Q&A with Hipster Bingo hosts, Nick Stroud and Kareem Browne

Nick Stroud and Kareem Browne know all about hipster culture — and they're bringing that knowledge to The Baxter tonight in Hipster Bingo. Staff writer Maria Mullis spoke to Stroud and Browne about what makes a good hipster, why bingo and more.

The Daily Tar Heel: How exactly do you define hipster?

Nick Stroud: A hipster would be somebody who exists on the fringes of pop culture. They aren’t the typical person who likes sports or going to the mall. They like to dig through second-hand record stores. 

Kareem Browne: Kind of just like no one really finds bingo cool to do, so it’s like we were doing bingo before it was cool. Plus alcohol is involved.

DTH: What is hipster bingo?

NS: Hipster bingo started out as kind of a dumb idea we had. We were looking for ideas to do on Tuesday night at The Baxter. I knew a couple of big cities were doing bingo, so we wanted to make it “hipster” and have ironic gifts like records. The prizes got pretty legitimate and what we do now, it's basically become a night where you can come win a prize for the Block. We started having a lot more fun with it and it’s grown a lot more past just hipster bingo. 

KB: We hand out sheets for bingo and whoever wins, wins fabulous prizes from local places.

DTH: How did you come up with the idea?

NS: People think that bingo is something that people do in retirement homes. I’ve found that the dumber you think the idea is, the more it’s cool and unique. It’s gotten a really good response and it’s making all of us businesses work closer together. We came up with the idea by brainstorming dumb ideas.

KB: It was the guys’ ideas. They just invited me to try it out one night (as host) and we had fun, so they asked me to come back.

DTH: What’s your role?

NS: What I’ll do is Kareem and I have the spinny wheel and one of us will call the numbers and give out bingo sheets and organize prizes. We host it — we try to make it fun and we make stupid jokes.

KB: What we did last time was Nick rolled the ball and called out the rules and I was the announcer. We’ll play a few basic rounds and then mix it up some. It all changes up.

DTH: What is the hipster scene in Chapel Hill and Carrboro like?

NS: I think that there is a really strong component of musical hipster-ness. I think the more the hipster culture has grown the past 10 years, it’s filtered more into college towns. The true hipsters tend to stay in their college town. I think the hipster culture is strong especially for those who work in bars. I don’t think hipster has a negative connotation. It can if you meet someone who is a music snob or beer snob. I think there’s a really strong metal scene here that’s popping up, and there’s always been an indie and bluegrass scene. At The Baxter, we’re starting to get an eclectic group, and I love them.

KB: It’s honestly just a mix of everyone. You have a mix of university students and the locals who have either always been here or came here for school and stayed.

DTH: Why should people come out to hipster bingo?

NS: For a Tuesday night, it’s something to do in town, you don’t have to pay any money and you can win cool prizes. People come in and when they win, they get excited and post on Facebook. Once you play, you get hooked and keep coming back. We usually do about 10 rounds of bingo, which typically start around 9 (p.m.) and goes until about 11 (p.m.). It’s the third Tuesday of every month, but can usually change but we always have a Facebook event for it.

KB: Honestly, it’s just a fun thing to do on a Tuesday night instead of going to trivia and using your brain. It’s a chance to meet new people and win awesome prizes.

DTH: What kinds of gifts do you usually give out?

NS: Usually the gift cards from other businesses nearby range from $20 to $25. For the vinyl, we get them from Vinyl Perk around the corner. We usually give out 3 records, mixing them up (80s, 90s, now), sometimes comics. During theme nights, we do prizes for that. This month will definitely be a hipster-y one. We’ll do more vinyl and goofy instruments. I also call a $50 bar tab as a surprise bonus round.

KB: I’m not 100% sure about (tonight) but last time it was around Easter so we had themed Easter baskets — it ranges.

@MariaMullis2017

arts@dailytarheel.com