Tag Archives: music

“Thunderstruck” Drinking Game

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/23/12
Primary Language: English

The informant (21) is a Junior at USC. She transferred to USC for her sophomore year, and before that, spent her freshman year at Bennington College in Vermont.

The informant is my roommate and she wanted to contribute a drinking game to my folklore collection. This particular game is called Thunderstruck. Here’s what she told me about playing the game:

“It’s called Thunderstruck and you play Thunderstruck by AC/DC. Every time the song says thunder, start drinking and then it’s a waterfall, in that you start then the next person continues until everyone is doing it. You end when it says thunder the next time. I learned it in a hippie commune on top of a hill in Vermont freshman year (Bennington College). It gets the job done quickly and I also enjoy AC/DC, so it’s the ultimate combination!”

I’ve never played this particular game, but I do know the AC/DC song and I agree that this game would definitely get people drunk fast. I found it interesting that my informant learned this game in Vermont, at her small liberal arts college that she so affectionately calls “a hippie commune on top of a hill.” This location makes sense because if the school is as dedicated to hipster lifestyle as she claims, then the song choice would probably be appropriate. I don’t think it would be as popular at USC because I don’t know how many people here actually listen to AC/DC.

 

Annotation:

The “Thunderstruck” drinking game also shows up on the website eHow.com. The entry provides people with instructions on how to play the game. This description of the game differs from my informant’s in the fact that if someone fails to take a drink when they hear the word “thunder,” then they are out, and the game keeps going until there’s a winner.

Mccoy, Holly. “How to Play the Drinking Game Thunder.” eHow.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/how_2365140_play-drinking-game-thunder.html>.

Ritual – American

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Diego, CA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Informant listens to music before every game

Before playing any sport it is important to get into a “zone” so one is ready to play a full game.  One way to get into a “zone” is to listen to music.  Listening to music causes one to ignore all outside distractions and focus on one thing: the game.  It is common for many players to listen to music before a game, whether it is basketball, baseball, football, soccer, or any other sport.  My informant has played basketball ever since middle school and has listened to music before every game ever since his first basketball game.  The reason why my informant started this ritual is because he realized he had a connection with music which helped before games.

The reason why this ritual is so important in my informant’s world today is because he loves basketball.  Whether it is going outside on a warm day to play a pick-up game or just watching a game on ESPN, my informant just loves being a part of the game of basketball.  He grew up as a huge fan of the NBA, so it makes complete sense that basketball means so much to his life.  Since his favorite hobby is listening to music, this ritual is a way to incorporate both basketball and music into one idea.  My informant stated that music pumps him up and gets him ready, and music is very important in his life so it is a way to “reflect and examine myself before every game to get me ready.”

When I interviewed my informant, I asked him what he thought of this basketball ritual and he said “it is a good way to get motivated and is a way to get ready for a game.  Before a game you feel a lot of adrenaline and the music feels it.”

My view on this ritual is that it is an extremely good idea, because basketball is such a complicated sport that one needs a certain ritual to stay focused.  If one doesn’t have a set ritual to get focused, then it could lead a player to have a lot on their mind during a game which could affect his or her play.