The Passion

When I first met Ben Lowe, I hated him. He was an attractive guy, very smooth and personable, and he had an amazing solo voice. He made the Glee Club last Fall, had quit his acapella group, and was quite vocal on wanting to be in the Hangovers. It was jealousy that made me hate Ben, and as the old saying goes, I kept my enemies closer.

Ben and I despartely wanted the same thing then, to be a member of the Hangovers. We saw it as status, as a chance to travel and see things we would otherwise have been left in the dark about. I hated and feared Ben, however, because I thought he was a sophomore. After two semesters of trying out for the group, making call backs, and not getting in, I thought the third time would be a charm. The group had lost enough members at my voice part where I figured they had to take me -- there weren't many other viable options. Then Ben appeared out of thin air, threatening to block me from the one thing I had wanted more than anything -- the one thing that made me pick Cornell over Penn, and Syracuse. He threatened to take the spot that could have been mine in the Hangs.

We sat next to each other during his new man dinner, and talking to Ben I realized I didn't have to hate him anymore. He was a junior (the group has this thing about taking too many guys of a certain year), he was just as nervous and paranoid about his audition as I was, and -- as previously mentioned -- he was a smooth and personable guy. We laughed, swapped stories, and took turns trying to impress the other that night. In the end a friendship was born.

Being new guys, Ben and I were close during that first semester in the group. We played kick rock, went to parties on the weekend, and caused general panic in the Asian markets. I heard all about his dreams, his fears, and mostly what songs he really wished he had a chance to sing the solo on. He was a confidant and partner in crime. Ben idolized the Hangs of yesterday, and loved the songs and music that they had arranged.

Over the past four semesters, it has been an amazing experience to hear Ben accomplish those goals and realize those dreams. Last night during Happy Hour -- his last true Hangs performance at Cornell -- he soloed on Evaporated (Ben Folds Five), and it was amazing. There's a line in the song about pouring your heart out, basically giving everything you have. That was Ben. I've never heard him give anything less than his best on a solo, and hopefully I never will.