IU celebrated honorary alumnus and local rock ‘n’ roll legend John Mellencamp with a new statue located on the north side of IU Auditorium during a public ceremony to commemorate the unveiling Oct. 18.
John Mellencamp, a native of Seymour, Indiana rose to prominence in the 1980’s, offering a distinct regional sound that spoke to heartland nostalgia, as exemplified in stories of small towns and high school sweethearts in chart topping hits such as “Jack & Diane” and “Small Town.” Personified as a populist performer, Mellencamp’s streak of anti-establishment sentiment evolved from teenage rebellion and wild nights as a student at Vincennes University to championing small town family farms.
He was inspired by the subtle, yet passionate personas of 1950’s Hollywood stars James Dean and Marlon Brando who donned leather jackets and smoked cigarettes. Mellencamp’s activism was as subtle as his music, evolving from a high school student mocked for his dyslexia to arguably one of the most powerful contributors to the zeitgeist of American literature. He makes profound social commentaries on American society with pieces such as “Pink Houses,” lamenting the plight of the common man and intimating a collective sense of camaraderie that instills a patriotism that is as layered as it is spirited…