James Noble Porter O’Brien. Yup, I just started an article with a sentence that doesn’t actually have a main verb—in fact, all it posses is a subject. But I had to do it because James O’Brien aka Obi has such a presence at Colby that his name can stand alone. You think I’m exaggerating? Then let me tell you a little story. It’s actually kind of long, but I think you’ll like it.
I walked into my fiction writing class on the first day and looked around the room. I saw many people I’d never seen before, a couple people I recognized, and one or two people I’d consider to be my friends. And then he walks in—the one whom I’d never talked to before. But I knew who he was. The guy everyone talks about, the boy with the voice of an angel that sings in the “Blue Lights” and the “Joint Chiefs.” The one whose charisma on stage radiates throughout the entire chapel and makes the whole audience smile.
Obi. In my fiction class. And when the professor asks, he immediately volunteers to be the first one to write a story to be workshopped. Ballsy. So where’s this going? Well, I was appointed chief critic (as in, I had to provide my opinions of his piece in front of the whole class, and then have people agree or disagree with me) for his essay. So there we were, the first two people in the fiction writing hot seat. Turns out, his story was amazing (not that I was surprised at all), and it was really easy to critique. What a relief. Also turns out he didn’t hate me after I gave him advice to make the story better, even though it was already quite strong.
Flash forward to a couple of weeks later. He stopped by my lunch table to talk to one of my friends about Spanish homework. After their conversation was over, my friend asked, “Obi, do you know Eliza?” He responded that of course he did, and I added that I was his chief critic.
“I’ve got a cool new idea for a story,” he said. “Want to walk to class together, and I’ll tell you about it?” Of course I accepted. And of course I knew, right at that moment, that he would also be my next campus celebrity. After all, only a true campus celebrity would come up to someone he barely knows and ask them to walk to class with him. Yeah, Obi is really something special.
I usually meet my campus celebrities in the Spa, or the library, or somewhere of that ilk. But instead, Obi picked me up outside of the Spa and took me to his lovely off-campus house in Oakland, known to most Colby students as “The Camp.” Why do they call it that, might you ask? Because it’s on the grounds of an all-boys summer camp—Camp Manitou.
For lack of a better turn of phrase, Obi would live at “The Camp.” We gallivanted around the grounds for a while—I use that term loosely, because we actually just walked around the grounds, but it was so much fun, so I decided to spice up my verb a little bit. On its grounds, “The Camp” has a mini-golf course, a driving range, a replica Fenway Park (which I absolutely loved…for those of you who know me, you understand why), a rock climbing wall, tennis courts, a soccer field, basketball courts, and a beautiful lake, all at Obi’s disposal. Talk about celebrity status. Sounds like Shaq should live there.
After we’d spent a while hanging out, touring, etc, we finally got down to business, and I asked him a series of questions about himself. And here’s where my article really begins…
Obi is a COOT leader, a member of the Musicians’ alliance, a member of the “Blue Lights,” the lead singer of the “Joint Chiefs,” and one of two coordinators of the info desk. And he plans to join the squash team in the winter. Talk about commitment. That’s a lot to bite off and chew, so let’s explore Obi a little bit solely as a musician, shall we? After all, when I asked him to characterize himself, the first thing that came out of his mouth was, “I’ve always been a music enthusiast.”
I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone as passionate about music as Obi is. Example? He named is dog Jazzman Elvis Blues O’Brien when he was seven years old. And now, as a mature twenty-one-year-old, he’s singing acappella right here on campus. “The “Blue Lights” has been an eye-opening experience. I sang in high school, but it was really regimented. Everything was perfect, or there was a penalty of a lot of screaming. We don’t have a leader in the blue lights—anyone who has a voice can give their input at any time. Anyone can arrange. Everyone tries out for every solo.” He continues, marveling at his experience. “It’s been a wonderful group of guys through the years, and they’re different from my primary friend group. It’s a great way to get to know other people and experience other ways of life on campus.” In terms of his role in the group, Obi admits that he’s fun, but as he’s grown older, he’s become a bit less cavalier. “Now, I try to get everyone to stay on task. But that’s something that’s come with age.”
But that’s just the beginning of Obi’s musical involvement. To put is simply, Obi is in love with his role as the lead singer of the “Joint Chiefs,” a band that started at Colby, but has moved away a bit now that some of its members have graduated, and they have recently added two members who attend the Berkley College of Music in Boston. “The ‘Joint Chiefs’ is my saving grace. It’s absolutely wonderful. It’s just a great outlet for creativity.” Talk about passion for music. “I literally feel blessed to be in the group.” Obi and the band have just finished recording an EP, and are listening to the final cuts of the songs. The album with drop at their next show after Obi’s dad finishes the cover artwork. “The CD has a lot of covers, but we have a couple of originals on there, too, which I’m really excited about. But don’t get me wrong—we make everything in our own sound.” For Obi, it’s been a life-changing experience. “Now I know where my true love lies—in the performance genre. My time in the band has been provocative.”
I’m going to step in for a second here. I literally have so much to write about Obi that it could go on for another ten pages. As I asked him questions, I was actually fumbling over my laptop to keep up with fast-working mind, his clean wit, and his general eloquence. I ask incredibly obnoxious questions to my campus celebrities, and he actually answered them really thoughtfully and articulately. And he’s funny. I’m not sure how to incorporate his answers seamlessly, so I’m just going to give you guys a little glimpse of some of our Q&A:
Q: Do you have any tattoos? If you don’t, what would you get and why?
A: No, but it’s something I ponder on a daily basis. I love what they represent…putting something special on your skin to share with others. I like the idea of getting one eventually, but I’m not going to force it. It needs to be an epiphany.
Q: If you were a superhero, what power would you have and why?
A: I’ve given this one a lot of thought in my days, actually. I would definitely go with mental powers, specifically telekinesis. Along the lines of Jean Grey from X-men. I love the idea of understanding other people’s thoughts, and on top of that, if I could lift things in the air with my mind, then I could fly. And that’s what I really want. But why not have the ability to read minds, too?
Q: What are your words to live by?
A: Be the best James Noble Porter O’Brien you can be. And that applies to anyone…just insert your name here. Those were the first words of wisdom I remember hearing from my mom, sitting on the edge of my bed. Those words never left me.
Q: Can you dougie? If so, who taught you?
A: I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Unless we’re talking about Doug Funny, and then I could sing that whole theme song like the back of my hand.
Q: Which member of the Ninja Turtles would you be?
A: Donatello, always. My whole life, I would have always been Donatello. He was the logical one. Plus he fought with a bow-staff. It’s wood—any sword could cut through that thing, but he goes on, anyway. Plus, purple is mysterious.
You should really get to know Obi. Because if he’ll put up with me for four hours, he must be one of the friendliest people on Colby’s campus. I don’t usually say things like this because I hate being corny, but I actually really admire Obi. I wish I was a general baller who had a beautiful voice half way between those of Anthony Kiedis from The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dave Matthews. I wish I were out-going enough to reach out to others like he does. He really is a beautiful person. And he’s a senior, so make an effort to catch him before he’s gone. You’ll be glad you did. I know I am.