris DeVille

Will Shilling photo

Zachery Allan Starkey

When: 10 p.m. Friday, May 1

Where: Skully's Music Diner, Short North

Web: myspace.com/zacheryallanstarkey

The electronic musician, photographer and man about town is better known for what he calls a "weird Frankenstein's monster of a public persona" than for his art.

Maligned, sometimes unfairly, for his outlandish new-wave haircuts, his affinity for suits, and a taste for self-portraits and self-promotion, Starkey often used to exacerbate his image problems. For someone who claimed not to care about the haters, he spent a lot of time responding to their taunts.

"I have a big mouth," Starkey admitted, before acknowledging, "I've learned that it's better to sometimes not just go with your emotions, and think things through."

But chatting in a Campus cafe last week, Starkey seemed more peaceful and self-aware than before. He still doesn't understand how he became such a polarizing figure, but he's trying to laugh it off and take humble steps toward self-improvement, whether that's learning to check his tongue or developing his newfound taste for working out.

That outlook is reflected in the songs Starkey is working on for his second album, due out this fall. His 2007 debut Solitaire was defined by cold detachment, full of dark, overlong ruminations that left his friends wondering where their lighthearted, club-hopping friend had hidden.

So for the next record, which might be called FUN! or Nightclubbing, he's loosening up. After years as the butt of the joke, Starkey is mocking back, but in a playful way.

"The songs on this record are about the many different aspects of nightlife and the different faces people put on when they're out. And it is funny. I'm not judging anyone or saying anything's bad, it's just if you look at it from a certain point of view, it's kind of ridiculous in a way - in a glorious way," Starkey explained.

"The songs are shorter," he continued. "They're much poppier. They're much catchier and humorous and, I think, a lot more accessible."

Musically, he's forgoing computers and even cutting out mastering, the final stage of sound compression. Instead, Starkey is using mixes directly from co-producer Bryan Moss' four-track and eight-track machines.

Matched with synthesizers and drum machines played by hand, the result is raw, lively and occasionally shaky recordings that verge on outsider art but definitely capture Starkey's intended vibe.

The first taste of the new Starkey is "No Texting on the Dance Floor," a single he'll release Friday at Skully's, where he has buried the hatchet with management after a feud last year. The song tackles technology's strange effect on interpersonal communication.

"We have all these advents of technology which allow people to communicate at great distances, but I think the weird result is people communicate with each other less when they're in person," Starkey said.

That bizarre consequence is especially evident to Starkey on the dance floor. So leave your cell phones in your pockets Friday, and come meet Zach Starkey 2.0.

http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2009/04/30/ca_m_locals.html

Zachery Allan Starkey

Published in The Columbus Dispatch,Thursday,  April 30, 2009.

DANIEL REPICZ

Zachery Allan Starkey

STYLE electronic dance
MUSIC www.myspace.com/zacheryallanstarkey
CONCERT 10 p.m. Friday in Skully's Music-Diner, 1151 N.High St. (614-291-8856,www.skullys.org)
TICKETS $5

Zachery Allan Starkey is so over the drama.

The spiky-haired, suit-sporting Franklinton native knows he inspires trash talk on Internet message boards and unbridled heckling from locals (the indie-rock set, mostly) who just don't understand him.

"I used to let things like that really get to me," said Starkey, 26. "I was very depressed."

These days, not so much.

His forthcoming, yet- untitled album will feature 10 upbeat electro-dance tunes with wry, and possibly ironic, commentary on the Columbus club and social scenes -- including a track called No Texting on the Dance Floor.

Meanwhile, he is taking the haters in stride.

"Growing older, I'm more satisfied with who I am," he said. "You can't spend your life worrying."

Q What made you pursue your genre?

A Columbus has a great history of garage rock. But I just thought, when I decided to start making music, that wasn't the kind I wanted to make. The city doesn't have much of a (live) electronic scene; it's all DJ-based.

Q What does your latest music sound like?

A It's a lot happier. My first CD (Solitaire) was depressing, very post-punk. This record has a lot more disco; it has a very Pet Shop Boys vibe.

I always tell these stories about the ridiculous things I see in bars and clubs. That became the whole topic for this record -- song titles like Cocaine! and Does Your Laptop Really Need Its Own Table? That's about when you're in a coffee shop and there's no place to sit but some jerk is using three tables.

Q Who are your influences?

A Depeche Mode, New Order. Andy Warhol was someone I've always had a real interest in. He had a quirky way of looking at things.

Q Why should someone see you in concert?

A When I tell people about the kind of music I make, they think I'm a DJ. But this is a band with keyboards and guitars and live drum machines.

We have a very special cover song planned. It's going to be a good lineup.

Q Any thoughts on why some people find you so polarizing?

A You'll have to ask them. I've never claimed to be the greatest songwriter or dance-music maker. I make the songs I like to make. If people like it, that's great.

-- Kevin Joy kjoy@dispatch.com

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/weekender/stories/2009/04/30/9A_LIME30X_ART_04-30-09_T6_6RDMFD2.html?sid=101

Zachery Allan Starkey is Back with a New Album

By Walker | April 29, 2009 2:30pm | Filed under Features, Music | Comments

Photo by Daniel Repicz

Zachery Allan Starkey is known to many people simply as a guy with an eccentric fashion sense. Others may know him just for his dramatic online debates on Done Waiting. But above everything else, Zachery wants to be known first and foremost for his music, photography, and other creative endeavors.

On Friday he returns to the stage to release the first single “No Texting on the Dancefloor!” from his new album coming out later this year. We decided to hit up ZAS to talk about the inspiration behind his sophomore album, his upcoming foray with life post-graduation, and some thoughts about the future of his childroom stomping grounds in Franklinton.

Walker Lee Evans) You released your first album “Solitaire” almost two years ago. What have you been up to since then?

Zachery Allan Starkey) Well, I spent a good portion of the past two years touring and playing in support of Solitaire, my first record. I played more shows in the past two years than I ever thought possible. I also branched out and played in Cleveland and Dayton a lot, as well as Chicago. Playing outside of Columbus was extremely beneficial, as allowed me to see how people who had never heard of me reacted to my songs. The reaction to my music in other cities has always been very positive, so this has recently encouraged me to start work on a new record.

Outside of music, things have been busy as well. I spent a lot of time volunteering for the Obama campaign last fall. Working is always busy, and life in general is always busy. But working on this record has been great.

WLE) Well, tell us a bit more about the new album then.

ZAS) The new record will have ten to twelve short, concise, catchy, melodic, funny, and fun electro dance tunes. It’s very upbeat, and very different from Solitaire. A lot less bitter than Solitaire was, a lot more positive, more melodic, and much more fun.

The Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Giorgio Moroder, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Gary Numan, Ladytron, Goldfrapp, Chicago and Detroit House, Euro Disco, and Madonna were all huge influences on the songwriting, atmosphere, and production of this record.

I wrote and performed all of the songs, Bryan Moss recorded and engineered them, Bryan and I co-produced and co-mixed them, and we both mastered the songs. The goal with this album was to create a collection of sleek, shiny, concise, witty electro pop songs. We recorded everything using vintage Roland, Korg, and Yamaha synthesizers, and two drum machines, a Roland 808 and a Korg drum machine.  Everything was recorded directly into a twelve track Roland hard disc recorder, where it was sequenced, mixed, and mastered. There was nothing MIDI-ed on this record either, everything was actually played by myself, by hand. I feel that by recording this way, you get a far greater sense of performance than you would in a record where a computer does everything.

Jessica Nagel, my hairstylist who works at Phia Salon in the Short North, is doing some fantastic backing vocals on some of the songs. So it has been these observations that have provided the inspiration to write these songs. Making this record has been a real blast. Bryan has been a great co-producer, and we have had a lot of fun recording the songs. I have always wanted to make a record with huge female backing choruses like the Sisters of Mercy did on This Corrosion and Dominion/Mother Russia, so its been fun to have Jess come in and sing her backing vocals, then multi-track her voice ten times so it sounds like we have a chorus of her.

I am releasing NO TEXTING ON THE DANCE FLOOR! as a single now, and the entire album will come out this fall. Songs on the record so far will be: Dance All Night, NO TEXTING ON THE DANCE FLOOR!, Cocaine!, Wesley Snipes, Love is a Form of Mental Illness, MDMA, Jesus Looked Like a Movie Star, Speed, Focus Group Disco, and Cockstrong.

WLE) Some interesting titles in there. Were there any specific ideas or concepts that inspired you to start on this second album?

ZAS) I spend a lot of time going out to nightclubs. Mainly because I love to dance and also to observe how people interact with each other. I consider myself to be an amateur sociologist. I do not really drink and I don’t do drugs, so by the end of the night I am usually one of the only sober people in the room. Over the years I have developed a very funny view of nightlife and clubbing in general. Nightclubs full of drunken and high people are incredibly hilarious places. Everyone plays a role, everyone is trying to impress someone, to network, to get laid, to connect, and to communicate. People put on all sorts of strange masks, take on all sorts of strange roles, and ingest many strange substances in attempts to connect and communicate with others. If you watch these social interactions for years from the sidelines it all starts to become very funny, sad, exciting, and sometimes, very strange.

As human beings, we are desperate to communicate with each other. I have always felt, for my whole life, that I lived in a glass box and could not connect with other people, so I have become very interested in how other people communicate with each other.

Technology has also really changed the way we communicate with each other. I grew up in a world without cell phones, email, texting, and instant messaging. I didn’t have an email account until I was 18, I didn’t have a cell phone until I was 23.

With the change in technology comes a change in the ways people interact with each other. People will be out on a dance floor, out at a bar, or walking down the street, giving one hundred percent of their attention to sending a text message on talking on their cell phones. While they do this, they ignore the people right in front of them. They ignore the people trying to say hello and to connect with them in person in order to use technology to communicate with people far away.

So, using the technology brings us closer to people far away, but it takes us away from the people who occupy the same physical space as we do. As the technology to communicate digitally has gotten more prevalent, people seem to communicate with each other in person less and less. They get closer to being far away. This is what NO TEXTING ON THE DANCE FLOOR! and the whole record in general is about. Sometimes, seeing how disconnected people are from one another makes me very sad, because I am by nature a very community oriented person.

Another thing that has really inspired this record has been working out. I go work out at the gym three times a week, and I always listen to dance and electro oriented music. Listening to this music while working out has given me a greater sense of rhythm. Since I started working out, I think more clearly, more quickly, and I write songs much easier. So the gym has been an inspiration as well, believe it or not.

WLE) How do you expect this new album to be received here in Columbus?

ZAS) I hope it will be received well! I think it’s an improvement over Solitaire. My new songs are shorter, sharper, poppier, humorous, more dance oriented, and more fun. My singing is a lot better too, and I think people will enjoy the funnier aspects of the new songs. If anyone listens to the new album with an open ear and an open mind, they will find something about it that they like.

WLE) For one reason or another, you’ve become a bit of a controversial character in the local music scene. Do you think your music addresses that?

ZAS) The one million dollar question I am always asked in interviews!

I have never understood what is supposed to be so “controversial” about me. I am a big, dorky nerd with a stupid haircut who likes making silly dance music and taking photographs. That’s it. I work hard at the music and art I make, and because I am proud of it, I work hard to get it out in the public eye. I don’t think the music I make is better than the music anyone else makes, it just is what it is. I don’t even mind if people don’t like my music, it’s not for everyone.

My parents raised me to always say what I believe, and to do what I feel is right. Everyone in my family is very outspoken and opinionated. Sometimes my views don’t always jive with what some others think and may go against the grain a bit. I am a very emotional person and sometimes my emotions get the best of me, resulting in me putting my foot in my mouth during silly arguments with people.

Some of the songs on Solitaire address this issue, but none of the new songs on my album do. This is something that I decided to stop thinking about and move past some time ago. There is no point in arguing with some folks. I will go on doing what I want, and what I think is right, and if others take issue with what I am doing, then that is their problem and not mine.

WLE) Do you have more plans for shows outside Columbus in the next few months?

ZAS) Oh yes. I plan on playing out to support NO TEXTING ON THE DANCE FLOOR! over the summer while I finish my new record. I have a great live band these days and they are a lot of fun to play with.  We will be doing shows in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Chicago to support the single and the record.

I will also be promoting NO TEXTING ON THE DANCE FLOOR! with a completely absurd, ridiculous, and over the top music video. I plan on making videos for a few other songs from the album as well, including Cocaine!, Dance All Night, and Wesley Snipes. Thanks to Youtube, you can do a lot with a great video these days.

We will also be doing another big show to release the full record this coming fall.

WLE) A lot of your musical influences come from a variety of 80s and 90s music. What sort of newer music, both local and non-local, inspires you today?

ZAS) That’s a good question.

I like Fly Union and The Catalyst a whole lot. I’ve seen them both play a bunch of times. Blueprint is always good to see. I love the Electric Grandmother.  The Black Canary is definitely one of my favorite Columbus bands, and I have always liked the Flotation Walls as well. I was a big fan of the Lab Rats; those guys are each doing cool solo stuff now. The Receiver is good, and so is the Main Street Gospel.  I was a huge fan of Denovo, so I love Melty Melty. Aaron Pickering is a great singer and I love both of his bands, Aether and the Fabulous Johnson Brothers. Andy Shaw Band is great, and so are the Floorwalkers. I liked Red Dahlia a lot, too bad they broke up.

There is this girl called Civil War Generals who writes really nice songs. I am a big fan of Vanity Theft, that’s why they are playing my release show. I love DJ Moxy, and her new band, Titz N Milk, is awesome (which is why they are both playing this show as well!). I am hopefully going to play some keyboards on Moxy’s solo album. Always been a big fan of Ron House and his various bands, because I love his voice. Dave Espionage and True Skillz are both awesome DJ’s. Whatever punk bands Joe Tapeworm and Ratboy are currently playing in are bound to be awesome. Their most recent band, Skagnetti, who I did some keyboards for, was really good.  Times New Viking’s music is not necessarily my cup of tea, but its interesting and I really respect how far they have made it. I’ve been a fan of Wolfgang Parker since I was 14, and also really liked the Cinema Eye back in the day. There are a lot of really cool and interesting bands in Columbus, actually. I tried to mention all of the ones I like here, but I know I have forgotten some… wish I could remember them all!

In terms of non local music… New Order, Depeche Mode, Public Image Ltd., NIN, Curtis Mayfield, Morrissey, Parliament Funkadelic, Marvin Gaye, Giorgio Moroder, Le Tigre, Nick Cave, The Supremes, the Four Tops, The Who, Pulp, and The Cure are the best bands in the world. Those bands, and many others from their era, first inspired me to make music and still inspire me to make music. I grew up listening to them, and a lot of bands these days I think sound like inferior versions of the bands I grew up listening to.

Even a lot of the newer records I have bought recently have been from older bands. I love Neil Young’s new album. I adore Neil Young, I think he is such a genius, and I like just about everything he has done.  I love the new Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys records. I really like the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs record. They have always been great songwriters and Karen O. has such a dynamite voice, but they tastefully added these gorgeous electronic and dance elements to their sound on this new record that is irresistible for me.

I do like a lot of pop music, actually, and I find the production and songwriting on a lot of pop songs to be inspiring, believe it or not.  I loved Justin Timberlake’s FutureSexLoveSounds record, the production on it is brilliant and What Goes Around Comes Around is one of my favorite pop songs ever. I like the most recent Beyonce album a lot. I love Just Dance by Lady Gaga, what a fantastic dance song.  I think the production on Lil Wayne’s Lollipop is awesome and I must say, I do love TI’s single Love Your Life.

Lately though, I have really been enjoying Closer by Ne-Yo. I listened to that song 15 times today. No joke.

Architecture in Helsinki have a single called That Beep that I love a bunch, it reminds me of an old Yaz song.

On terms of electronic oriented music, the most interesting band that’s newer that I like is Crystal Castles. They combine icy electronic dance music with this sort of screamey Kathleen Hanna-esque vocal style from their singer (Alice Glass, is her name), a sort of melding of electro and hardcore, and it’s very exciting and different. They are also fantastic live, they actually play as a band, running sequenced bass with live drums and keyboards, which is a lot more interesting and exciting for me than groups like Justice and Girl Talk, who simply play tracks from their computers. I think doing electronic music live only from laptops is so boring. Get some big, bulky synths and drum machines onstage and play that stuff live!

I don’t listen to much indie rock, these days. For me, I suppose a lot of newer indie groups lack flash, excitement, and drama. The bearded folk troubadour thing that is so popular in indie rock right now just isn’t my cup of tea, and neither is noise and post rock. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with those genres of music; they just aren’t for me personally.

I guess I just tend to gravitate towards music that is very rhythmic and has strong, catchy melodies, and a good amount of drama.

WLE) Sounds like a pretty wide range of music, and a pretty diverse mix. Speaking of backgrounds, I wanted to ask you a bit of what you think about the future of the neighborhood you grew up in: Franklinton. It’s been touted over the past few years as the new affordable place for artists and creatives to buy homes, create studios, and start businesses. Do you think it could bounce back as a more mixed/diverse neighborhood?

ZAS) I think it could, but it is going to take a lot longer than most people think. Franklinton has a lot of historic value and a lot of potential. However, it also has a lot of poverty, crime, and drug problems. It is going to take a long time to redevelop Franklinton. Also, generally when a neighborhood is redeveloped, it means gentrification, and it means kicking out the poor and working class people. That is something I do not want to see happen. There are a lot of low income people in Franklinton, but that is not a crime. A lot of people who live in Franklinton are good, honest, and extremely hardworking people. Those people and their children should not be priced out of their homes and forced to move somewhere even worse in the name of urban development. In Franklinton, there should be room for the blue collar working people who currently live their, as well as for artists, creatives, and young professionals.

Franklinton has a lot of wonderful things. I think Florentine’s is the best Italian Restaraunt in town, certainly one of the most authentic. I have fond memories of eating there with my Grandfather as a child. Tommy’s Diner has awesome food, my father did the fire protection work for Tommy’s and it is a great place with a lot of character. Dodge Pool and Park is awesome, I learned how to swim there. Josie’s Pizza is awesome, my brothers and I spent a lot of nights scarfing down Josie’s when we were kids. The neighborhood has a lot of fantastic buildings that could be put to new and good uses, and the location is perfect. Right next to Downtown, with the National Highway/Route 40 running right through the middle.

The West Side in general, despite some of its economic and crime problems, has a lot to offer. Westgate Park is an awesome Park, and the Hilltop area in general is just gorgeous. Massey’s Pizza, Minelli’s Pizza, and countless other great, cheap, old-fashioned restaurants are all over the West Side.

So yes, I have a great desire to see Franklinton become a hub for creative types. In my perfect world, Franklinton would become a vibrant, safe, urban neighborhood, an economically diverse area where blue collar people, creative types, and all other sorts of people can live comfortably and affordably, creating an exciting and electric atmosphere that will contribute to the much needed revitalization of Downtown Columbus. It won’t be easy, and it could take ten years or more to make it happen, but I remain optimistic about Franklinton and the West Side, regardless.

WLE) Thanks to the stalking power of Facebook, I just read the other day that you’re going to be graduating from OSU this year, correct? How has college life treated you there?

ZAS) I am indeed graduating from OSU with Majors in Photography and Film Studies, and Minors in English, Art History, and Women’s Studies.

I’ve been at OSU off and on since 2001. It’s a great school, and I’ve learned so much there and I met so many fascinating people from all over the world. While the atmosphere at OSU has gotten a bit bland and boring over the past few years due to changes in admission standards that targets a more conservative type of student, I still think OSU is a pretty awesome school. The Wexner Center for the Arts is a godsend and one of the best things in the entire state of Ohio.

I should also mention that I attended the Columbus College of Art and Design for a period which is also a fantastic school. I learned a lot of really important things at CCAD, especially about digital imaging, color theory and painting, and presentation of your work. I really enjoyed going to CCAD but it was just too expensive for me, even with the nice scholarship they gave me. I am glad I went there, regardless. It was an exciting time!

WLE) Does graduation mean that people won’t be able to spot you as easily along High Street around campus?

ZAS) I suppose people will still see me on High Street. I live on High Street. Many of my favorite shops and coffee houses are on High St., and I prefer walking to driving, so I will still be around. I love to support the local shops on High Street. More people should spend money at Buckeye Donuts, Nancy’s Home Cooking, Used Kids, Kafe Kerouac, Kickstart Coffee, Surly Girl, Betty’s, Skreened, Wholly Craft, the Mug and Brush, Rivet, Torso, and many of the other great local businesses on High Street.

WLE) College graduation typically leads to new career changes for many people. Since your graduation is quickly approaching I have to ask; what comes next for you?

ZAS) For the past four years I worked for the Universal Music Group as the Marketing Representative for Ohio. UMG is the world’s largest record company, and I was very good at my job. My bosses at UMG had promised me a promotion and transfer to Chicago, NYC, or Los Angeles. So I figured I had a decent chance at a future working in marketing for Universal.

Unfortunately, no one really knew how bad the recession would hurt the recording industry, and on January 28th, myself and forty other members of UMG’s Field Marketing Staff got laid off. So, my post college career plan pretty much evaporated.

I now work at the Columbus Museum of Art, and I love it there. CMA is a great place to work, and just full of awesome people. I would love to eventually work for a PR or marketing firm and it would be great to do PR or marketing for the Ohio Art League, CMA, or a political, arts, or civic group. I’ve been lucky enough to work solely in the art and music field in some fashion since 2001, so I would like to continue that. If anyone needs a fellow to do marketing or PR for them, I could be your guy! I can sell just about anything! Ha!

But honestly, I consider my real career to be making music, writing, and taking photographs. No matter what sort of job I am working for a paycheck, my real career, my real goal, will be to create things. Being a creative person is what makes me happiest and makes me feel whole, so as long as I can be creative, I’ll be happy working any kind of job. I’ve never really been good at anything really conventional, and I am not even sure if I am really good at being creative, but at the end of the day, being creative is what makes me feel happy.

WLE) Well, let’s end on a creative marketing note then. How about a one-sentence summary of what people can expect at your single release party on Friday?

ZAS) If you come with open ears, an open mind, a willingness to have fun and dance, and a fun attitude, I promise that you will have a great time.

ZAS ARTICLE IN THE LANTERN NEWSPAPER

Originally appeared in the OSU Lantern Newspaper, April 15th, 2008.

Written by Graham Beckwith


Zachery Allan Starkey


Even though he's notorious around campus, there is much people don't know about this artist-musician

Zachery Allan Starkey, pictured above, will perform live electronica dance music at Hempfest.
It is hard not to notice Zachery Allan Starkey.

Whether it's because of his retro 80s hairdo - A Flock of Seagulls, anyone? - his offbeat personality or his music, Starkey seems to turn heads.

Besides being a student at Ohio State, Starkey has been active in the Columbus arts scene, producing photography and performing electronic dance music.

It's easy to draw comparisons between the 25-year-old super senior and "Van Wilder." He has the notoriety all over campus. He has attended OSU off-and-on since January of 2001 and said he has been hanging around campus since the mid-'90s.



"There are some people who write me off because of my public persona, because of the way I look, without actually listening to my music," Starkey said.

To truly understand Starkey, people need to know his history.

Born to teenage parents who were attending Grove City High School, he grew up just west of downtown Columbus in Franklinton. His father worked as a fire protection agent while his mother worked a number of odd jobs, and his family struggled from paycheck to paycheck.

"The west side is just a really tough place," Starkey said. "A lot of drugs on the west side, a lot of gangs on the west side."

His family throughout his entire upbringing was blue-collar.

In his early childhood, Starkey was beat up a lot and constantly ridiculed. He was the outsider, the weird kid in school.


His style
It was at the age of 12 that Starkey began taking refuge in art. His grandfather introduced him to Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane." The film sparked his love for film noir photography - photography that sets out to recreate scenes from notable films - which he has been studying at OSU.

He also began to develop a deep love for music, which Starkey said began after he purchased a Sex Pistols tape at Used Kids Records on High St.

" 'Never Mind the Bollocks' was huge for me," Starkey said. "The Sex Pistols said, 'f**k the world - I'll do what I want.'"

He began spending most of his time at the Columbus Metropolitan Library downtown, checking out up to 20 CDs a day to develop his musical palate.

He was drawn to '80s punk, pop and New Wave because " '90s music had become so stale with boy bands," and embraced such bands as The Cure, Depeche Mode and Pulp.

Starkey started cutting his signature hairstyle, which he said has not changed since he was 13 years old.

"I think I have a funny-shaped head," Starkey said, jokingly. "The hair seemed to balance out my donkey ears and I liked it."

He also started wearing a suit and tie to high school-every day.

"I just liked the way it made me look," Starkey said. "Putting on a suit and tie became as natural as putting on a T-shirt."

After he embraced his eccentricity, Starkey said life got better and the popularity came along with it.

He was voted student body president and editor of his high school paper.

His music
In April of 2007, Starkey independently released his first album, "Solitaire."

"It's my version of dance music, which means it's a lot of electronic house, post-punk and new wave filtered through my head and imbued with my ideas," Starkey said.

An unusual brand of electronica that is American-made, it's light on the bass and drums with more emphasis put on the lyrics.

"Some people say I can't sing, but I do it anyway," Starkey said. "Look at Johnny Rotten (lead singer of the Sex Pistols), look at Morrissey (lead singer of The Smiths) - they aren't great singers, but they make it work with meaning and personality."

The song writing revolves around central conflicts in Starkey's life, including struggling as the outsider.

In "Solitaire," Starkey sings, "Me, I chose to walk alone / I will be much happier than you."

"Solitaire" not only refers to this theme, but also that Starkey made the record on his own. He wrote all the songs and began writing them on a piano in the basement of Stradley Hall.

He played all the instruments on the record except for lead guitar, for which he enlisted the help of childhood chum Ray Gunn.

Starkey calls Gunn, who works as a pipe fitter in Columbus, "one of the greatest guitarists out there."

Skully's
Starkey has been playing the majority of his shows at Skully's Music-Diner since he started performing four years ago. He worked as a DJ on weekends in addition to his live performances with Gunn.

Even though he said he was on good terms with the staff and was seeing good crowds, he was told recently by the booker that he was no longer allowed to play.

Calls to Skully's were not immediately returned.

"I'd rather not talk about that," Starkey said.

When the interview shifts to talking about Skully's, Starkey gets squirmy in his chair.

"I don't get it. I really don't have a clue," he said. "But I like everyone there, I like Skully's, and I hope something can get worked out so I can start playing again."

Starkey finds himself an outsider again; just like when he was a kid.

But at least he's undeterred from his music, as he continues performing at venues in Columbus and Cleveland. He is also scheduled to play at this year's Hempfest on campus.

Starkey is excited about his new record, which he will complete later this year. He says the sound is more Timbaland-inspired pop.

And he seems content as the head-turner, the individual.

"I'm proud of being an independent person, doing things my way," Starkey said. "Every great figure in history has been an individual."

Graham Beckwith can be reached at beckwith.29@osu.edu

Originally published in the Columbus Alive, April 27th, 2007.

Locals Only

Scene Stealer

by John Ross

blog I e-mail

WILL SHILLING PHOTO

After midnight, a crowd has formed deep in the red neon that gives Skully's Music Diner the vague sense of being transported from Europe, but Zachery Allan Starkey is gone.

Some near the bar have seen him tonight, they think, or maybe yesterday. He was dancing near the stage, maybe, or upstairs, or out back where people smoke.

Like Buckeye Donuts, the Blue Danube and Used Kids, Skully's is one of the places that Starkey always could be, one territory he's claimed with an unrivaled ability to seem everywhere at once.

I ask a few more people, and they kind of shrug, cocking their heads to think, but can't be certain. A good-looking record promoter tells me he was here earlier for a while. A girl standing nearby isn't sure who I mean until I describe what Starkey, on a nice Saturday evening like this, would be wearing.

She sighs knowingly when I tell her what he looks like (she's seen him a million times), but she can't be sure it was tonight.

Starkey should be here.

He should be dancing happily, his outlandish image reflected in the mirrors along the walls, or talking about Columbus to whoever will listen, or playing records in the DJ booth that stands like a sentinel above the main floor.

Starkey should be here.

But he's not here: People have seen him, but he's gone.

You've seen him, believe me, if you've ever been along High Street, where he started coming when he was in junior high and living in a poor neighborhood on the West Side.

In simplest terms, Starkey looks like Cure frontman Robert Smith forced to attend a lifetime of board meetings: a crown of long, frequently dyed hair standing on edge; a round, cheery face; and an assortment of dark business suits, artistically (some say comically) small.

It's a vibrant look, literally—the way, as a kid, you think you'd look if you stuck a fork into a light socket.

Likely it's this series of garish, avant-garde fashion statements that has forced him to remain one of city's most ubiquitous but mysterious figures. He's a person everyone has seen but few know beyond the ability to point him out in a crowd.

On Friday, Starkey will release his debut record, Solitaire, with a show at Skully's that will feature rap duo the Lab Rats and antagonistic noise trio the Unholy Two. Power-pop quartet Nuclear Children and DJ Dave Espionage, both somewhere in the middle of that twisted spectrum, also will play.

Attend the show, and you'll hear original dance music influenced irreparably by New Order, Public Image Ltd. and Depeche Mode.

New wave to the core, the record shows Starkey's love for both the music of yesteryear and an idyllic image that dance tunes done right can move people in many ways. It's also the local project closest to Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy: a full-length epic that was squeezed out, after three years of recording and three producers, by the city's most controversial figure not involved in politics.

And if you stay afterward and shake his hand, he'll smile widely, talk in a voice that raises pitch when excited and surprise you as one of nicest and most normal people you'll ever meet.

Neighborhood "Nerd"

The West Side neighborhood of Franklinton is a giant cup of earth that flooded so many times over the years people stopped caring. It sits along West Broad Street, between the Scioto River and the Hilltop, a part of town which, mostly by comparison to Franklinton, seems nice.

Starkey, who's now in my living room eating a turkey sandwich and some grapes, talks about the place—his hometown—with a reserved fondness. It's the way a poor kid who doesn't want pity describes his past; he doesn't use it as a merit badge, but there's a subtle pride in having made it out of a dingy little 'hood where even going to community college is an accomplishment.

They are blue-collar people, the Starkeys.

When Starkey was growing up, his mother was a secretary, his uncles worked at factories, and his dad took on freelance contract work, going to local businesses and enforcing fire codes. To earn a few extra bucks as a kid, Starkey would come with him and scrape away inches of grease caked around extinguisher nozzles at run-down Chinese restaurants.

"There was no one interested in the same music or books or movies," he says. "I was a dweeb, a nerd. Everyone beat me up, so I hated myself. I had no friends."

Kids can be cruel. They can sniff out an eccentric peer who's best friends with his grandfather. They can encircle someone in a parking lot and kick in his teeth.

But then two things happened, and these things, Starkey will tell you, were the most important of his life: His movie buff grandfather gave him a copy of Citizen Kane, and a friend he met doing youth theater near Olde Towne East, Miles Curtiss, turned him on to the Sex Pistols.

The film, one of many challenging flicks his grandfather introduced to him early, was important to his development as a professional photographer who, as he likes to cite, has had over 58 gallery shows.

But it was the music—that snarling, angry sound of poor people struggling to matter—that made the most lasting impression.

"The fact that I didn't fit in, that I was from a blue-collar background, that I was smart but not into the same things as everyone else—all of sudden, that didn't matter," Starkey says of hearing the punk rock that led to his beloved '80s dance music. "When I first heard it, I was proud of who I was."

The whole process seems somehow impossibly romantic, but after hearing the music, Starkey wanted something more.

So he started coming to Campus and Downtown and Clintonville. He would walk or bike or take the bus to the places that offered the rock shows and coffee shops and record stores that offered him glimpses outside a world of people who work first, live second.

He met local music legend Ron House. He saw bands like the New Bomb Turks and the Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments. He found a way to redefine himself.

Eventually, he made peace with those at Westland High School, and figured that the hard times were over once he decided to head to Ohio State, as the first in his family to attend a four-year college.

"I mean I was always nice to everyone, and once they got past the fact that I was a bit eccentric, they saw that I was just a nice guy," says Starkey about his senior year, during which he was elected class president. "It kind of fooled me because after that last year of high school, people were cool.

"I thought that's how people would be in college."

Naked Ambition

A lot of people who don't know him—the many who actually think he's a 33-year-old homosexual from Germany—couldn't care less whether he's busy hanging band fliers, sending out regular MySpace.com bulletins or insisting righteously that people appreciate his work. (For the record, he's American, 24 years old, and doesn't smoke, drink or do drugs.)

But others—many he's never met—have tried diligently to stifle him, incensed that he puts so much into putting himself out there.

"People say that I just want attention, but I dress like this because I want to dress like this. I wear my hair like this because I like to wear my hair like this," he says. "People don't get that I'm an actual person. I have an apartment. I go the grocery store. I go out to eat.

"I don't think I'm outrageous. I really don't."

When asked about his peculiar position within music and art scenes that accept people much more abrasive and outlandish, he often resorts to the assumed humility of a Calvin Klein ad: He's just trying to do his art, be himself and get by in this cruel, unforgiving world. And to some extent, he plays the part of the wrongly accused martyr that people so vehemently detest (one message-board poster once put his face atop a crucifix).

On the other hand, try to name another kid so hated just for being eccentric. Try to find another group of strangers on MySpace.com picking on someone they've never met. Try to find another local musician parodied on fliers by a Columbus band. Try to find a civilian in Columbus who has no fewer than five recognizable nicknames.

The hate mail, the slashed tires, the direct threats that occur when people discover his home address—they're nothing compared to the sustained citywide campaigns to parody Zach Starkey.

"I've heard all the names—Zachery Queerhair, Troll Doll, Walking Haircut, Human Cartoon," he says with a shrug. "When I see people with a different haircut, I don't go online to bitch about them."

Dylan of the Dance Floor

Now we're in the studio taking his picture. He's an excellent model, of course, dressed to the nines, and I can remember seeing him back when I went to Ohio State.

His hair was longer then, formed into angular spikes, and for some reason (I always forget to ask) he wore a black armband. Wherever he went, he walked quickly, as if late for something very important.

Here, in this empty office we've transformed into a portrait gallery, he seems relaxed, more toned down, and he's itching to talk about his record and forget, even for a moment, the notoriety sitting atop ears he fears are too elfish and a head he thinks is too big.

Whether he admits it, Starkey thrives on his image and its ability to attract attention, but his bizarre persona, he knows, also threatens to crush him. Its ubiquity is something a lot of people never get past.

So he tries often to redirect the conversation to his music, the vintage electronic dance soundtrack one could imagine plays constantly when he walks.

Of all the statements that Starkey has made over the years, his debut record is about as bizarre as anything. To record anything but a guitar-and-drums album in this town is always a political act, and Solitaire is about as far from Columbus tradition as you can get. (My research has yet to yield a previous new wave record released in Franklin County.)

"Columbus is very rock. It has a great history of punk and rock," Starkey says. "That's cool, but that's not the music I want to make. I like dance music, so that's the kind of music I make."

The 12 tracks stand as an homage to the late '80s by a musician who one day would like to become, as he says in the goofy manner he adopts when comfortable, "the Bob Dylan of the dance floor." What it lacks in forward thinking it makes up for in sheer complexity: Nearly every song contains numerous drum lines, guitars and a crushing number of keyboards and synthesizers.

"A lot of bands go for a lo-fi thing, and that's cool," said Starkey, who programmed drum machines, layered keyboards and mastered the final mix. "I wanted [the record] to sound like some big, expensive studio in L.A., even though it was produced in someone's living room."

There's a big-city feel to much of it, though that's not what will surprise most listeners.

What will be somewhat shocking is that this collection of dance songs—delayed so long, surrounded by so much hype and hate—is pretty good.

"Who Zachery Allan Starkey is, that's part of my album," he says with a rare glint of gravity. "I have a lot more than my haircut. I have a great job. I have my photography. Now I have my record."

More with Zachery Allan Starkey

I am featured in the last two paragraphs.

Politicians Try Out MySpace

Luther Lowe already planned to vote for Rep. Marion Berry, an Arkansas Democrat running for re-election in November. But after finding the 64-year-old congressman's profile online at MySpace and Facebook, he was impressed enough to send the candidate a $100 donation.

"He has some funny quotes and talks about himself" in the Web postings, says Mr. Lowe, a 24-year-old from Little Rock. "I felt like I could understand him on a personal basis. It played into the decision of me not only voting, but giving money, too."

Politicians across the country are discovering that a presence on social-networking sites such as MySpace isn't just a way of communicating with voters under 30, it is also a means of attracting volunteers and their donations. Howard Dean's 2004 presidential primary run underscored the Internet's untapped potential as a fund-raising tool, and political strategists say these networking sites go further by helping candidates to home in on specific audiences, beyond those who click on campaign Web sites.

Political Networking: MySpace pages have helped Arkansas Rep. Marion Berry and California state Sen. Chuck Poochigian get younger voters more interested in their campaigns.

Sites such as Facebook and MySpace are increasingly popular Internet destinations for young people: cyber-locales where people create their own Web pages, congregate in large numbers and communicate with friends and strangers -- and sometimes politicians. To see if someone is a registered site member, a user can type the person's name in a search bar.

Chuck Poochigian, a Republican state senator from Fresno who is running for California attorney general, joined MySpace in early August. Within two months, Mr. Poochigian reported that the number of online donations to his campaign jumped more than 50%. "It's been pretty remarkable," he says. "There is little question that the level of enthusiasm among younger voters is higher now than it otherwise would be."

Fresno resident Sevag Tateosian, 25, says it was the endorsements by both public figures and MySpace visitors he found on Mr. Poochigian's MySpace profile that convinced him to become a campaign volunteer. "It definitely pushed me over the edge to support him," says Mr. Tateosian, who helps out as a data-entry volunteer. "I was impressed to find him on MySpace. It tells you that he cares about getting his message out to a younger forum."

With almost 500 site visitors having signed up as "friends" -- many under the age of 30 -- Mr. Poochigian's profile includes a full biography, a list of "Poochigian Trivia," and a rolling slideshow from the campaign trail. In the comment forum, friends of "Pooch," as he is nicknamed, post messages of encouragement.

"I didn't know that much about Poochigian, but this page has me sold. He's got my vote," posted user Yik, a 26-year-old man from Davis, Calif.

"Hey, Chuck. Thanks for the add. I put you on my top friends list so I hope that will help get some votes for you!!!" posted Misty, 30, of Caruthers, Calif.

Successful sites take more than a list of policy positions in a flashy font and a few photos. Only 80 friends have signed up to the MySpace page of Mr. Poochigian's opponent, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown -- who cut a youthful figure himself when he was California governor a generation ago. Mr. Brown's page carries little campaign information, save for a few campaign-trail pictures and a video commercial that slams Mr. Poochigian's conservative views. Still, Mr. Brown, a Democrat with strong name recognition, is leading in this race. His fund-raising, too, has far outstripped his rival.

In Utah, Democrat Pete Ashdown, who is running for a congressional seat, says his number of young volunteers shot through the roof after his campaign joined MySpace in March 2005.

"It's the holy grail of politics," says Mr. Ashdown. "The amount of volunteerism was absolutely minimal compared to what we are getting now."

Political scientists, too, are paying attention to the online sites as a way to plant civic awareness in the minds of young adults. "Anything that gets young people involved in politics is great," says University of Massachusetts political-science professor Ray La Raja. In teaching undergraduates, Mr. La Raja has struggled to find an approach that inspires students to become politically active. MySpace, he says, could be that venue.

"Research points out that if people get involved in politics early, they tend to become habitual participants," he says. "Even if kids only donate $5 or $10, they will feel an attachment to the campaign."

That sentiment is echoed by Kenneth A. Gross, a political lawyer with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Washington and a former associate general counsel of the Federal Election Commission.

"I don't see a downside for politicians unless the solicitation is accompanied by some scandalous personal information," he says, adding that getting younger voters involved "is one of the biggest challenges facing the democratic system."

Politicians with profiles that get the most traffic, including U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, an Ohio Democrat running for governor, know that on MySpace, it is important to do as the under-30 crowd does: make public what is personal -- and don't skimp on the trivial.

Mr. Strickland's profile says he is a Leo with a weakness for Twinkies. A video shows his guitar-playing wife, Frances, serenading him on stage during a campaign dinner.

Since the congressman's online debut in December, he has acquired an impressive 1,440 friends, and online donations are on the rise, according to campaign spokesman Keith Dailey. While not all online donations can be tracked directly to MySpace, Mr. Dailey says the links between MySpace and the campaign-donation page helps.

"We have found a great deal of interest," Mr. Dailey says. "Being on the cutting edge of Internet technologies is increasingly becoming necessary in political campaigning."

In some instances, campaign volunteers such as 24-year-old musician Zachery Allan Starkey of Columbus, Ohio, are using their candidate's page to rally support for upcoming fund-raisers and events. Mr. Starkey uses the Strickland MySpace profile page to promote a concert event, Dance Dance Democracy Party, he's producing for the candidate later this month.

The MySpace profile, he says, made it a lot easier to promote the event. "I was able to get in contact with a lot of politicians and supporters," says Mr. Starkey, who is proud of the planning he put into the show.

"In the end, I want to sit back at night and say, 'At least I did something.' "

Here is the Info for the Show in Question.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, 8 PM

ZACHERY ALLAN STARKEY

PRESENTS

DANCE FOR DEMOCRACY

A FREE PARTY IN SUPPORT OF TED STRICKLAND AND THE OHIO DEMOCRATS

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH

THE YOUNG OHIO DEMOCRATS
STUDENTS FOR STRICKLAND
THE OSU COLLEGE DEMOCRATS

AT
LITTLE BROTHERS
1100 N. HIGH ST, COLUMBUS OHIO


FEATURING LIVE PERFORMANCES FROM

THE ZACHERY ALLAN STARKEY CABARET SHOW

HEAVY MOLE

THE ELECTRIC GRANDMOTHER

RON HOUSE

MARVIN THE ROBOT

PINEBOX

WITH MUSICAL INTERLUDES FROM

DJ TRUE SKILLZ
(WEIGHTLESS RECORDINGS)


On Saturday October 28th, Columbus artist and musician Zachery Allan Starkey will present DANCE FOR DEMOCRACY: A FREE PARTY IN SUPPORT OF TED STRICKLAND AND THE OHIO DEMOCRATS. The concert will be free, and will feature performances from The Flotation Walls, The Zachery Allan Starkey Cabaret Show, Heavy Mole, The Electric Grandmother, Ron House, and Marvin the Robot. DJ True Skillz of Weightless Recordings fame will spin in between bands, and speakers from the Ohio Democratic Party will be giving speeches.

Starkey has organized Dance For Democracy as a rally for people to come together, have fun, dance to good music, and to show support for Ted Strickland and the various other Democratic candidates for State and Local Offices. Starkey conceived of Dance for Democracy in July of 2006 and was given full blessing by Ted Strickland's campaign to create an event that would be a party to celebrate the Ohio Democrats and encourage voters to see what Ted Strickland and the Dems are all about.

Dance for Democracy has been produced by Zachery Allan Starkey with support from The Young Ohio Democrats, Students For Strickland, and the OSU College Democrats. The concert will take place on Saturday October 28th at Little Brothers. The event is free, and the age limit is 18 and up.

. There will also be a live performance from Starkey's solo electronic dance music project, The Zachery Allan Starkey Cabaret Show. Columbus music figurehead Ron House (The Great Plains, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, co-owner of Used Kids Records) will perform a rare solo set. Add the delightfully quirky art pop of The Electric Grandmother, and the lo fi brilliance of Marvin the Robot, and you will have quite the political event to remember.

Write to Erika Lovley at erika.lovely@wsj.com

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, 8 PM

ZACHERY ALLAN STARKEY

PRESENTS

DANCE FOR DEMOCRACY

A FREE PARTY IN SUPPORT OF TED STRICKLAND AND THE OHIO DEMOCRATS

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH

THE YOUNG OHIO DEMOCRATS
STUDENTS FOR STRICKLAND
THE OSU COLLEGE DEMOCRATS

AT
LITTLE BROTHERS
1100 N. HIGH ST, COLUMBUS OHIO


FEATURING LIVE PERFORMANCES FROM

THE FLOTATION WALLS

THE ZACHERY ALLAN STARKEY CABARET SHOW

HEAVY MOLE

THE ELECTRIC GRANDMOTHER

RON HOUSE

MARVIN THE ROBOT

WITH MUSICAL INTERLUDES FROM

DJ TRUE SKILLZ
(WEIGHTLESS RECORDINGS)


On Saturday October 28th, Columbus artist and musician Zachery Allan Starkey will present DANCE FOR DEMOCRACY: A FREE PARTY IN SUPPORT OF TED STRICKLAND AND THE OHIO DEMOCRATS. The concert will be free, and will feature performances from The Flotation Walls, The Zachery Allan Starkey Cabaret Show, Heavy Mole, The Electric Grandmother, Ron House, and Marvin the Robot. DJ True Skillz of Weightless Recordings fame will spin in between bands, and speakers from the Ohio Democratic Party will be giving speeches.

Starkey has organized Dance For Democracy as a rally for people to come together, have fun, dance to good music, and to show support for Ted Strickland and the various other Democratic candidates for State and Local Offices. Starkey conceived of Dance for Democracy in July of 2006 and was given full blessing by Ted Strickland's campaign to create an event that would be a party to celebrate the Ohio Democrats and encourage voters to see what Ted Strickland and the Dems are all about.

Dance for Democracy has been produced by Zachery Allan Starkey with support from The Young Ohio Democrats, Students For Strickland, and the OSU College Democrats. The concert will take place on Saturday October 28th at Little Brothers. The event is free, and the age limit is 18 and up.

The show will feature a new incarnation of legendary Columbus band The Flotation Walls. There will also be a live performance from Starkey's solo electronic dance music project, The Zachery Allan Starkey Cabaret Show. Columbus music figurehead Ron House (The Great Plains, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, co-owner of Used Kids Records) will perform a rare solo set. Add the delightfully quirky art pop of The Electric Grandmother, and the lo fi brilliance of Marvin the Robot, and you will have quite the political event to remember.