In just a matter of hours, the internet may have been changed forever. Early Thursday morning, an anonymous Reddit user leaked a series of photos from the ’80s depicting a group of young unidentified musicians.
After a thorough investigation, one of the young men in these photos has been confirmed to be Brigham Young University’s own Kevin J. Worthen. Rumors about the origins of these photos have spread around campus like wildfire with some even conjecturing that they are the product of photoshop.
In an exclusive interview with the Alternate Universe, President Worthen agreed to sit down and open up about the photos.
“They aren’t photoshop,” reported Worthen. “I think it’s time I get a few things off my chest.”
Worthen went on to share the story of how his little-known Christian rock garage band, Kevin-ondi-Ahman, was propelled to stardom after being discovered at a gig in Park City. Worthen sang lead vocals and wrote most of the band’s songs, some of which topped the charts, including “Teach Me to Rock in the Light” and “Don’t Stop Believin’ (in Jesus)”.
Despite the fame and the ladies, Worthen said the band’s sweet beginnings soon turned sour as music executives pushed him into corners. They pressured him to change his sound and compromise his standards by incorporating curse words like “heck” into his songs. Inundated by the toxic culture, Worthen eventually decided to leave the industry. Left without Worthen’s irreplaceable vocal skills, the band was forced to retire.
“When they threatened me to make me get a piercing, I knew it was time to go. I completely told the record label off. It felt so good. In the end, my standards always meant more than the fame.”
Worthen reported that the experience was such a regret that he wished it had never happened. He and his legal team spent thousands of dollars effectively erasing Kevin-ondi-Ahman from history. No recordings or merchandise exist today, with the exception of one “KevKev” t-shirt donated to BYU Library Special Collections by a former groupie, Peggy Worthen.