With a unique style and laid-back attitude, freshman Tom McLain is most likely one of the coolest kids you will see walking the halls of Mayo. Our conversation was short, but it was enough to get a sense of the cultivated mind that sat before me. After chatting about the basics of being a freshman, the transition to high school, and the new various options for lunch, we began to speak about his hobbies.

“One hobby of mine is definitely music; I’m really big on music. I love to sing, I love to go to concerts.”

Who are your favorite musicians?

“One of my favorite musicians is Corey Taylor from Slipknot and Stone Sour. I love his singing voice. Most of the musicians I like are singers, because I sing. Another one I like is David Drayman. He has a really powerful voice and he’s a really good songwriter,”

Do you write your own music?

“I’ve written a little bit. I’ve finished a few songs, but I have to get into a band first,”

Do you play any instruments?

“No, but my cousin wants to teach me how to play the guitar. I’m kind of interested in that,”

Who would you say inspires you regarding music?

“One person that inspires me is Corey Taylor because he lived a life where he grew up where he didn’t have anything and he took all of his anger and all the crap that happened to him growing up and made some great art out of it and it helped a lot of people,”

Do you listen to any other genres?

“I listen to mostly rock and metal, but I listen to a bit of folk music. I’ve recently started listening to it, but it might take me some time. I listen to a slight bit of rap, but I mainly stick to rock and metal,”

What about rock and metal do you like the most?

“I want to say [I like it] because it’s aggressive. I’ve always found the lyrics really good. But I think one huge part of it is basically my dad is a big metal head so I’ve always grown up with rock all my life so it was really what I was born into,”

Do you see it as a release of emotions?

“Listening to music really helps me relieve stress, and it can help me out when I’m sad or mad. It can make me happier if I’m already happy in the first place, and it is just really nice to listen to,”

What drew you to the folk music?

“My brother showed me a band created by Tom Morello (who was the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine) and he did folk music and I really like some of the songs. There’s also some Irish punk bands like The Tossers and Dropkick Murphy’s that blend a lot of folk into their music,”

What about the rap?

“I listen to so little that it’s hard to think of one. I listen to Eminem but I really listen to the Beastie Boys and a lot of other rap that’s mixed in with metal. Slipknot does that, Five Finger Death Punch does a little bit of that, Hollywood undead does a lot of that,”

What song would you say is your guilty pleasure?

“There’s a song called like ‘Bang Bang’, and when it first came out I was like, ‘oh, this is actually not terrible,’ .But then it kept playing and then it just got [less thrilling]”

Do you think you would want a future in music?

“I would love to have a career in music. Traveling around the world or at least the U.S because that always seemed like everyone who is living that life is like living a huge party. I also love helping people out and I feel like I could do that with my music,”

So you want to inspire people?

“Yeah, I’d want to get people through a hard time,”

Has that happened to you?

“Kind of, usually it just helps me when I’m down,”

Is there anything you’d like to stay to the students of Mayo?

“Basically, don’t ever be scared to be who you are. If someone rejects you for being who you are, then you obviously shouldn’t have them in your life in the first place,”