While looking for something in the Indy Star this morning, I came across this short behind-the-scenes video of John Mellencamp singing and shooting a video that was filmed on campus at IU's awesomely beautiful Beck Chapel. http://www.iub.edu/tour/cmps7.shtml
This intimate chapel, which I've been in many times over the years for either ceremonies or weddings, is located just east of the main entrance to The IMU, the Indiana Memorial Union
-"the largest student union in the world" as we were always quick and proud to remind visitors- which is in the original part of campus, complete with a very comfortable hotel, huge bookstore, and tons of offices, restaurants and lounges to eat, study or people watch, some even with fireplaces, which is especially great in the winter when your nose and eyeballs feel frozen.
This huge building was where I spent the most majority of my time on campus in Bloomington when I wasn't in class, because the two student organizations I was most involved with had their offices located there, in The Tower: the IU Student Alumni Council, and the IU Student Athletic Board, SAB, which is the group that works intimately with IU's Athletics Dept. in many different areas.
At one of the popular apartment complexes I lived in off-campus, I twice had two female housemates, the second time being with two very cute sisters, one blonde and the other brunette, who had appeared in one of John's very first videos, which was also filmed on campus.
They never tired of telling people about it.
This was back when the geniuses at CBS Records had him recording under the name Johnny Cougar. (Because Dash Riprock was already taken on The Beverly Hillbillies, I guess.)
Ironically, the same record executive who came up with that particular name had also re-christened David Jones as David Bowie. Well, one out of two isn't so bad!
Attending IU when I did, from 1979-'83, it was right when John -from nearby Seymour- was really starting to make a reputation for himself as someone with talent and heart who gives it his all every show.
John has literally given millions of dollars in donations to IU over the past 25 years,
http://www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/homepages/4-21-2000/text/mellencamp.htm and actually has a building named after him on campus, the John Mellencamp Pavillion.
John's nephew, also named John Mellencamp, is a starter on IU's perennial top Top Ten soccer team, which is a seven-time NCAA champion, most recently in 2004. http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/mellencamp_john00.html
After lots of close calls, our first NCAA soccer title came in December of 1982 in a multiple overtime game win at Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart Stadium, which I was fortunate enough to attend because it coincided with IU's Christmas Break, a great bit of serendipity for me.
After the victory, after celebrate with my friends up in the stands and then down on the sidelines, we headed for the Sheraton Yankee Trader Hotel where the team was staying, where fans, players, coaches, school officials and parents and family partied long into the night.
Speaking of Hoosier soccer, since I haven't mentioned it previously, one of the great things about having the Big Ten Network on DirecTV is actually being able to watch IU soccer games, especially those at home at Armstrong Stadium, which is also home to The Little 500 Bike Race, a.k.a. "Little Five." http://www.iub.edu/tour/cvrs4.shtml
Also making an appearance on this video is singer Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town.
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This article has a nice photo of John with his wife Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, who is the popular face of Almay products, and whose TV ads. like her beautiful smile, are very hard to miss.
The Indianapolis Star
Mellencamp films new video at IU's Beck Chapel
