Assistant photo editor Nicole Vagra and I have a lot in common.
We both have twin brothers who we love to annoy—hi Andrew and Roy—we both fall under the “chaotic evil” category on the alignment chart in the Heights office, and we both are obsessed with the song “Rocky Top” by Osborne Brothers (Go Vols).
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to write two other iEdit columns this semester and dive into the minds of some of my best friends and colleagues. I’ve treasured the special moments I’ve had listening to their playlists and reminiscing about our friendships. Their playlists will travel with me as I go abroad and leave Boston College behind for the semester.
Nicole’s playlist, however, will not.
Here’s the thing. I love Nicole. She is an extremely talented photographer and someone who never fails to make me laugh, even if she insists on calling me “Mary Claire,” which is simply not my name.
But seriously girl, what is this playlist?
It doesn’t start off too bad. As a fellow fan of The Killers I applaud Nicole for opening her playlist with “All These Things That I’ve Done.” With its electric opening guitar chords and solid drum beat, this song brings out all of the pre-teen angst I’ve hidden away in my childhood bedroom closet along with my black combat boots and Doctor Who t-shirts.
Nicole sticks with the soft rock theme with her next three songs: “She’s Electric” by Oasis, “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” by Train, and “Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure. While you might expect to hear all of these songs on SiriusXM’s PopRocks radio station, they are proudly on Nicole’s playlist, confirming that she does, in fact, have the same music taste as a middle aged suburban mom who drives a minivan.
I wish I could say it gets better from here. It doesn’t.
Nicole is a fan of “your mom” jokes and tortures her fellow Heights editors by constantly making them alongside her co-conspirators associate news editor Amy Palmer and magazine editor Stephen Bradley. It’s only fitting that Nicole added “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne as her sixth song. Despite its cringey message, this song’s catchy melody has made it a beloved classic and I couldn’t help but sing along as the lead singer lamented about his love for Stacy’s mom.
It’s important to point out that even though she is a native of Chicago—well, one of the Chicago suburbs–-Nicole was born in the wrong geographical region. She’s a Southerner at heart. “Goodbye Earl” and “Wide Open Spaces,” both by The Chicks, are two of my favorite songs of all time. I can imagine Nicole putting on her best fake country accent while belting out both classic country songs, pretending she is riding a tractor in a corn field rather than driving her car down Commonwealth Ave.
Before I psychoanalyze Nicole’s last song I want to let all of the readers out there know that she agonized over this playlist—I know, I almost can’t believe it either. The first draft of Nicole’s playlist, with songs such as “Fire Burning” by Sean Kingston and “Hey Ya!” by Outkast, was even more terrifying than the playlist she ultimately chose.
In a final act of defiance, Nicole did what no Heights editor before was brave enough to do—she included a Nickelback song on her iEdit. Why Nicole? Just why? I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty embarrassed when “Rockstar” began playing out of my laptop’s speakers and all of my roommates had to hear what I was listening to. Yet, for some reason I couldn’t help but nod my head along a little bit as I forced myself to listen to all four minutes and 12 seconds of the song.
To me, Nicole’s playlist embodies who she is. She’s the chaotic twin who probably gets in trouble at home for being a little too snarky. She’s fiercely loyal, and she likes the classics. I mean who can blame her? But most importantly, she is someone who I care deeply about and will miss when I’m gone.
I can’t wait to wreak havoc with her when I’m back.
