When asked to identify the common denominator between earning a degree in psychology at the University of California, San Diego in 2007 and embarking on a world tour with one of the hottest young bands in rock a year later, few people would cite a former roommate's fondness for doing housework in the nude.

But for multi-instrumental wiz Ray Suen the naked truth is exactly that.

"She just generally liked to be in the nude," said Suen, 23, of his former roommate. "She sunbathed in the nude, did the laundry in the nude and washed the dishes in the nude, and I was impinging on that."

He tactfully declined to fully identify the clothing-averse woman, whose desire for privacy led to his eviction last June. But getting kicked out of the San Diego home he shared with her and her boyfriend was a blessing in disguise for Suen, who in late May signed an exclusive, 18-month contract to join The Killers as a touring member on keyboards, guitar and violin.

Finding himself homeless just two days after graduating last summer, Suen rented a San Diego house with drummer Tyler Ward. Ward is a bandmate of Suen's in both The Exfriends and The Joanie Mendenhall Band.

Soon after moving in with Ward, Suen began hanging out with the members of Fever Crotch, a skewed '90s cover band that features Reeve Oliver guitarist-singer Sean O'Donnell and Bad Credit drummer Matt Gourney. Reeve Oliver bassist O, a pillar of the San Diego indie music scene, was impressed by Suen's stylistic versatility as well as his skills on violin, viola, guitar, keyboards and harmony vocals.

"Everyone else in the San Diego music scene just waits for something to happen to them. Ray is the standard of what everyone used to do, but now no one does: He goes the extra mile," O said.

"He has a great ear, he woodsheds, he learns songs and he's dedicated to learning music. I don't see that anymore in San Diego bands. They're just trying to get their 'cool' factor up so high that enough people will think they're cool, and someone else — a friend or manager — can take it from there. Ray's not waiting around."

Last August, O recommended Suen to Louis XIV. The then-fast-rising San Diego band was seeking a cellist to beef up its sound on stage, after recording its second national album for Atlantic Records with a 30-piece string section.

A month later, Suen was playing violin in front of a sold-out crowd of 9,450 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver, where Louis XIV was opening the first of a series of shows for The Killers. By the time he decided to leave Louis XIV in April, he had done one Australian and three North American tours with the band, in addition to performances in Mexico City and Guadalajara.

"My introduction to national touring was opening for a band, The Killers, that I had no idea was as big as they are," Suen said. "They had full-on catering at every show, which we mooched off. It was a very different lifestyle than I'd known."

His tireless work ethic indirectly led to Suen getting the gig with The Killers.

He would show up for daily sound checks several hours before the other members of Louis XIV, the better to hone his multi-instrumental skills. The Killers' bass guitar technician, Dave Fidrych, was surprised to learn that the classically trained Suen was a gifted guitarist and keyboardist, not just a standout violinist.

"Dave asked if I wanted him to submit my name if Ted Sablay (The Killers' touring keyboardist-guitarist) ever left," Suen said. "Of course, I said: 'Yes.' But I wondered: 'Why would Ted ever leave?' My mom had always wanted me to get an advanced degree in medicine, and — funnily enough — Dave left The Killers to go back to med school."

Suen was contacted in early May to audition for the band in Las Vegas. He had one week to learn the keyboard parts for five songs from its second album, "Sam's Town," the title track of which required him to perform marimba and trombone parts on a keyboard synthesizer.

Fourteen musicians auditioned; Suen was one of only three invited back a week later for a final audition. Coincidentally, one of The Killers' songs he was asked to play, "Tranquilize," had been recorded with a string section.

"They asked me: 'You play violin, too, right?' and I tried to be nonchalant about it," he said. "But I saw the wheels turning, not just in their heads, but with their managers, that a violin could add a new element to the band on stage."

Suen has no illusions about being more than a touring member of The Killers. He will only be partially visible on stage, traveling with the four-man band's stage crew. Nevertheless, he welcomes the opportunity to learn more while touring the world with a major band.

"The Killers' members appear very cognizant that they are at a very high level, and they seem very competitive with other bands," Suen said.

"(Lead singer) Brandon Flowers, who I was told would be pretty quick to jump on me if I wasn't on my game, hasn't done so, which either means I'm doing OK or I have a one-week grace period. I really enjoy being part of this and playing my role."

To find out more about George Varga and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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