GEORGE RIGAKOS: NIGHTCLUB. BOUNCERS, RISK, AND THE SPECTACLE OF CONSUMPTION

By: George Rigakos, Volker Eick, Jens Sambale

CrowdControl: Ok, we buy that. If you think about – all of us being scientists in one way or another – comparative research, what do we know about differences and similarities? What kind of research would be needed?

George Rigakos: It’s interesting.  I found differences not only between Canadian cities but between nightclubs in the same city.  So, on a comparative basis there is probably even more to consider on an international basis.  At the same time, however, I have read works on nightclub culture from both the Unites States and Britain and I think the differences, at the aggregate level, are quite minor.  My Marxian approach (I call “risk markets”) which utilizes the conceptual ties of security, risk and consumption seems applicable to those contexts.  There is much to research but perhaps one area that needs more work and that has largely been neglected is queer nightclub culture.  How do gay and lesbian nightclubs compare?  That’s one area where my book has no answer.  How are masculinities and femininities redefined and what does this do for the analysis of violence?

CrowdControl: Ontario is heading for regulating this part of nightlife economy. Until now, only guards who work for security firms and independent private investigators needed licenses. The new law also requires businesses that employ bouncers and other in-house security personnel to register with the province. What's your opinion on this?

George Rigakos: I think it’s generally a positive step in that bouncers will have to undergo a criminal background check and get some minimum training but as in most matters of legislation much will come down to enforcement.  I think it’s clear that two developments are forthcoming.  First, nightclub proprietors will attempt to mitigate costs and liability and will be more likely to contract out their security and/or rely even more heavily on security technology to offset labour costs.  This development, as it happens, is a predictable general law of commodification that plays itself out in multiple work sites under late capitalism.   Second, you will have a starker distinction between legitimate and illegitimate operations because certain nightclub proprietors (especially smaller operations with links to organized crime) will seek to circumvent the law by re-labelling their bouncers as greeters or some other service staff designation.  It will then come down to how much the state can stomach becoming embroiled in the ongoing surveillance of the nighttime economy.