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James Berther ’15 made Brown musical history last month when he was called back for every single a cappella group on campus. While he does have an impressive vocal range and undeniable charisma, most seem to think his success was due to the fact that he has a guitar for a mouth.
“I knew from the moment he walked into Salomon 103 that we had to have him in the group,” said Brown Derby Samuel Greene ’13. “There’s just something about him, you know? His energy is infectious, and it’s enough to make anyone want to let him in.”
“While his solo was a little weak, he more than made up for it with his blend and intonation," said Jabberwock Edward McFallon.
However, some of Berther’s peers are crying foul, complaining that not all auditioners were considered fairly.
“I think it’s ridiculous to expect any non-guitar-mouthed student to be able to compete with that sound,” Nathan Zinn ’14, a rejected singer, told the Noser.
One anonymous student speculated about the reasons behind Berther’s success: “They all just want to look diverse. And no one wants to be the awkward guy pretending to have a guitar for a mouth — this way they can do classic artists like Jimi Hendrix without seeming offensive.”
While Berther may have struck a cappella gold, sources say that he has been largely ostracized by his peers, in no small part due to his physical differences.
“I knew that I would be exposed to new things at college,” said Timothy Randall ’15, “but I’ve just never met one of those people before. I’m not sure how to strike up a conversation with him.”
Berther’s roommate, Cal Laramy ’15, reported trouble from the first day. “He’s so loud. I’ve met other guitar-mouth kids, but they were all acoustic. James is just so in-your-face about it all.”
Even professors have had a hard time adjusting to Berther’s presence in the classroom. Susan Landers, a professor of music, ruefully admitted asking him for “the guitar-mouth perspective” on chord progressions one day in class.
“It was one of those things where I didn’t realize it sounded insensitive until I’d already said it," she said, "I tried to cover it up by mentioning the fact that I’m friendly with several members of the guitar-mouthed community, but by then I was just digging myself into a deeper hole.”
When contacted for comment, Berther was only able to respond with a hot lick.
