Each week in Student Spotlight The Verge showcases an Eeastern student. This week The Verge is featuring Nick Murdock, who is infamous for singing songs in the quad at Eastern.

Everyone knows him as the loud guy who sings in the quad, but who is he really? His name is Nick Murdock, a senior special education and elementary education double major at Eastern.

Murdock likes aspects of art and philosophy, and he has even had some of his art work displayed at various colleges. He said he usually thinks up an idea, writes it down, and then goes back to it later to sketch the idea.

Students may be wondering why he sings his music in the quad so often.

“It relieves stress, it really does,” Murdock said. “I don’t do it for the publicity. I do it because it’s something I want to do. I don’t care what people think about me.”

Murdock said his favorite genres of music are rock, heavy metal, punk and alternative rock. He also enjoys ’70s, ’50s and ’20s music.

“I know I’m notorious for being the guy who sings ’80s songs, but I absolutely hate everything about the ’80s,” Murdock said.

A Facebook fan page was even dedicated to Murdock last spring. The title of the page is The Guy at EIU Who Yells 80’s Rock Songs in the Quad.

“I don’t like the popularity, but when you go on there, it’s like an ego boost,” Murdock said. “Now I have 967 fans of me. That’s a lot of people.”

Murdock said he has met several artists in his lifetime, some of which include the lead singer of Tool and members of Linkin Park.

One of his favorite songs is “Turn the Page” by Bob Seger, as well as the cover of the

same song by Metallica, according to Murdock.

Murdock said he knows people think he is a crazy person when they see him on campus. He said he heard rumors that someone thought he was like Hannibal Lecter.

“I’m actually a really nice guy,” said Murdock. “I’m not that crazy. Like, I still have a few issues, but that’s everyone nowadays.”

Murdock is also the lead singer of a new band called Empty Glass. He said they are a heavy metal and punk group.

“Take regular singing lessons, add a bunch of grittiness, plus a bunch of punk and heavy metal, and there you go,” said Murdock.

Murdock said he likes to watch movies, read comic books, play video games, and hang out with his best friends. He said he also likes to play guitar in his free time, play chess, write songs, do research on the computer, and reading about philosophy.

Murdock said he wants to teach seventh or eighth grade special education art classes. He said his mom is a special education aide, and she got him interested in the field. He said his brothers are also an influence in his career decision because he likes teaching kids around their ages.

Murdock said he wants people to know they can come up and talk to him anytime.

“Stop judging me,” said Murdock. “Just because I sing out on the quad doesn’t mean you can talk all of this nonsense behind my back. It’s not that I’m a bad guy or anything I just do what I like to do. I just like to sing.”

Now that the weather is cold, Murdock prefers to confine his singing to his room. However, students can bank on seeing him when the temperatures raise and the weather is nice.

Kacie Berry can be reached at 581-7944 or

[email protected].