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