transcript interview

Bob V.

Ethnographic Fieldwork, PH 410.690

Partial Interview Transcript

March 17, 2013

Partial transcript from Life of Reilly patron interview, Friday, March 8, 2013

Observe from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., interview from 6:00 to 7:00

Participant = P

Interviewer, Bob V = BV

Begins at (2:40) on interview recording.

P: For the most part, you know, drinking now is different from what I did in college.

BV: So, how is it different now than when you were in college?

P: So, I think when you’re in college (unintelligible) Definitely much more of a drink to get drunk experience.

BV: then?

P: Then, yeah. Ummm. You have cheap beer. Usually it’s a party scene, umm a frat, or a basement scene.

BV: Tell me about that.

P: I have this very vivid memory of when we were in college and uh. There were like a hundred 18 year olds of us in this basement. And everybody was underage. And we all went to quiet down cause the cops were passing. It was a house party or whatever.

(4:05)

College is more hard core drinking. Like you’re pushing your limit. You’re getting hungover. You’re throwing up. You’re doing all these things that 18 year olds do and I don’t feel like I have that many experiences like that anymore. Like getting drunk for me is more few and far between. And when I drink it’s more of a social, relaxed type of thing. Ahh, so it’s still social in the sense that it brings people together, but it has a slightly different form.

BV: That’s what I’m trying to understand. How it’s different now, so you said, now more relaxed, not to get drunk. The excitement quality is different. Does that mean it’s not exciting? It’s boring? Or what do you mean?

P: No, I wouldn’t say it’s boring. It’s just that the excitement quality is different. It’s just calmer. Like, it’s like when you’re a kid and it’s maybe your first time or your first few times really experimenting with alcohol. Uhhh, and the point is to again sort of to push the limit, ahh, to get drunk and to have that experience that you might be having for the first time (unintelligible) Ummm, and it’s a little bit more rowdy. Whereas now I feel like, I don’t want to speak for everybody, but now as I’ve gotten older, getting hung over just doesn’t have any kind of appeal. And you realize, oh, I don’t have to drink and get hung over, to the extent I’m hung over whenever I want a beer and so it’s more about like, finding what you like. Like when you’re drinking Miller Lite or Natty Light, you’re drinking piss, you know.

BV: chuckles.

(6:00)

P: You’re just trying to shove it down. Ahhh, and get it down as fast as possible.

BV: But isn’t that what you ordered tonight?

P: Yeah, but Natty Boh is like a…. I don’t know, I see a local aspect there. Even though I wasn’t born and raised in Baltimore, whenever I drink a Natty Boh, it’s a, I feel like I’m a little bit closer to Baltimore.

BV: So it makes you connect to the community? And it’s one of the reasons you pick it.

P: Yeah. I mean it’s like water, basically. But it’s an easy beer. It’s cheap.

(6:30)

BV: Right.

P: When I was looking for something that, you know, I’m not looking necessarily to experiment. I mean, this is a good kind of casual beer.

BV: Uh huh.

P: But I don’t drink it by the kegful. I’ll have one, and then I’ll go home. (It sounds like she’s slurring her speech here, but actually it’s not true. She’d only had one beer at that point.) That’s it basically. But it still, you know, it still brings people together. Like with, I’m in here. And it’s always easy to say, okay, let’s go to happy hour. So I use alcohol much more as a social mechanism.

(7:00)

BV: OK, I’m really curious about that. You use alcohol as a social mechanism. So, what’s that mean?

P: Yeah, it’s one of those common activities, that you feel like. Especially with the way our culture is somewhat separate. Like the things that bring us together might be different for me than for other people. You know, other people may have faith communities. Others may be close to their family or whatever. Uh, but you know, happy hour has become this sort of ritual.

BV: So now you’re telling me that happy hour and alcohol is your faith community, is that what you’re saying?

P: I’m saying it has the same community effect.

BV: OK

P: Um, because, you know, when you don’t live with your family and you’re in a new city, away from family, you’re trying to make friends or trying to establish a social network. It’s really easy to go up to somebody and say, hey, let’s get a drink, or let’s go to happy hour. And I mean it’s got that that kinda casual quality that saying, you know, let’s go to dinner or, I mean, you can say, let’s go to dinner, but…

BV: Right. So it’s more ummm informal than having a dinner. But it’s a way to help build a community and build a social connection, is that what you said?

P: Yeah. I mean it’s like a nice, really easy to do. You don’t have to plan 5 weeks in advance for it.

BV: Right. Like somebody texted you this afternoon and said you want to show up for a drink?

P: Yeah, and here I am! And, it’s great. It’s like this social quality to it. Whereas, like, I feel like we don’t have as many of those unifying, like, community rituals anymore.

BV: Uh huh.

P: Umm, that kinda just bring people together for the sake of socializing. You know, we’re not in a meeting. We’re not in a class. Like, we could have very little in common other than we just met in this bar. Like, but, you still have that.

BV: Right.

P: I think it might be different based on where you live. I think Baltimore is a really big, like, bar town. It’s all about the neighborhood bar, so…

BV: You feel that? You’re conscious of that?

(9:20)

P: Yeah, I feel like that. And I feel like wherever, you walk down the corner, and like every other corner, there’s a bar.

BV: Uh huh.

P: You look inside and, like, a lot of the time there’s all these old people there, and they’ve clearly been going there for like 30 years. Ummm, and it gives people a place to go. It’s like the watering hole.

(9:40)

BV: So what role does that play in communities? I mean, it sounds like you’re kinda describing the local bar as having a unique role within the community. Is that right?

P: Yeah, kind of…I mean I think that, yeah, for me, I don’t even drink that much. Like, I think my friends drink a lot more than I do. I’ll have a beer. I’ll have two. But usually don’t go in excess. Ummm, and I’d be just as happy drinking water right now, to be honest.

BV: So it doesn’t really matter to you. OK.

P: No. Ummm, sometimes you want a really like a really good tasting beer, or wine or whatever, but I, like I said, I use alcohol as a social mechanism.

BV: What do you mean by that?

P: Like, I mean, you could ask somebody to go to tea or like coffee or something. But I feel like that’s not the ritual that I have with my friends. Ummm, yeah, I might do that. But even that it seems like that’s a little bit more formal.

BV: Right. And this is really more informal. You’re a person, my observation of your personality is very informal and relaxed, and so it fits that you feel more comfortable in a setting like this.

P: (Laughs) Yeah. I feel like you go to coffee with a colleague.

BV: OK

P: Uhhh, but you go to happy hour with a friend!

BV: That’s a great….OK.

P: You know, it’s almost like, you know, even a good bridge…to make a colleague a friend! OK, yeah, we’ve been to coffee, now let’s go to happy hour.

(11:18)

(Skip ahead to 15:30 on recording)

BV: You’re highlighting this distinction between the personal nature of this setting versus your interactions, your digital interactions whether it’s Facebook or G-chatting or

P: I feel like people are trying to use this as an excuse for community. And I’m not saying that it doesn’t have value. I think there are lots of people who are really benefiting from it, ummm, and especially if they do feel isolated there’s a lot of community that you can find over the Internet.

Maybe wouldn’t be able to access without it. But for me, it doesn’t really serve that purpose. Like, like I said, G-chat is the closest thing that makes me feel like I can connect with people online. But, other than that, I don’t get the same, I don’t think anyone really gets that much satisfaction,

Other than that I don’t get the same

BV: So what I’m hearing is that this interaction is, well you said “richer” was one word you used, but has more substance or more…

P: It’s more substantive. Like you actually see the person, you’re actually talking to them. Like, you know, there was an NPR story the other day said you meet the happiest people in the study or survey or whatever it happened to be that were involved in this story had 6-7 hours of social interaction a day.

BV: I’m sorry I didn’t get the beginning of that.

P: It was an NPR story that was basically saying that the happiest people who responded to this survey or study or whatever it was, had 6-7 hours of social interaction a day.

BV: Wow.

P: Uhhh, and that wasn’t over the Internet.

BV: That was real, real life?

P: That was real life. You might get some of that at work. You might get some of that at home. But I feel like this place is a good opportunity for friendship. Because with family becoming more and more dissolved, friendship is in a lot of ways, at least for my generation, is taking that place. Ummm, you need something that will bring you together.

BV: Right.

P: This is sort of a mechanism to do that.

BV: Ummm, so I’m thinking about the nature of your interactions here in a setting like this, and you talked about your friends and how you interact with them, ummm. Do you notice patterns about how you physically interact with people? Ummm, are you closer to them? Is there more proximity, less as you’re drinking more?

You said you don’t typically drink very much. But that doesn’t really influence, you’re coming here more for the social aspects rather than the drinking. Did I get that right?

P: Yeah, that’s right.

BV: And so, there may or may not be an effect on your own drinking. Do you see a difference in how you interact with people in correlation with your drinking or with what other people are drinking?

P: So, again, it depends on if I’ve pushed that limit. You know, on a normal basis, with one or two drinks, probably not.

I don’t think I’m standoffish with people, but I don’t think that just after a drink

Don’t think I would be much more, ummm, I don’t know. Yeah, touchy or whatever.

But if I get drunk, then yeah. (Laughs.)

BV: So what if, on the rate occasion that you get drunk, how does your behavior change then?

P: Well, I think, you’re kinda more willing to break those personal boundaries, I guess, that people have. Like, isn’t it American culture to stand like an arms length away from each other, ummm?

BV: Even if they’re close friends or whatever?

P: I mean, I think with variation or whatever between person and also in relationship or whatever. I’m not necessarily going to have my arm around somebody when I’m sober, uhhh. (Kinda gives an arm hug.)

BV: Uh huh. But you might if you’re not sober. Any other specific things you can either remember or when you weren’t… ?

P: I’m think I’m a lot less modest when I’m drunk.

BV: Less modest when you’re drunk?

P: Yeah, I guess so.

BV: What do you mean by that?

P: I remember being, again this was in college, and I was... I think I’m a lot more comfortable with myself, my body, whatever now. But I was, like you know, that kid who wouldn’t really change in the dressing room or whatever. I remember in college and getting really drunk. Just kinda, like we were. I don’t remember where we were going exactly, but. Oh yes I do. (Laughs) So, we went to a drag show. And the, uhhh, you could get into the door if you were dressed in drag for free.

BV: OK.

P: And so a bunch of my girlfriends and I decided to dress up. And I had my friend tape my chest down with duct tape, it was terrible idea.

BV: Ouch!!

P: See my decisions were not the best.

BV: (Laughs)

P: But uhhh, I’m trying. But I remember going from being this high schooler who was like all nervous to having my friend literally go around me. Uhhh, I think I was in a bra or something, but that was about it. Whatever, I didn’t care. You know, I think I could probably do something. I probably wouldn’t use duct tape. But, I would probably be willing to have somebody do that now sober, but at the time, I probably wouldn’t have been at the time.

BV: You wouldn’t have then if you hadn’t been drunk.

P: Yeah. Yeah.

BV: So how do you see other people’s behavior changing since it seems like, maybe I’m hearing that, other people are maybe inclined to drink more than you. As you see people’s progression in drinking behavior…

P: Well, I think that varies with the person. Like my roommate for instance. It’s very funny. She’ll drink and she’ll seem sober, 4 drinks in or something, and then there’s that extra shift. And she’ll like …

BV: She’ll have a sudden shift. One more…

P: Sudden shift, and she’ll be like really intoxicated, and you’ll be like, when did that happen? And she gets, she definitely gets a lot touchier, she gets a lot more open, ummm, she gets a lot louder. Uhhh, but very, very friendly, you know. A little bit of a mess, but very friendly. Yeah, because I remember, you know… She’s not the most emotive type. She’s very, she’s great. I love my roommate.

BV: Uh huh.

P: But the last time she got drunk, she went on and on about how good our living situation was. And I’d never heard anything like that from her before. And I was like, alright. But I’d never heard her say that.

BV: She becomes more open and more talkative?

P: Yeah, and a little bit more expressive with her feelings probably.

BV: I’ve seen that with my brothers. I can tell stories when they would do the same thing, much more lovey-dovey or whatever. You see in beer commercials aimed at guys, right? All the sudden they’re loving their best friend or whatever. Yeah, so OK.

P: Whereas like my other friend, she gets, she’s an angry drunk.

BV: She’s what?

P: She’s a little bit of an angry drunk.

BV: OK.

P: I think very still playful, but she’s definitely gotten somewhat irritable, ummm, well argumentative I should say while intoxicated. So you kinda gotta keep in mind when you’re interacting with her when she starts getting really argumentative, like, alright, you’re drunk. She’ll admit it. She’ll be like,”Yes I am!” Ummm, but yeah, I would say that when somebody’s intoxicated that there would be a personality shift. I think I’m a lot more chatty. I think I have a lot less balance.

BV: So is it fair to say less inhibited? Because one of my colleagues who’s studied this has said, that’s my inclination, is to think that alcohol makes people less inhibited. But she was saying that the research is somewhat, ummm, mixed on that point. But that’s your observation?

P: I think it varies with the person. I think that some people… I wouldn’t say less inhibited. I would say that certain personality traits become much more enhanced…and they might be a little bit more buried before.

(25:40)

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