{"id":305787,"date":"2025-11-21T20:16:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T20:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/305787\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T20:16:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T20:16:14","slug":"who-is-our-man-syracuse-new-guided-by-voices-song-celebrates-mystery-cny-native","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/305787\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is \u2018Our Man Syracuse?\u2019 New Guided By Voices song celebrates mystery CNY native"},"content":{"rendered":"

An acclaimed rock band has released a new song about someone from Syracuse. But who?<\/p>\n

Guided By Voices, an indie rock\/power-pop group led by singer-songwriter Robert Pollard, dropped its 43rd album, \u201cThick Rich and Delicious,\u201d on Halloween. One of the singles, titled \u201cOur Man Syracuse,\u201d celebrates a mystery Central New York native.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur man Syracuse \/ And the girls are crying,\u201d Pollard sings.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Magnet Magazine<\/a>, Pollard said the track was \u201ca composite of a bunch of different songs from the last 40 years\u201d of GBV\u2019s music. Pollard wrote the lyrics and sings lead vocals with the Ohio-based band\u2019s guitarists Doug Gillard and Bobby Bare Jr.; drummer Kevin March; and bassist Mark Shue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was finally able to put it together coupled with a lyric that I felt suited its structure perfectly, and so I decided it was ready to go,\u201d Pollard told the publication last month.<\/p>\n

But when asked if the lyrics were inspired by a famous Syracuse University alumnus such as Jim Brown, Lou Reed, Carmelo Anthony, Pete Yorn or former President Joe Biden, Pollard said no. The subject is actually a classmate of Pollard\u2019s at Wright State University near Dayton, Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a big, somewhat heavyset, but very athletic dude with long hair. I think he may have actually played on the varsity volleyball team. He was cool, and they called him \u2018Syracuse\u2019 because that\u2019s where he was from,\u201d Pollard told Magnet. \u201cI thought he would make a fine subject for an upbeat pop song about a very popular man with the ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who is \u201cSyracuse?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pollard attended Wright State in the late 1970s, and played on the college baseball team. He famously threw the first no-hitter in the school\u2019s history<\/a> in 1978 before graduating from WSU in 1979.<\/p>\n

So we know \u201cSyracuse\u201d is someone who attended Wright State in the \u201870s. And he played volleyball. <\/p>\n

When syracuse.com | The Post-Standard reached out to the school to find out if anyone from Syracuse was on the men\u2019s volleyball team then, they were stumped. Wright State University dug into its archives and found WSU started a Men\u2019s Varsity Volleyball team in 1977; they went 0-20 in both of their first two seasons (1977-78 and 1978-79).<\/p>\n

\"WSUThis photo provided by Wright State University’s Special Collections & Archives shows the WSU Men\u2019s Varsity Volleyball 1977-1978 team.WSU Special Collections & Archives<\/p>\n

University Records Manager\/Archivist Chris Wydman sent photos and rosters from those two seasons. All but one of the players were from Ohio; the exception was a freshman in \u201879 from Farrell, Pennsylvania. The biggest player was a 6\u20322\u2033, 195-pound freshman in \u201878 named Bill Hiermer, whose listed hometown was Galloway, Ohio (with \u201cWestland\u201d handwritten next to it; Westland is located about 80 miles from Galloway).<\/p>\n

\"WSUThis photo provided by Wright State University’s Special Collections & Archives shows the WSU Men\u2019s Varsity Volleyball 1978-1979 team.WSU Special Collections & Archives<\/p>\n

When contacted by syracuse.com, Bob Pollard said he may have been mistaken about the team, but was certain \u201cOur Man Syracuse\u201d played volleyball.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry about that, I thought he was on the volleyball team. I know he played volleyball on campus. I don\u2019t remember his name,\u201d Pollard said.<\/p>\n

So maybe Pollard misremembered some details, or at least took some creative license with the new song.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know his name \/ We know his number \/ We know his game,\u201d the lyrics state. \u201cAnd\u2005it\u2019s the reason why he came \/ Yeah,\u2005it\u2019s the reason why he came.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guided By Voices<\/p>\n

Pollard formed Guided By Voices in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. The lineup has changed many times over the years, but notable members in the \u201880s included Bob\u2019s brother, Jim Pollard; Mitch Mitchell; Tobin Sprout; and Kevin Fennell.<\/p>\n

The group has released dozens of albums, starting with \u201cDevil Between My Toes\u201d and \u201cSandbox,\u201d both in 1987, and reached the Billboard 200 albums chart in 2003 with \u201cEarthquake Glue.\u201d Popular GBV songs include \u201cGame of Pricks,\u201d \u201cIf We Wait,\u201d \u201cHot Freaks,\u201d \u201cI Am a Scientist,\u201d \u201cA Salty Salute,\u201d \u201cGlad Girls\u201d and \u201cAs We Go Up, We Go Down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GuidedSinger Robert Pollard performs with Guided by Voices at the Growlers 6 festival at the LA Waterfront on October 28, 2017 in San Pedro, California. (Photo by Matt Cowan\/Getty Images)Getty Images<\/p>\n

Pollard has also released more than 20 albums as a solo artist and collaborated with other musicians like former Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos and John Moen of The Decemberists (in side project Boston Spaceships).<\/p>\n

Guided By Voices and Pollard have long been favorably reviewed by music critics and beloved by die-hard fans for energetic live performances and their mix of power-pop, garage rock, psychedelic, progressive, and post-punk music. Pollard celebrated his 68th birthday on Oct. 31, the day of the band\u2019s new album featuring \u201cOur Man Syracuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GuidedGuided By Voices album covers: “Thick Rich and Delicious,” left, released in 2025; and “Sandbox,” released in 1987.Guided By Voices Inc.; Halo Records<\/p>\n

Do you think you know who \u201cOur Man Syracuse\u201d is? Help us solve a rock-and-roll mystery and send an email to gherbert@syracuse.com.<\/p>\n

Listen to \u201cOur Man Syracuse\u201d:<\/p>\n

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