interview transcript - university of web viewinterview transcript topic: ... the form music i enjoy...

Interview Transcript Topic: Music Experiences and Preferences Candidate Number: 829989

QUALITATIVE METHODS ASSIGNMENTMICHAELMAS TERM 2009

Interview Transcript

Topic: Music Experiences and Preferences

Date: 23/11/09

Time: 13:00-14:00

Place: Starbucks, 6/7 Cornmarket Street, Oxford, OX1 3EX

of 51


NOTES

1. The name John is used instead of the real name of the respondent

2. (…) denotes short pause

3. () are used for non-verbal responses

4. [] are used for personal comments

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Hello John. As I told you I am a Sociology student and I need to

conduct an interview for my course. The research I am doing is about music, so I am

going to ask you some questions about your music experiences and your music

preferences. The interview will last approximately an hour and I have to tell you that

there are some demographic questions that they are kind of weird, but I have to ask

you (interviewer and respondent laugh). Also, this is going to be totally anonymous,

your name is not going to be mentioned anywhere, and if you don’t want to answer

any question you don’t have to, you just tell me “I do not want to answer” and we will

proceed to the next one and also you can withdraw at any point of the interview if you

feel uncomfortable. So, first of all, I would like to thank you for accepting to

participate in this interview and I would like to ask you if it is ok with you to use the

tape recorder?

RESPONDENT: Sure, it is fine.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. What did you think about the last night event?

RESPONDENT: I really enjoyed it. I thought the same event that was held last year

was better, simply because it was newer, but I really enjoyed the music, I really

enjoyed the energy. I thought it was a lot of fun actually.

INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me what was the event about?

RESPONDENT: The event was a Greek music night, for Greek traditional music,

organised by a band coming from London, called the SOAS Rebetiko Band. And

yeah, they came with a nine piece band and played some music.

INTERVIEWER: What type of music did they play?

of 51


RESPONDENT: It was like Greek folk music, Greek traditional music. Greek music

that came from the Ottoman Empire, sort of through the underground. That kind of

music.

[The respondent describes rebetiko music, the music played by the SOAS rebetiko

band; rebetiko is a traditional type of Greek music]

INTERVIEWER: Excuse me?

[I didn’t understand the last phrase]

RESPONDENT: With the underground. A kind, a music the rebels, the people who

took a lot of drugs, the criminals, the underground people, from the Ottoman Empire.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, alright. How often do you go to events with this type of

music?

RESPONDENT: This kind of music? Very very rarely. Simply because is very hard

to find places where you can go with this kind of music.

INTERVIEWER: How do you usually find out about this type of events?

RESPONDENT: In this kind of events, in their nature, they are kind of different

from different areas. I mean you can go to some places with very very traditional,

some places with not that traditional. But I normally find out from word of mouth

actually because it’s not a very popular kind of category of music. So, you only going

to find out from people who really really enjoy this kind of music. So, normally from

word of mouth.

INTERVIEWER: How often do you go to this type of events?

RESPONDENT: I would say I would go about twice a year to an event like this.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: How do you choose the events that you attend with this type of

music?

RESPONDENT: Pretty much they are the only ones that take place. Or I go to the

ones which have popular stars in them.

INTERVIEWER: What do you mean by popular stars?

RESPONDENT: People who, most of the experts would tell me, are the people I

should listen to in this kind of musical field, sort of the pioneers of the music.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Why do you attend this type of events, events with Greek

traditional music?

RESPONDENT: I play that kind of music.

INTERVIEWER: Greek traditional music?

RESPONDENT: Yes. But I am just learning that, I played various forms of music

and I like a lot of folk music and Balkan music. So I play (...) and I really really enjoy

to play Greek music, so I really enjoy the Greek music. So I go to the events a) to hear

about the music and b) when you play an instrument you appreciate how the people

do stuff.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. So as you said, you enjoy this type of music, the Greek

and the Balkan folk music.

RESPONDENT: Yes, sort of like Serbian, Croatian folk music, Balkan music.

INTERVIEWER: Was this the type of music that was played yesterday?

of 51


RESPONDENT: Ehm, in a sense yes, I mean if you class Greece in the Balkans yes.

I would, but I am sure that they are so many people that they would not. But yesterday

it was Greek traditional music, it is what you would call it.

INTERVIEWER: Alright so, if I understood correctly, you enjoy the traditional type

of music?

RESPONDENT: Well primarily, the form music I enjoy the most is jazz. If I am

going to listen to one form of music it will be jazz. Like, the form of music that I am

most comfortable is jazz. After jazz I probably enjoy rebetiko and Serbian folk music,

like Goran Bregović, Bob and Markowitz. This kind of things.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. Now we will proceed to some more general questions. Do you

go to concerts or other live music events of any kind?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, all the time actually.

INTERVIEWER: What do you mean by all the time?

RESPONDENT: For jazz concerts, anytime jazz people come, I go for live concerts

to listen to how they play. Ehm, if famous Serbian, Croatian bands come (...) for

example, a band called Chantel came over last week, I went to see them. So, yeah I

try to attend quite a lot of live performances for the kind of music that I like. But

mainly it has to be the kind of, you know, musicians music, sort of everyone playing

with musical instruments and you know everything completely live and new rather

than electronic music which is just a dj playing on the decks.

INTERVIEWER: Do you prefer the live type of music compared to the electronic

music?

of 51


RESPONDENT: Yeah yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Anything else? You have already mentioned jazz concerts that

you really enjoy.

RESPONDENT: You mean to go and watch?

INTERVIEWER: I mean any other venues, or live music events that you attend.

RESPONDENT: Jazz is the one that I will go to the most, and after that I prefer folk

music because of the setting, like the Greek rebetiko, like Serbian folk music. Just

because I like the setting and I like the atmosphere. But I mean, I go to the opera

sometimes and I go to pop concerts sometimes.

INTERVIEWER: So, do you enjoy different types of music events?

RESPONDENT: Yeah. And a lot of musical. Basically it is lot of stuff, but I mean,

primarily if you want to say which concerts I go to the most it would be jazz concerts.

INTERVIEWER: How often do you go to jazz concerts?

RESPONDENT: So in numbers, jazz concerts would be once every two weeks.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. How often do you go to folk music concerts?

RESPONDENT: Folk music concerts, if you include the Greek music in the folk

music (...) (the respondent thinks)

INTERVIEWER: Do you include it in your personal categorization?

RESPONDENT: In my category it is alright to say it is traditional folk music, music

that comes from the ports, music that comes from the (...) you know (...) traditional

music basically. I would say probably that, you know, once every two months, once

of 51


every three months maybe. Opera probably once a year (laughter) simply because is

really expensive and I rarely find good operas to go to.

INTERVIEWER: What about the pop concerts?

RESPONDENT: Probably once a year as well, yeah. If is someone really really

good.

INTERVIEWER: Like?

RESPONDENT: For example for Muse, Muse for example.


[I didn’t understand the name of the band]

RESPONDENT: Muse.

INTERVIEWER: Muse.

RESPONDENT: There is a band called Muse.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. (overlap)

RESPONDENT: They have amazing live performances.

INTERVIEWER: I have never heard of them. (laughter)

RESPONDENT: Yeah. Or reggae artists, or something you know.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Do you go to night clubs? You mentioned previously that

you prefer live music compared to electronic music.

RESPONDENT: I used to like electronic music but I kind of went off it slowly.

Maybe age, I am not sure but, ehm, I do go to clubs but the reason I go to clubs is not

of 51


because of the music, it’s more for the atmosphere, for the socializing (...). Ehm, I

would prefer to put the two together.

INTERVIEWER: Do you mean the atmosphere and the people?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, so for example, I would prefer to go at a folk music venue

where I can stay until to very late, drinking, talk to everybody while listening to, say

rebetiko or while listening to jazz. But generally the jazz concerts I go to are concerts,

rather than the typical form, which is musicians playing on stage and you know

people interacting in the crowd and talking and having a good time. That kind of

thing.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. How would you categorize the different types of music you

are listening to?

RESPONDENT: Well, ehm (...) I would put live music and clubs in different

categories simply because there is very very little overlap between the two.

INTERVIEWER: What do you mean by this?

RESPONDENT: So when jazz, jazz’s first origins was to be popular music in the

twenties, so people would be drinking and dancing together and socialising while jazz

was playing in the background, because this is what the popular music is. The popular

music now, that I do not really appreciate, it is the one in the clubs (...) so it is very

rare to find a jazz venue, which ehm, especially in Oxford, where you can go to with

all of your friends and socialize and have a good time and listen to the music at the

same time.

INTERVIEWER: Why does this happen?

of 51


RESPONDENT: There is not enough numbers of people who would like to do this.

Most people want to go and listen to popular music.

INTERVIEWER: In the clubs?

RESPONDENT: In the clubs yes, because the clubs have to play the popular music

of there, of the area and the popular music of the area is, you know general (...)

general chart hits, that kind of thing.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. I would like to ask you some further questions. What are

the reasons that you go to jazz concerts?

RESPONDENT: So I play a lot of jazz (...) ehm, I find most of the jazz songs talk

more about my life than other songs, so I find myself more closely linked to jazz

songs, the American songs. Ehm, and because I play. Generally when you play a

musical instrument you (...) you tend to appreciate how good other people are at

playing your instrument. So you want to go to concerts to see what are they doing,

how good they did, and (...) your ears become more and more tuned to the concerts.

INTERVIEWER: More and more?

[I didn’t understand the word]

RESPONDENT: Tuned.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, ok.

RESPONDENT: Yeah tuned, so you appreciate more and more, because you know

the effort that they have gone through to achieve what they have achieved, it is not

just as someone who has never played something.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Alright. And what are the reasons that you go to the folk music

events?

RESPONDENT: I think I just really enjoy the sound of the music. I guess I can say

Serbian music because it is very very energetic, ehm, in a way. For example, they

have some trumpet concerts in Serbian traditional music and they have drums and

trumpets and trombones and they play very very energetic music. So it is very

energetic and I enjoy. Greek traditional music to me sounds, because of the roots of it,

it is almost like the blues and jazz. It is very, you know, real (...) ehm, very strong

emotional songs from musicians who have lived through a lot, who have experienced

a lot and ehm (...) so I kind of appreciate that even more, you know? And you know

you can hear it through the music.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. What are the reasons that you go to the opera?

RESPONDENT: (laughter) I appreciate some operas. But, I mean like, I love

Madame Butterfly and I like some operas.

INTERVIEWER: Could you explain me the reasons?

RESPONDENT: It is partly because of the music. I like some classical music and I

really like the singings sometime, especially like, some male tenor voices or male

baritone voices, I really like. I would go to the opera once in a while. And I really

enjoy the dress and I really enjoy the concept in a whole. But it is not the kind of

musical form I would associate with or enjoy the most.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. What about the pop concerts? Why do you go to pop concerts,

even once per year?

RESPONDENT: I think it is because my friends drag me along.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: (laughter)

RESPONDENT: And because they will play one or two songs which I will probably

enjoy, ehm, I mean everyone because you listen to it all the times. So you are bound

to get, enjoy the song or not.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, and what about the clubs? Why do you go to night clubs?

RESPONDENT: Well I guess, I also like dancing.

INTERVIEWER: Did you also mention your friends before?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, my friends go there and I like dancing and we can’t dance

much to jazz. So, even though it is not the kind of music you would like to listen to in

your room and you know, you do it.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Could you tell me with whom you are going to those live

music events?

RESPONDENT: To the jazz concerts you mean?

INTERVIEWER: To all of them. So, let’s start with the jazz concerts, do you go by

yourself?

RESPONDENT: Sometimes yeah, sometimes jazz concerts they are likely to be

played off the road. Sometimes I will just go and I can’t find anybody to go with.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. How often does this happen? How often do you go by

yourself to jazz concerts?

RESPONDENT: Mmm (...) once a month probably. You know like, every three or

four times I go to concerts, I will probably go off by myself in one of them.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Alright. What about the folk music events? Do you go with

company or by yourself?

RESPONDENT: No, to those generally I would not go by myself. Uh, I don’t think I

can. Because is not (...) jazz I can associate with, it is for the native speaking

American music form where I would fit in there. Folk, traditional folk music come

from different countries like Greece, Serbia, Croatia (...) uh, I wouldn’t feel

comfortable going by myself. I mean, I love the music, but I wouldn’t feel

comfortable going by myself.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so with whom do you go?

RESPONDENT: With people from those countries normally, always with some

friends, I mean always with some friends. I feel more comfortable than going by

myself.

INTERVIEWER: What about the opera?

RESPONDENT: Always with friends! (the tone of voice shows certainty) (laughter)

Always with friends. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: Always with friends.

RESPONDENT: Yes, I would never go by myself.

INTERVIEWER: Are they the same friends that you are going for example to the

jazz concerts?

RESPONDENT: No, completely different.

INTERVIEWER: Do you have different people (respondent intervenes)

of 51


RESPONDENT: For different musical events.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. (laughter)

RESPONDENT: Generally there is very little overlap between, ehm.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Does the same apply for the pop concerts and the clubs,

do you usually go with different people? (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: No, for the pop concerts and the clubs there is always a lot of

overlap, so it is always the same people and the groups are generally much much

bigger. For the clubs I mean, you pretty much see everyone there. Ehm, for the jazz

concerts, it is just small subsets. For the folk music, another small subset. Ehm (...)

etc. etc.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. And do you go to the clubs and the pop concerts with

other people or do you go by yourself?

RESPONDENT: Nooo. (laughter) I always go with other people. Especially to a

club, I would never go by myself. If there is not music that I really enjoy (...). I am

going to the clubs to socialize, to dance. Ehm, and I wouldn’t go to dance by myself at

a club. Ehm, so, I wouldn’t go to a club by myself, and yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Is there any type of live music event that you have never

been to?

RESPONDENT: This is surprising actually, there are very few. Ehm (...) none that I

can think of, I have tried to experience as many different kinds of (...) maybe,

probably like Asian live music, sort of like Chinese traditional music. (...) I think that

would be pretty much. I have tried to see as many as live performances as possible or

of 51


listen to at least once. Ehm, yeah, but I mean (...) I can’t say that I have been to all of

them but I think I have been to all the ones I want to go and see or I can have access

to.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. So you haven’t been to some very specific types of music

events, like the one you mentioned, the Chinese traditional music. Is there any other

type of music event that you have never been to?

RESPONDENT: Maybe, well I have never been to an Irish folk concert for example.

INTERVIEWER: To a?

[I didn’t understand what the respondent said]

RESPONDENT: Irish folk concert.

INTERVIEWER: Oh! An Irish folk concert.

RESPONDENT: Irish folk music which you know is quite popular and quite similar

to most of this stuff. I have never been to any of those concerts. Ehm, I (...) yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Anything else?

RESPONDENT: Ehm, I am trying to think of (…) there will be something. (...)

(respondent thinks and laughs)


RESPONDENT: (pause for ten seconds) Uh! (the tone of voice shows excitement) I

have never been to a heavy metal concert.


RESPONDENT: Yes, but I would really like to go, to like, a Metallica concert.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Why you have never been to a Metallica concert?

RESPONDENT: I guess I just never had the access. Where I grew up I just didn’t

have, ehm (…) heavy metal people they would not come. And then when I came here

I started changing my musical taste and probably exploring those musical tastes and

suddenly I just didn’t have time to go and see a heavy metal music concert but (...) I

wanna go one day. (the tone of voice shows certainty)

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Is there any type of live music experience that you

wouldn’t want to have?

RESPONDENT: Yeah! Salsa! (the tone of voice shows certainty)

[The respondent replied immediately after the question]

INTERVIEWER: Salsa?

RESPONDENT: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: What are the reasons for this?

RESPONDENT: I hate salsa. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: What do you mean that you hate salsa?

RESPONDENT: (laughter) This is a very strong opinion. (laughter)


RESPONDENT: But I don’t think salsa is a valid musical form. I think it is just

something new that make people to dance to and they take old songs and they add the

salsa bit to the back of it and (...) (laughter) there is something about it, I think,

of 51


maybe, I went to a lot of clubs which played a lot of salsa and I just became very very

intolerant to it. (the tone of voice shows certainty)

INTERVIEWER: So is it because of the combination of (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Is something like (...). Yeah, I just hate salsa! (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: Ok, do you hate salsa because (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Because of the music and the people dancing, uh (laughter) I just, I

hate salsa. And it is an opinion shared by a lot of my friends as well. So, ehm, I guess

it is like, like a group thing, we are all people intolerant to salsa.


RESPONDENT: If there is a salsa concert (...) probably it would be the only form of

music I would say right now, that definitely never ever go for. (the tone of voice

shows certainty)

INTERVIEWER: Alright. We have finished with the questions about the live music

experiences, so now I am going to ask you some questions about your music

experiences throughout your life. What type of music do you listen to?

RESPONDENT: Uh, basically it varies, so alright, if I want to dance it will be R&B

and hip hop.


RESPONDENT: If I am in my room it will be jazz and traditional folk music from

Greece, Serbia, Croatia, those three countries mainly. So Balkan, Greek and jazz and

the three categories I would put together.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Alright. And did you say that you listen to folk music and jazz

music when you are in your room?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, when I am alone basically (…) uh, you know especially jazz

music when I am alone (...) because, you know jazz music is always slow music, and

very romantic music, so you can say generally when you are by yourself, because, uh,

nobody would listen to it (laughter) at a social setting.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. Do you have any favourite songs?

RESPONDENT: Yeah. But I mean my favourite songs aren’t reflective of (laughter)

my musical taste.

INTERVIEWER: Ok, could you tell me more about this?

RESPONDENT: (laughter) Yeah, so, I would say my favourite song ever is George

Michael’s, Kelly’s Whisper, which is amazing because (interviewer intervenes)

[I intervened because I didn’t understand the title of the song]

INTERVIEWER: Excuse me, which song of George Michael?

RESPONDENT: Kelly’s whisper.

INTERVIEWER: Kelly’s Whisper.

RESPONDENT: You know. He is with his saxophone and (…) ehm, which is

completely non indicative of anything I have told you, as my favourites. I mean there

are several jazz songs. There is a jazz song called Round Midnight. It was written by a

guy called Thelonious Monk, ehm, it is like a romantic ballad. One of the most

romantic ballads ever written. And yes, I would class that as one of my favourite

songs, yeah. And I like S agapo giati ise orea (laughter).

of 51


[“S’ agapo giati ise orea” is a Greek traditional song translated to “I love you because

you are wonderful”]

INTERVIEWER: Alright. (laughter)

RESPONDENT: (...) And I love Genethlia by Sfakianakis, yeah, Genethlia would be

one of my top.

[“Genethlia” is a Greek traditional song translated to “Birthday”. The singer’s name is

Notis Sfakianakis and he is a Greek famous artist]

INTERVIEWER: Do you understand the lyrics of these songs?

RESPONDENT: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Do you know how to speak Greek?

RESPONDENT: Well no, but I either get translations online or get my fellows to

translate for me, so yeah, I understand the lyrics, yeah. Ehm (...) and I enjoy a Serbian

singer called Šaban Bajramović.

INTERVIEWER: Šaban Bajramović?

[I repeat the name to make sure I heard it correctly]

RESPONDENT: Yeah. He is like one of the kings of the gipsy music in Serbia.

Yeah, and the song is called Djelem Djelem, which I really like.

INTERVIEWER: Djelem Djelem?


RESPONDENT: Yeah, Djelem Djelem and Edeletzi by Bregović.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Edeletzi?


RESPONDENT: Yeah, Edeletzi by Bregović. So yeah, I mean, if you would listen to

my favourite stuff you would find these kinds of songs, these kinds of songs, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Do you have any favourite artists?

RESPONDENT: Yeah. So my favourite artists (…) uh, you can break it down. When

I was younger, ehm, because I grew up in Africa, I enjoyed (...) hip hop the most. It

used to be everything I would listen to. So back then I used to worship Tupac Shakur,

Tupac you know he was everything to me, everything (the tone of voice becomes

emotional). And then I slowly started moving on to jazz (…).

INTERVIEWER: At what age did you start moving to jazz?

RESPONDENT: About eighteen, once I left Kenya, and (...) once you leave school

and you are legally allowed to listen to whatever you want without repercussions.

Yeah, so I started listen to Frank Sinatra and now I would say my favourite artist is a

guy called Charlie Parker.

INTERVIEWER: Charlie Parker?


RESPONDENT: Yes, he is this guy here. (the respondent takes out his mobile phone

and he shows me that he has set Charlie Parker’s picture as the home screen image)

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so you have Charlie Parker on your mobile screen.

of 51


RESPONDENT: Yeah, he is, ehm, he is a completely genius is my mind, he

basically changed the whole world of jazz, heard things that nobody would ever

heard, and he was just, you know, he is such a good musician, that, out of the

musicians of the era who were fantastic themselves, all they wanted to do was to play

like him.

INTERVIEWER: Hmm. (overlap)

RESPONDENT: Like imagine, he is not only capturing the heart of the public he is

capturing the heart of all musicians everywhere, who respect him so much because

you are different at the end to play this kind of beautiful music.


RESPONDENT: So my favourite artist would be, Charlie Parker. (the tone of voice

shows certainty)

INTERVIEWER: Alright. And as you said you are listening to different types of

music, like you listen to R&B and hip hop when you want to dance and also to folk

music and jazz music in your room. So, if I understood right you don’t listen to the

same type of music always?

RESPONDENT: No no, definitely not, it changes a lot.

INTERVIEWER: Does it change according to (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Mood sometimes (...) (respondent thinks). Mood yeah, generally

mood I would say, mood is the major one (the tone of voice shows certainty). You

know, in a romantic mood you listen to jazz. When you are in a more (...) ehm, you

know (...) when you want some sub real music instrument you listen to folk music

of 51


(…) and when you, ehm (...) when just want to feel good and great and just dancing

you know (laughter) I am listening to pop music, R&B, hip-hop, reggae. I love it.

INTERVIEWER: Do you also love reggae music?

RESPONDENT: Yeah I like it. Like R&B, hip hop, reggae put them in one category.

INTERVIEWER: Alright (laughter). I am asking because this is the first time you

mention reggae music. (interviewer and respondent laugh)

RESPONDENT: Yeah, it is just because there are so many musical tastes (the

respondent was laughing while answering). But yeah, I like reggae, I love it.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Do you attend live events with reggae music?

RESPONDENT: Occasionally, occasionally (...) ehm (…) but very very

occasionally. (...) I mean it is really hard to find reggae concerts in Oxford, really

really hard.


RESPONDENT: In the UK in general, unless you go to London in certain venues

(...) but even then, I mean, I am talking about Caribbean reggae and not just London

bands and things like that.

[I think that the respondent wants to say that even in London it is difficult to find live

events with high quality reggae music]

INTERVIEWER: Ok. You mentioned before that your musical preferences have

changed from times to times. So, if I recall correctly, up to eighteen you were

listening to rap music and then after eighteen you started appreciating jazz music and

(...) (respondent intervenes)

of 51


[I paused in order to recall the other types of music the respondent had mentioned]

RESPONDENT: Folk music (…) and a bit of everything (interviewer and respondent

laugh)


RESPONDENT: I guess, when you are (…) ehm, well, it is like one of the things

that follow your life pattern. When you are, ehm, a young boy, ehm, all you want to

do is, you know, to be a big man and (...) impress and feel (...) feel of kind like a

strong guy, like a cool guy (the tone of voice becomes energetic), that kind of thing.

And rap music is very very good for that. It is sort of one of those things, you know,

you like (…) so a gangster, and you know, someone important, somebody to not mess

with (the tone of voice becomes more energetic). And you know until eighteen, ehm, I

was, you know, that would be the persona I would like to be, you know. And then, I

guess, I got into university and I could listen to anything I want, and then, you know,

you fall in love let’s say for the first time, and then, you know, you get your heart

broken (the speed of speech decreases and the tone of voice becomes emotional) and

then suddenly rap music (…) ehm, you know it is not singing about what you are

going through, it is just singing about, you know, a life that, you know, (laughter) you

don’t have any association to whatsoever (laughter). You know, shooting people and

selling drugs in the hood and things like that (...). And then Frank Sinatra suddenly

starts singing about, ehm, you know, ehm (laughter) how some girl broke his heart

and you suddenly, you know, you suddenly start listening to that more and more (…)

and then (...) your musical preferences change I guess.

INTERVIEWER: So, your musical preferences were changing according to the

different phases of your life?

of 51


RESPONDENT: Different phases of your life I guess, when you know, and I sudden

listen to jazz primarily, just you know, a small transition when I started (…) so for

example, I gave you the example of let’s say fall in love, and then I started listening to

jazz music, and (...) since I started picking up an instrument which (…) it made me

listen to more jazz music. And then, once I started appreciating the life sense of jazz

music, I started moving on to other kinds of live music. (...) And because I have a lot

of friends from Greece, I started listen to Greek music. (...) And, ehm, there is

probably enough people who don’t believe it, but Greek music and jazz music are not

that dissimilar. They still have the same roots you know, from the poorer people, the

blues, ehm (...) and are very respectable forms of music so (...). And I guess, now I

guess I just try to keep an open mind because, I think all musical forms to be valid

and, ehm, if somebody else likes a form of music, I should keep an open mind

because if they like it, somebody likes it, so there must be something good about it, to

do like it, you know. Apart from salsa! (the tone of voice shows certainty) (laughter)

(interviewer and respondent laugh)

INTERVIEWER: I was ready to ask you about salsa. (interviewer and respondent

laugh)

RESPONDENT: Yeah, yeah, apart from salsa (laughter). No, my mind is shut for

salsa, yeah, honestly (laughter).

INTERVIEWER: Alright. So, just to make sure that I understand you right; up to

eighteen you were listening primarily to rap, after this point your life pattern started

changing (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Life pattern changes, yeah, you know you feel like, ehm, first of all,

it is interesting, another note, it is that, it is not only that your life pattern changes but

of 51


university is a lot freer than school. In high school you can’t listen to, let’s say to

Celine Dion.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. (overlap)

RESPONDENT: (respondent laughs) You know (laughter) you are going to be a

social outcast, but in university, you can listen to whatever you want, and nobody

cares. (...) Ehm, so you can choose whatever musical form you want, and then I

personally chose jazz because I love the balance, and that probably it sang about my

life more than anything else, and that’s what happened. And then as I got older I (...)

expanded my musical taste even more and more (...). It is something like a cone

getting bigger and bigger with more musical taste coming in there.

INTERVIEWER: Do you expect that your musical taste will expand further?

(interviewer and respondent laugh)

RESPONDENT: I think that it will eventually straighten out and I will just listen to a

certain kind of music, but I like all kind of music, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. What about your friends? What type of music do they

listen to?

RESPONDENT: So, I have a lot of Greek friends and lot of them listen to nothing

but Greek music and indie music.

INTERVIEWER: Hindi music?

[I was trying to understand the type of music that the respondent mentioned since I

had never heard of it before]

of 51


RESPONDENT: Yeah, which I like. And I’ve been to concerts, I would class them

as pop, but they wouldn’t.

INTERVIEWER: Hindi music?

[I am asking again, trying to understand the type of music mentioned]

RESPONDENT: No, indie.

INTERVIEWER: Indie?

RESPONDENT: So it is like independent rock.

INTERVIEWER: Ohhh! Alright!

RESPONDENT: So indie music is like, ehm you know, like, kind, sort of British, the

British stream after the sixties of like just The Smiths, Radiohead, and these bands,

sort of like Radiohead.

INTERVIEWER: Radiohead (...) is this a type of anarchic music or?

[I had never heard of Radiohead band and indie music so I was asking further

questions to understand the nature of this type of music]

RESPONDENT: Oh, no no no (the tone of voice shows certainty). This is, ehm, a

type, it is like (...). What is the best way to define it, ehm, it is like slowish rock.

INTERVIEWER: Slowish rock?

RESPONDENT: Slowish rock, but without, you know, the heavy drums and the

heavy distortion.

INTERVIEWER: What are the basic instruments in indie music?

of 51


RESPONDENT: Guitar, guitar based, drums and vocals. And then probably they

sing, very kind of like, personal music, like very real personal music about their lives.

INTERVIEWER: So, is it an emotional type of music?

RESPONDENT: Very, yeah, very emotional and very real. No, no, no false

pretences about who they are, they are very independent. For example, your friend

yesterday, I would class him as an indie boy.

INTERVIEWER: Who?

RESPONDENT: You know, your friend who was there.

[The respondent was talking about my colleague that we went together to the music

venue]

INTERVIEWER: Oh, yesterday?

RESPONDENT: Yes. Because this is just the way they dress. You know there is a

certain way of dressing, there is a certain lifestyle.

INTERVIEWER: How would you describe their dressing style?

RESPONDENT: Basically they all wear like (respondent smiles) skinny trousers and

grow up long hair, or like, you know like, longish and dirtyish kind of hair.

INTERVIEWER: Dirtyish kind of hair?

[I wanted to understand how the respondent defines dirtyish hair]

RESPONDENT: Well it is, like, you know, like unkempt, like not, not pristinely

kempt, like they don’t give a crap you know. Like they will always have bands here

of 51


(showing his wrist) (…) and, I don’t know, it is just you can tell (...) all of them, they

always wear those (…) converse shoes and things like that. You know.


RESPONDENT: So they are lot of them (laughter). So the Greek friends would

listen to that and, ehm (...) I guess other friends listen to various, ehm, there is no real,

ehm, everyone, ehm, me and my friends, ehm, have their own particular musical

tastes. Ehm, the only way that we all join up the same musical taste is at the night

club. And I think it is completely because we are not listening to the music but

because we just have to dance.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. In addition to your friends listening to Greek music and indie

music, do you have other friends listening to different types of music?

RESPONDENT: I have a bunch of friends who I played with sometimes who would

love jazz, ehm, so I called them my jazz friends (interviewer and respondent laugh).

And, I have friends, a lot of friends, who like pop music and we just listen to the

charts, the songs that they are in the charts and then listen to nothing else. Ehm, and I

have a set of friends who listen to nothing but opera.

INTERVIEWER: Nothing but opera?

RESPONDENT: Nothing but opera! (the tone of voice shows certainty) Opera and

that’s it.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so how similar are your music preferences with those of

your friends?

of 51


RESPONDENT: I think not very similar (...) or it depends with whom I am hanging

around with basically, yeah. But, I think that my musical taste is more similar with the

Greek people, I guess. With them, they cover the most range of what I like.


RESPONDENT: They listen to other kind of music that I appreciate as well. So for

example, the Serbian, Croatian music, they would love as well. And some of them

they would love jazz as well. Ehm, but generally, ehm, there is no group of people

that listen to all the kind of music that I listen to and I like all the time. So I have to

find different people.

INTERVIEWER: Did you always have different music preferences comparing to

your friends?

RESPONDENT: No, when I was eighteen everyone was listening to rap. All of us

liked exactly the same thing. Eventually when I started diversifying my taste (...) and

you know (…) people didn’t have the same.

INTERVIEWER: Why do you think that your musical taste diversified?

RESPONDENT: Because you can grew up and listen to whatever you want. When

you are a young boy you have to conform to what everybody else listens to.

INTERVIEWER: So when you were young, do you believe that you conformed to

listen to rap music?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, I think I conformed (the tone of voice shows certainty). But I

mean, I really enjoyed it back then, I really loved it (the tone of voice becomes very

of 51


energetic and the respondent smiles). But I am pretty sure that if I was, I just hadn’t

been experienced enough to (…). Rap music was what I wanted back then.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. What about your parents? What type of music do they listen

to?

RESPONDENT: Uh (...) Indian traditional music.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, Indian traditional music. Do they have any relationship to

India?

RESPONDENT: Oh yeah, my parents are Indians, but we grew up in Africa.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, alright. Do you enjoy Indian music?

RESPONDENT: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Do you listen to Indian music as well?

RESPONDENT: Yes I do, but only one or two artists. So that’s why I didn’t tell you

that I like Indian music. So, there is one artist or two artists who are ridiculously

famous, ehm, like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, I don’t know if you know him.

INTERVIEWER: (laughter) No, could you spell his name please? (interviewer and

respondent laugh)

RESPONDENT: Yes, I can write it down. (the respondent writes down the name of

the artist)

INTERVIEWER: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Is he a famous Indian artist?

RESPONDENT: Well, he is actually a Punjabi artist, Pakistani-Punjabi artist.


of 51


RESPONDENT: Ehm, and he is very very famous, respected all worldwide, and I

love his music, like nothing else. He is fantastic. And a few other traditional like

Rabbi Shergill.

INTERVIEWER: Rabbi Shergill?


RESPONDENT: Yeah, the guy who played with, like, sort of The Beatles and, ehm,

so, I like that kind of stuff, but I mean, I really like a few artists. But my parents listen

to all of them and probably listen to nothing else.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so how similar are your music preferences with those of

your parents?

RESPONDENT: Well they are very very different (laughter). Yes, we only cross at

the few artists that I like and few songs. But primarily we are quite different, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Now we are going to move at another question. So, if I

recall correctly you said that you are going to jazz concerts and other live concerts

because you play music as well. So, would you like to tell me more about this?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, basically I play the saxophone and the guitar.

INTERVIEWER: Alright.

RESPONDENT: But primarily the saxophone, ehm, and I am learning to play a

Greek instrument.

INTERVIEWER: Mmm, a Greek instrument. Which one?

RESPONDENT: The Baglama.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: The Baglama?

RESPONDENT: I brought it yesterday.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, great.

RESPONDENT: And the drum.

INTERVIEWER: And the drums?

RESPONDENT: The hand drum, single.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so do you know how to play four instruments?

RESPONDENT: Well, I can say I know two, and I am learning four.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. When did you start learning those instruments?

RESPONDENT: Four years ago (laughter).

INTERVIEWER: All of them?

RESPONDENT: Yeah (laughter). Well, no, I started learning the saxophone four

years ago, and then I started learning the guitar a year ago, and I started learning the

baglama six months ago, and the drum six months ago.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. And how often do you play?

RESPONDENT: Oh! (the tone of voice shows disappointment) In nowadays,

because I have so much work, once or twice a week.

INTERVIEWER: All of them?

RESPONDENT: No no no, the saxophone mainly. And the guitar sometimes at night

for ten to fifteen minutes once or twice a week.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Once or twice a week the saxophone (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Saxophone once or twice a week, guitar once or twice a week.

Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: What about the other two instruments?

RESPONDENT: They are on hold for the meanwhile. I used to play every day but

(...) ehm, I just don’t have the time these days. So, I hope to go back to playing every

day, but I need to get some work done for my PhD.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so which is the instrument that you prefer and that you

would like to spend more time in playing it?

RESPONDENT: The saxophone.

INTERVIEWER: Could you explain the reasons?

RESPONDENT: Because I want to get good, I want to get really good (laughter)

yeah, yeah. And then you know, the more you play, the better you get, which means

the better music you play, which means the happier you are because you are playing

the nice music exactly how it should be played. And, so yeah. And also I play live

sometimes, so I am trying to get better so (…) to play live and get the moved on stage

(laughter).

INTERVIEWER: Alright, great. Why did you start playing those instruments?

RESPONDENT: The saxophone because it is a jazz instrument, the guitar because it

is very very versatile so because my musical taste expanded so much. The guitar is

like the keyboard, you can really play everything on it. And the Greek music (…)

INTERVIEWER: Do you mean the baglama, the Greek instrument?

of 51


RESPONDENT: Yeah. Because I needed a Greek instrument to play Greek music

and the drum, because drums are in everything as well.

INTERVIEWER: Alright.

RESPONDENT: So the guitar for versatility, the saxophone for jazz.

INTERVIEWER: What do you mean by saying the saxophone for jazz?

RESPONDENT: Because I started liking jazz and I started liking instrumental jazz,

ehm, the saxophone was the instrument that most, I wanted to play the most. Not the

trumpet, not the piano, but the saxophone. I am in love with the sound of it. So I

wanted to learn it.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. And did you say that you have performed in public as

well?

RESPONDENT: Yeah. And we have, ehm, we play, we jump together.


RESPONDENT: Me and my friends, ehm, it is a weird way dynamic. Whereas,

although all of us we listen to different kinds of music, when we play music, we all

come together, and we play everything.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so with how many people do you play music?

RESPONDENT: So when I play in lives, I play with a band of four or five people.

INTERVIEWER: How often do you play in lives?

RESPONDENT: Nowadays none, but it used to be every week, every Thursday at

the Thirst Lodge.

of 51


[The Thirst Lodge is a bar in Oxford]

INTERVIEWER: Alright, at the Thirst Lodge. And when did you stop?

RESPONDENT: I stopped about two weeks ago.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. And since when you were playing there?

RESPONDENT: About a year ago.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so for a year you were having weekly live performances?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, and then on the weekends we have a small band which we

play gipsy music, reggae, rock everything. But this is just friends getting together and

playing some music. And that only started about three months ago.

INTERVIEWER: Did you play this weekend as well?

RESPONDENT: Yes, we played like six hours on Saturday.

INTERVIEWER: Really?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, we didn’t go out.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. So, why did you start this band with your friends?

RESPONDENT: Well, because we enjoy music (the tone of voice shows certainty).

Because all of us we enjoy music and we are looking for (...) ehm, somewhere to play,

just to fool around (laughter) and just jam basically.

INTERVIEWER: (laughter) What do you mean by jam?

of 51


RESPONDENT: Just jam, you know, the jamming principle. The live stuff, I play

just to make myself better. But I do not enjoy it as much as playing with my friends,

because I am playing with random people.


RESPONDENT: So, I am enjoying playing with my friends more.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. So, now I am going to ask you some more general

questions about your musical experiences. What is your relationship with music?

(laughter)

RESPONDENT: Mmm (...)

INTERVIEWER: Or how important is music to you?

RESPONDENT: Oh! Huge huge is everything! (the tone of voice becomes

energetic) Ehm, probably one of the most important things in my life. If I couldn’t

listen to music, ehm, I would be very upset, I wouldn’t know what to do. Music is a

huuuge, integral part of my life. I listen to music all the time, while I am working,

while I am at home. Pretty much most of the day I am listening to, just you know,

music. It is a huge part of my life I mean. It helps me with my mood, it helps me with

how I am feeling, it helps me with everything.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. So what type of device or media do you use to listen to

music?

RESPONDENT: Apparently?

INTERVIEWER: In general?

RESPONDENT: (laughter) Ehm, illegal downloads.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Oh no, I didn’t mean the way you download music. I mean what

type of device you use to listen to music.

RESPONDENT: Mp3 and the computer. I work at the computer so, ehm, I listen to

most stuff on the computer, so iPod player or computer.

INTERVIEWER: Do you listen to the radio?

RESPONDENT: No.

INTERVIEWER: When you are going back to your country do you listen to any

specific radio station?

RESPONDENT: No, not anymore, no. Only when I was eighteen, to listen to the

radio for new rap songs, but now no, no, the radio does not play what I like so (...).

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so when do you listen to music?

RESPONDENT: When I work, when I am doing nothing. When I am not out I listen

to music.

INTERVIEWER: Excuse me, when you are?

[I didn’t understand the last phrase]

RESPONDENT: When I am at home I am listening to music basically. Unless I am

watching television, I am listening to music.

INTERVIEWER: And what happens when you are out of your house? Do you listen

to music?

RESPONDENT: If I go to a club.

INTERVIEWER: If you are not at a club? Do you use your iPod or your mp3?

of 51


RESPONDENT: No no no. When I go out, I go out. Basically when I am at home I

am listening to music or when I am at work I listen to music.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Do you listen to different types of music according to the

activity that you are doing?

RESPONDENT: No, not really.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so what type of music do you listen to primarily? I am

asking because you have mentioned too many categories. (interviewer and respondent

laugh)

RESPONDENT: I guess romantic ballads, romantic jazz ballads and folk music.

INTERVIEWER: Do you always listen to the same music?

RESPONDENT: No, no definitely not. Different songs.

INTERVIEWER: Different songs, but the same type of music?

RESPONDENT: No, even that no. No, it is very various.

INTERVIEWER: So do you listen to various types of music and various songs?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, I listen a bit of everything yeah (…) uh (…).

INTERVIEWER: Alright. So, if I recall correctly, you said that you listen to music

when you are at home and when you are going to clubs or to venues.

RESPONDENT: No no, I listen to music when I am at home or when I am at work

and when I go to clubs and venues. In between nothing. So let me elaborate. When I

am at home or work, mainly jazz, ehm, and folk music. But often I would branch out

to anything else. But, if you are looking at the percentages, ehm, then probably like

of 51


(…) 70% of the time would be jazz and folk music and 30% would be everything

else.

INTERVIEWER: By everything else, do you mean the other categories that you

mentioned before?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, all the other kinds, rap, R&B, opera etc.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Is there any pattern that you could see between the music

that you choose to listen to and the activity that you are doing?

[I repeat the question because I think that the respondent did not understand the

question when I firstly asked him]

RESPONDENT: (pause for 5 seconds) Ehm (...) there is only one thing. When I do

computer programming, ehm, is the only time I listen to electronic music, because of

its really repetitive nature, I find it very good for computer programming. (laughter)


RESPONDENT: That helps me to work better, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. Any other pattern?

RESPONDENT: If I am reading a book, I like to listen to jazz at the background.

Oh! (the respondent hops) When I am cleaning I listen to rap.


RESPONDENT: Simply because I can dance while cleaning. (laughter) (interviewer

and respondent laugh)

INTERVIEWER: Anything else?

of 51


RESPONDENT: Ehm, that’s all I can think of actually.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Does the music that you listen to vary according to the

people that you are with?

RESPONDENT: Well usually I listen to music by myself, yeah, I generally don’t

impose the music that I like on the people that I am with. I let them pick what they

want to play and I just listen to it, yeah, most of the time.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, so we have talked about the music that you like. Now

let’s talk about the music that you don’t like, you have already mentioned salsa music

(respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Salsa yeah. That’s really about it, you know. (laughter) I like a lot

of music, yeah, it is really bad because I like everything. Yeah, salsa.

INTERVIEWER: Anything else?

RESPONDENT: No, no. (…) Let me think (pause for 8 seconds, the respondent

thinks). No.

INTERVIEWER: Just salsa?

RESPONDENT: Yeah. I am sorry. Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: What are the reasons that you don’t like salsa?

[I had already asked the respondent about the reasons that he does not like salsa but he

didn’t give me a clear answer]

of 51


RESPONDENT: I don’t know, I think that just (…) this is a really weird thing,

maybe it is subliminal or unconscious, I just don’t like the bit (the tone of voice shows

certainty) (laughter).

INTERVIEWER: You don’t like the bit?

RESPONDENT: I just don’t like the bit at all (the tone of voice shows certainty).

Salsa I think it is just a bastardisation of everything, you know, it is just terrible, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: What do you mean by bastardisation? A mix?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, but like a non, a non-valid mix, it is not like something that

is in an amazing musical format or something like that, it is just a crappy musical

form which people dance to. And I hate (laughter), I hate, I don’t know, I just hate

salsa. (laughter) It is the bit. I will stick with the bit. I just don’t like the bit in salsa.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. Is there anything that you have associated salsa with and you

think that it might be the reason that you do not like salsa?

RESPONDENT: No no no, it is just because of the bit. I used to listen to all the times

salsa because I used to go to night clubs and you know salsa clubs, and, ehm

(laughter) one day I just, I just hated it, it makes me feel nauseous every time I hear

salsa. I hate it, yeah (laughter). And it is not just me, it is an opinion shared by many

of my friends. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Which are the friends that they hate salsa?

RESPONDENT: The Greek Friends.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Another question now, do you always listen to music

actively?

of 51


RESPONDENT: No, actively mean like do it while I am doing stuff?

INTERVIEWER: Basically (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Oh! You mean like choosing to listen to music rather than just

being in the background or something like that?

INTERVIEWER: Well, I would say actively means listening to music when you

really want to.

RESPONDENT: No, not always, no. Sometimes when I am working the music will

play in the background but, I am really not listening to it. Not analysing it, I am not

paying a lot of attention to the lyrics and everything like that.

INTERVIEWER: Ok, and when do you listen to music actively?

RESPONDENT: Very active? I guess when there is a very very good song (...) uh, I

will pay more attention to it (...) or when I am very very bored, then I listen to music

very actively, uh, or sometimes to procrastinate.

INTERVIEWER: Procrastinate?

[I didn’t know the meaning of the word]

RESPONDENT: You know like waste time basically. For example when I am at

work and I really don’t wanna do the work, I tend to listen to music very very

actively, as a way of (...) of not doing my work. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Do you think there is any kind of music that you are

listening to without noticing?

RESPONDENT: Without noticing like without listening to it at all? Like (…)

of 51


INTERVIEWER: For example, do you think there are times that there is music but

you don’t really notice it?

RESPONDENT: No no no. I normally pay attention. Like, so, if you walk through

the shopping centre and they play music in the corner, I don’t really pay attention to

what they play. But, for example, if I walk into Starbucks and they play music I will

probably be listening to exactly what they play, tapping my hand (the respondent taps

his hand on his feet to show me what he means) and things like that.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Do you have any secret musical preferences? For

example, a type of music that you are listening to but nobody else is aware of it?

RESPONDENT: Yeah. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: You do? (laughter)

RESPONDENT: Yeah, a little bit? Ehm (...)

INTERVIEWER: What are your secret preferences? You can share them with me.

(laughter)

RESPONDENT: I like Take That. I like George Michael. I like Mariah Carey. I like

Whitney Houston.

INTERVIEWER: Excuse me, I didn’t understand the first one?

RESPONDENT: Take That, you know, the one that sang Back for Good.


[I didn’t understand the name of the song]

RESPONDENT: Back for Good.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Back for Good.

RESPONDENT: If I play it for you, you would know it, it is one of those really

really cheesy songs, yeah, like boy bands is cheezy songs which (…) yeah, no

(laughter) nobody knows it (…). But I listen to it, and I enjoy it, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, and George Michael?

RESPONDENT: George Michael, yeah, and nobody knows (laughter). I am glad that

this is anonymous. (laughter) (interviewer and respondent laugh)

INTERVIEWER: And you also mentioned two other artists (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Yeah (laughter) Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: Why do you keep those musical preferences as secrets?

RESPONDENT: Because of shame I guess. Shame, that this is such girly, teenage

music that (...) that probably people would not respect me for listening to it.

INTERVIEWER: What do you mean that they would not respect you?

RESPONDENT: Like, there is no need for me to tell them, ehm, because it is not

going to help them in anything. But if I do tell them, they may think less of me for it.

Because, you know, you talk about jazz and this stuff all the time and then you go and

listen to (…) if I go to a jazz joint and start (...) saying that I want to listen to Whitney

Houston, people are going to (...) look at you oddly, they will not respect you.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. We have finished with the music questions. So, now we will

to proceed to some demographic questions.

RESPONDENT: Cool.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: So, could you please tell me your age?

RESPONDENT: Twenty five.

INTERVIEWER: And your gender please?

RESPONDENT: I am a male. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: And your marital status please?

RESPONDENT: Single.

INTERVIEWER: And your ethnic background?

RESPONDENT: I was raised in Kenya, uh, of Indian ethnicity.

INTERVIEWER: Both of your parents are (respondent intervenes)

RESPONDENT: Indian. But I was raised in Africa, I am like a third culture child,

you take two cultures that they create a new one. So taking Kenian culture and Indian

culture, create a Kenian-Indian.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, but both of your parents are Indians?

RESPONDENT: No, well, Indians but they were raised in Kenya as well.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. Could you tell me about your educational background? Did

you say that you are a PhD student?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, a PhD student.

INTERVIEWER: What are you studying?

RESPONDENT: Swine Flu.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Swine Flu. Is this your research topic?

RESPONDENT: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: In which year of your studies are you now?

RESPONDENT: Fourth year (laughter). This is why I shouldn’t be here, I should be

working. (interviewer and respondent laugh)

INTERVIEWER: How are you funded?

RESPONDENT: NERC. It is N-E-R-C (the respondent spells the name).

INTERVIEWER: N-E-R-C.

RESPONDENT: Yeah, it is like a funding body.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Now some questions about the place you are staying. Do

you stay here in Oxford?

RESPONDENT: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: In which area?

RESPONDENT: Jericho.

INTERVIEWER: Do you know the postal code?

RESPONDENT: Basically I don’t have a clue. I think it is OX1 6ED or something

like this.

INTERVIEWER: Do you stay in an apartment or a house?

RESPONDENT: House.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: Do you share it with other people?

RESPONDENT: With two other people.

INTERVIEWER: Each one has its own room?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, each one has its own room. Thankfully. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: Is it a rented place or an owned place?

RESPONDENT: Rented.

INTERVIEWER: And for how long have you been staying there?

RESPONDENT: Four months now.

INTERVIEWER: Where you were staying before?

RESPONDENT: Just off the road.

INTERVIEWER: So you didn’t change area?

RESPONDENT: No, same area, same people for the last three years.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Do you have any working experience?

RESPONDENT: Not really, I have done some research assistanceship, but not solid

working experience.

INTERVIEWER: For how long?

RESPONDENT: For six months.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. What was the topic of the research?

RESPONDENT: Statistics.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: And why did you stop working?

RESPONDENT: Oh, I just started my PhD.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, ok. And now some questions about your parents. What is the

marital status of your parents?

RESPONDENT: Married.

INTERVIEWER: Do they live in Kenya?

RESPONDENT: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: In which part of Kenya?

RESPONDENT: Nairobi.

INTERVIEWER: Alright Nairobi, the capital city. And what about your house back

home?

RESPONDENT: You mean how big?

INTERVIEWER: First of all, is it a house or an apartment?

RESPONDENT: It is a house, very near the city centre.

INTERVIEWER: Is it a big house or a small house? With how many rooms?

RESPONDENT: For UK it would be a big house. For Kenya it is a pretty normal

house, ehm, with six rooms.

INTERVIEWER: And how many people live in the house?

RESPONDENT: Four.

of 51


INTERVIEWER: And could you tell me about your parents’ occupation?

RESPONDENT: My dad is an accountant and my mom is a teacher.

INTERVIEWER: What is the subject that she is teaching?

RESPONDENT: Well, she is a headmistress and a school counsellor. So she is like a

psychologist, the counsellor, she councils all the students if they have any problems

and she is also the headmistress.

INTERVIEWER: So she is not practicing the teacher’s profession?

RESPONDENT: No, she is not actually teaching actively, she is more like an

administrator.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, and what about the educational background of your

parents?

RESPONDENT: My dad he went into a university in Nairobi, and then he became an

accountant. And my mom went to LSE, to do Anthropology, and then went back to

Kenya, and she became a headmistress.

INTERVIEWER: So, did they complete the undergraduate level of their studies?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, my mom did her undergraduate and that was it, my dad went

from O-Levels straight to university and did his accountancy undergraduate. Yeah, no

further education.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Another question. Where you were born? In Kenya?

RESPONDENT: No, I was born in London.


of 51


RESPONDENT: Yeah, and then I moved to Kenya when I was six weeks old.


RESPONDENT: My mother’s family was here and the Kenyan hospitals are not so

good. Because my mom is a British citizen and my dad is a Kenyan citizen, so we

came here for my mom.

INTERVIEWER: So your mom is a British citizen, but she is originally from India?

RESPONDENT: (laughter) I will tell you it is ridiculously complicated. My mom

was born in Kenya because her dad is Kenyan.


RESPONDENT: But her dad, he did a lot of things for the British Empire back then,

so he became an English citizen, so my mom became a British citizen and my mom

spent sometime in the UK. So, she has an Indian ethnicity but she spent most of her

time in Kenya, you know forty something years.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. What about you? You were born in London, you stayed there

only for six weeks and then you went back to Kenya?

RESPONDENT: Yeah, so essentially I am Kenyan completely.

INTERVIEWER: Alright. When did you move out of Kenya?

RESPONDENT: When I was eighteen, to England, to the University of Bath.

INTERVIEWER: And did you stay in England for all those years?

RESPONDENT: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: So you went to Bath and (respondent intervenes)

of 51


RESPONDENT: Cambridge and then Oxford.

INTERVIEWER: Ok, and for how long did you stay in each place?

RESPONDENT: Bath three years for my undergraduate, Cambridge one year for my

master, Oxford now four, for my PhD.

INTERVIEWER: Alright, great. So, basically we have finished with the questions.

Is there anything you would like to add or clarify?

(The respondent nods negatively)

INTERVIEWER: No? (laughter)

RESPONDENT: I don’t listen to George Michael. (laughter)

INTERVIEWER: Alright. Would you like to receive a copy of the interview

transcript?

RESPONDENT: Not particularly, no.

INTERVIEWER: Ok. So, we have finished the interview. Thank you very much for

your cooperation and your time, you were very helpful and thank you very much for

contributing to my research, thank you.

of 51

interview transcript - university of web viewinterview transcript topic: ... the form music i enjoy...

Documents