T.O.U.R. in the USA - A Mellencamp audio tour

Seymour, Indiana has been trying to cash in on its most famous former resident for a long time. Indeed, rocker John Mellencamp's heartland mystique is "one of the larger attractions to the area" according to Jackson County Visitor Center director Tina Stark.

Now, Cougarphiles and rock pilgrims can roam Seymour with a CD driving tour featuring Mellencamp memories, factoids and music.

Did you know the Mellencamps have lived in Jackson County for 150 years? Did you know John's mother threw out his first written songs? Do you know who ELSE is on the Seymour High School Wall of Fame? The tour knows...

From the Seymour Daily Tribune:

“It was originally just the brochure, but we were looking for a way to creatively put together a new experience for our visitors,” Stark said. She said the CD offers information the listener could not have gotten anywhere else and more personal information about Mellencamp.

Those lending their memories and stories about Mellencamp are his mother, brother, sister, former teacher, friends and former girlfriends.

The tour is narrated by Dan Osborne and features 16 of Mellencamp’s hit songs, including “Small Town,” “Human Wheels” and “R.O.C.K. In the USA.”

The audio tour has been in the works for five years. Stops include Mellencamp's boyhood home, his junior high and high school and several other local landmarks.

The CD is apparently only available at the visitors center, so I haven't been able to preview it. But I'm optimistic that it's more than tourist schlock. What gives me hope is that so much of Mellencamp's music is rooted in place and memory. He both celebrates and laments the qualities of small town Middle America.

So fans will recognize the significance of tour stops like Larrison’s Diner and the Rok-Sey Roller Rink -- even if they're not directly referenced in Mellencamp songs. Also, any tour creator who seeks out interviews with former girlfriends must understand the power of oral history in placecasting. And in this interview with NPR's Fresh Air, Mellencamp talks about how his early experience with racial issues still affect his lyrics today. If the tour can connect those dots between place, people and art, it should be worth the time (and the $14 price tag).

Now I wonder how many little pink houses are along the route.

(Here's a more detailed review of the tour from Jane Ammeson, of the Northwest Indiana Times)
(Main street Seymour photo from a very nice placeblog about U.S. Route 50 called Rte50.com)