My next-door neighbor from freshman year, Damon Barna, senior from Middlebury, Ver., finally reveals the secret of why he walks around campus barefoot. Damon is a history major and will be giving his history senior seminar presentation next Monday on "Representation of Gypsies in American Culture."

Where do you work?

First Avenue night club in Minneapolis or the downtown danceteria.

How is that?

It’s a lot of work, but a great job.

What do you do?

I’m one of the three guys who are in charge of security there. It’s a full-time, part-time job. Technically part-time hours, but they are really good at keeping it right up there at 39.5 hours a week. Tonight’s show is Hootie and the Blowfish.

Any crazy stories?

Uhh, yeah. Do you want crazy printable stories or non-printable?

Wow.

I caught a guy tossing a girl’s salad one night at the VIP room. On Saturday I found a guy eating out of a girl’s asshole right in middle of the dance floor.

What brought you to Macalester?

Similar climate to where I’m from. I enjoy having winter as well as summer. I’ve never seen a tornado before. I still haven’t seen it yet. I actually came here because I received mailings from Macalester during high school that were original and really amusing. I had never heard of it before, but it wasn’t your typical college form letter. At that point I was looking into lots of other schools, but when I started visiting some schools, I realized that most of them were really pretentious or riddled with fraternities and lots of people with philosophies I did not want to be associated with. I looked at Macalester and thought wow, there seem to be people I could see eye to eye with and get along with and build those lasting relationships that you go through life with, or you’re supposed to I guess. So I decided to come out here, I had never visited or never been to Minnesota.

Has Macalester met your expectations?

It’s not quite the liberal school that I was expecting. It was more so freshman year, but it certainly has gotten more conservative in the last four years.

Why do you say that?

Policies change. The social climate in a whole has gotten more conservative, the country. I think the school is trying to keep up with all of that, I don’t fault the school because it’s just a natural progression.

What are some good experiences you’ve had at Macalester?

You know, the people I lived next door to my freshman year were just great. That I think was the best.

Ha ha ha. Wait, who were they?!

I don’t remember their names per se, but uh, no. I think that my first-year course really set the course for me.

Which class was that?

Jim Stewart’s American Civilization. It wasn’t actually called that, it was like five sentences, but it looked like a good class and I signed up and ended up putting me with a lot of really good people in a residential floor and [I] got to know a lot of people real well. Got to know a lot of people too well. In terms of the class itself, Jim Stewart’s a great professor, sad to see him go, but I’m glad that he stuck around for the four years that we were here, at least. I think that that class really set me up for the rest of college, the rest of my Macalester experience. I think it was my first pillar.

Have you taken other classes with him?

Yes and they were good. He demands a lot as far as work goes. A lot of reading, a lot of paper writing, but he prepares you well for other classes that at this point, a five page paper? It’s like, alright, give me an hour. Prepared me really well for not ever doing the reading, as well.

We should have a reunion.

I think we should. We should get him wasted.

Yeah right. Any changes you’d like to see at Macalester?

I think it was crummy that they decided to do the Kagin construction when they did and how they did. I’m sure they looked into ways in order not to eliminate the quad, but it must have sucked. A lot of my pleasant, fondest memories from the first year were out on the quad. Playing Frisbee or hacking. Midnight soccer Monday nights, but none of that could have happened with the big machines and fences. It was a rip off to deprive the incoming classes of that. I’m sure they found some other way to bond and to make lasting memories.

Are you still making film?

I’m not making anything right now. I’m in the process of writing a lot of stuff, conceptualizing a lot of stuff. When I have down time, I often at least thinking of writing.

Is that something you are going to pursue?

Possibly. The way it’s going right now, I’m in a band playing electric bass with Northern Comfort, angry jam rock for the angry hippie and everyone. We’ve played few times on campus and around campus out in various places. It’s been a fantastic experience. Really given me something to focus my artistic energies on. Two of my bandmates are juniors so Nick and I are probably going to stick around as well. I’ll continue working at the club, get a real job, but I think the whole band is living in a house next year so that will leave a lot of time for practicing and honing our skills. We may take the band elsewhere after that.

When are you all playing next?

We don’t have anything planned until next February. We are all so busy at this point with school and finals, but it’s definitely what I dedicate most of my free time to.

How about cooking?

Again, with the whole lack of time issue, I tend to cook your basics as far as off-campus living goes. I focus on the pasta and the sauce, but [I] had a really good Thanksgiving though. Eight people or so came together at my house and had a full vegan Thanksgiving. I’ve been planning on making cranberry bread for the last three days. Never comes through, though.

You still drinking your neon green soda stuff?

Well yeah, of course. You have to stay caffeinated somehow. Mountain Dew is obviously the pinnacle of green sodas. Mountain Dew and Red Bull is a wonderful combination. I tend not to put anything up my nose, so.

Why do you walk around barefoot?

It was an extension of a period that I spent on tour with Phish and it’s nice in the summertime to walk around without shoes on, so I try to do it as often as possible.

Have you gotten hurt?

A few minor cuts here and there, but nothing serious.

So there’s really no need for us to be wearing shoes?

Well, watch where you’re going! I certainly wasn’t running around disregarding broken glass on the ground. It was liberating to not wear shoes for quite some time, especially since the social norm is to have shoes on. It’s much more comfortable. The spaces in between your toes are very delicate areas and mud, rocks, sand, dirt, grass. There are so many different feelings that people normally don’t get to feel at the bottom of the feet and the spaces between their toes. It’s a great tactile sensation out there. I wanted to experience the vast majority of them. At this point, my feet have become very important as far as working go. If I can’t walk, I can’t work, if I can’t stand, I can’t work, if I can’t run, I can’t work.

Any advice you would give to underclassmen?

If it feels right, do it.