Gregory Siedschlag leaves campus with a song-- or two -- in his heart

By Franklin Crawford

Right after Cornell's commencement, Gregory Siedschlag is headed south to launch a start-up group that's neither dot-com nor headed for an IPO. Siedschlag, a double major in English and history, is Nashville bound. His dream career and job description: rock 'n' roller/country songwriter.

Greg Siedschlag looks forward to a career in country and rock 'n' roll music. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography

Siedschlag doesn't have insider connections in Nashville, just some musician friends willing to back him. But he's got talent, entrepreneurial spirit and, maybe, luck. If that doesn't open doors, he'll also have a bachelor's degree from Cornell.

Born in Kentucky hill country and raised in Knoxville, Tenn., Siedschlag says that in music, style-wise, he taps from the likes of Hank Williams, Roger Miller and Buddy Holly. He pulls from many genres, including honky-tonk, bluegrass, rockabilly and blues. But he is contemptuous of what passes for country music nowadays, however. Mention Garth Brooks or Toby Keith at your peril.

At a time when many humanities graduates fret about the job market or contemplate corporate careers, Siedschlag's plans may appear reckless. But the Cornell senior takes his measure of the future by the unpredictable patterns of his past. For instance, it would be very surprising indeed for any of Siedschlag's high school teachers to hear that he undertook a double major in English and history at a top-flight Ivy League school -- and maintained a 3.6 grade average.

"I finished 302 out of 374 in my high school class and wasn't even too sure I'd ever end up in school," said Siedschlag. "I never got along too good with my teachers; I was always a little too 'out there' for them."

After high school Siedschlag worked in a local leather goods store for $4.25 an hour, sans benefits.

"I was 19 and still living at home. One day my dad says: 'The health insurance company is dropping your coverage unless you go to college.'"

Siedschlag signed up at nearby Pellissippi State Technical Community College for 12 credit hours in the fall of 1997. He surprised himself with a 4.0 average.

"I was shocked -- and so was everyone else. It was a real wake-up call for me, and I got a lot more serious about school after that."

After two years at Pellissippi, he transferred to the University of Tennessee as a journalism major. The high point was a spring internship at Metro Pulse -- Knoxville's alternative weekly. The staff was so impressed with Siedschlag, they kept him on as a freelancer. But by then he'd truly caught the learning bug, and he looked to make another academic move. Cornell's literary history attracted him, although he also applied to transfer to Penn and North Carolina. The reception he got during a visit here made all the difference.

"People at Cornell were a lot more cordial and friendly than at a couple of the other places I visited," he said. "I walked into the English department unannounced, and Professor Barry Adams [then director of undergraduate studies in English] was there and invited me to his office," he said. "We talked for about a half hour. The folks in career services spent 45 minutes with me. I was very impressed."

One of his most inspirational classes, he said, was a seminar on the works of William Faulkner taught by Professor Hortense Spillers. Outside class, Siedschlag honed his wits through songwriting and an editorial stint with the Cornell Lunatic.

Arriving as a junior, Siedschlag's biggest concern "was that I wasn't really smart enough to be here."

If so, he never let on, said his adviser Timothy Murray, professor of comparative literature and English.

"Greg is an exemplary English major who immediately made the very best of the Arts College by seeking out the most difficult courses in the widest range of fields," said Murray. "His talent in literary criticism promises to serve him exceptionally well as he pursues his aspirations as a songwriter."