Midnight Riders interview #2: Chris Camille

June 3, 2:03 AMBoston Pro Soccer ExaminerL.E. Eisenmenger

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Chris Camille and Midnight Rider Jeff Corey

Chris Camille writes the Rider Insider blog for the Midnight Riders, the New England Revolution’s supporters group. Camille is one of three founders of the Boston branch of the American Outlaws (MNT supporters’ group), he plays soccer with three different teams, and volunteers calling stats at the Boston Breakers games at Harvard Stadium when he's not working full-time as a public relations officer.

Camille is the second profile in Boston Pro Soccer Examiner’s interviews with members of the Midnight Riders.

LE: Chris, you have a pretty creative blog there, how did you come to write it?

Camille: Last year the Midnight Riders were trying to revamp their website and wanted some web content and knew I was a journalist. I started writing at UNH, wrote for the National Telegraph, did stringing for a lot of places, and graduated from Suffolk with a degree in print journalism. And I graduate and there are no jobs. I do public relations for a small firm in Waltham, but I’m totally passionate about writing.

This year on the blog I did whatever was easy, didn’t really see the point in doing a game recap because everybody does that and people who have access to players do it a lot better. I have a lot of friends in the Midnight Riders and started blogging about stuff at the games or outside of them and it took on a life of its own. It’s not really myself, it’s kind of character who writes. There’s a lot inside jokes in there, but it’s related to soccer and I’m getting my opinion out there after leading with some nonsense that I know my friends will laugh at. I get some harassing at the games from people who’ve read it, which is a new thing this year.

LE: You write a lot about your relationship with Maya Angelou. How do you know that author?

Camille: Do you want the straight answer or the joke answer? Some reader started pretending Maya Angelou was a good friend of mine - this is the real answer – and writing poetry and talking about what great friends we were, I have no idea why they did that. It got a great response from the readers, hilarious, and it’s gone from there.

LE: So, Maya Angelou is kind of an imaginary friend?

Camille: It’s one of those interesting things. The people reading from the beginning have a better idea of what goes on in the blog, a bunch of ridiculousness really. Lately I’ve been trying to incorporate more people. If I knew her it would be quite the honor, she could give me some writing tips or something because I’m sure I need them.

LE: Okay, let’s move on. Does blogging bring the Revolution fan community together?

Camille: I’d say in the Midnight Riders it definitely does. There’s a lot of members there and people who read it on Defend the Fort, see my thoughts and come up to me at the parking lot tailgate and engage me in conversation. I’ve had people who are really unhappy with what I’ve written and let me know about it. Or people who just want to discuss ideas further, like the Internet, sharing ideas and different information.

LE: “Sharing ideas and different information” is the lamest explanation you could provide. Be more specific, Chris.

Camille: Okay. Well, this guy online was making fun of us saying we should go on World of Warcraft, so I told him to come to the tailgate and see that we’re normal people - well, there are some nerds involved, but everyone’s different and incorporated in the group. He did come and we had a beer at the tailgate and discussed what he meant by that. I don’t think we’re on the same page, but it was interesting to see that through my blog we could talk about something that I wrote, we were normal guys and could communicate. He was being kind of combative on the Internet, being an Internet warrior, trying to stir the pot, but he ended up being a nice person. Usually when you’re on the Internet and talking soccer, you don’t really interact with people on a personal basis, but I guess it’s different if you’re amongst fans of the same team and go to the game.

LE: How do you think the Revolution, or any franchise for that matter, could improve? The Sounders fans have a voice in management, good thing? Or do you think all teams should have a designated player, or what?

Camille: My friends who are fans of the Revs are younger people who live in or around the city and it’s been beaten to death, but a soccer specific stadium in the city would make a difference. I’ve talked to so many people from different backgrounds that just can’t make it to the games because they don’t have a car and rely on public transportation. It would make the atmosphere better and make the fans more of a community because they’d be coming from around the same area. That would be the main issue with the Revs that I have. The stadium would make the world of difference as far as being a supporter.

This year, they’ve made a big difference in reaching out as far as trying to get the fans who go to the Phoenix Landing on Sunday mornings at 10AM, getting those same people to come to the Revs games, and trying to communicate with those fans more, which I think is important.

They’ve sent their street team there handing out T-shirts and they’ve held Revs viewing parties at the Banshee Club in Dorchester, which is a total European soccer fan bar, and also McGreevys in downtown Boston. They’re trying to reach out to the more adult fan having bar viewing parties and talking to those fans dedicated enough to get out there. I’ve been down at the Phoenix Landing for a game at 8 in the morning on a Saturday - you’ve got to get there early to get into the bar. Those people dedicated enough to do that might be dedicated enough to be season ticket holders.

LE: What do you think of the Revolution playing a doubleheader with the Boston Breakers or a SuperLiga match at Harvard Stadium for the atmosphere and to introduce the team to the city?

Camille: Yeah, I read your article about them going there and thought that was pretty much spot-on. The SuperLiga games did okay for crowds for a week night, they’re probably going to get about 5,000-6,000 people, so they might be better off going to Harvard Stadium if they’re lucky enough to schedule it. They could do an Open Cup game there too, which they’ve struggling to get numbers at as well. Harvard Stadium is a great place to watch a game and I don’t know why they’ve never considered it because they’ve got the parking and the public transportation, it seems like it makes too much sense. They’d probably lose money opening Gillette Stadium up when they could go to Harvard Stadium and focus on new fans, different fans.

LE: Can they serve alcohol there?

Camille: I think so, I think they only can’t when it’s collegiate, an NCAA game.

LE: You did stats at the Breakers the other night, what’s involved in that?

Camille: It was pretty intense, there were three of us, that’s usually the team. We have one person with the Stats Inc. program open on their laptop and they’re just listening and there are two people spotting the game, calling out every pass. Whichever player has the ball you call their number and call tackles, shots, shots on target, offsides, all that stuff and be really aware of what’s going on in the game. Never watched a game like that before, I watch as either a writer or a fan of the Revs and never really sit there and focus on the stats of soccer. I was saying, “7 to 15,“ and “change of possession” and pretty much talking the whole time.

LE: What do you think of the Breakers so far this year?

Camille: I have to say that before working there I was never the biggest women’s soccer fan. I’d watch the big games, the World Cup, the Rose Bowl with 110,000 people, but I went away for a while as a women’s soccer fan, but the play is pretty impressive, you wouldn’t take away, just say, “this is good for women’s soccer,” - it’s good soccer and they have the best players. It’s kind of interesting to see the best of the best, not like MLS where you’re seeing some decent players and some good athletic players. [The Breakers] have the best, you’re definitely seeing the best of the women’s game.

It’s fun to be there working, you get to meet the General Manager [Joe Cummings] and see what they really focus on every game. It’s more of an insider view, being able to volunteer there.

LE: What's this soccer team you play with?

Camille: I play with Groton House Football Club. The name is there because a bunch of years ago the guy who owned Groton House Pizza, which doesn’t exist anymore, bought the jerseys for the team.

LE: You like imaginary things, don’t you?

Camille: I guess so, my whole life is not even real. Anyway, we’re in the second division, in the BSSL, it goes from March till November every year, it’s my second year on the team. The team almost had to fold, it was run last year by a few Irish guys desperate for players and I emailed, got in touch, brought a few of my friends. I play pretty much every position, wherever we need, like this year I played goalie, defense, every position in the midfield, and forward, so that’s the type of player I am, you can stick me in anywhere.

This year, because we had a lot of our friends on the team we got relegated and ended up in fourth place, but we’re looking for promotion next year. I’m helping the Irish guys out, who are getting a little older, kind of transitioning. I play with that team and I play with another league and I play a coed Monday night league and during the month of June I’ll probably play about four days a week. My roommate Jeff is playing six days a week. That’s how we live in my apartment, a bunch of soccer fans playing a lot. I like playing amateur, but Groton House is very competitive, for sure.

I’m one of the three people in charge of the American Outlaws Boston, which is the supporter’s club for the men’s national team, as the Midnight Riders is to the Revs. We started it and we have a lot of members, there’s a chapter for each city and then there’s the big national organization, kind of like Sam’s Army. We’re one of the fastest growing chapters, we’re doing really well. We’re going out to Chicago to watch USA/Honduras. We schedule viewing parties and for the USA/Haiti games we’re going to put together all-weekend fun stuff, and we’ve talked to the Breakers about trying to do some women’s national team stuff as well.

LE: You like to organize.

Camille: I guess so, that’s what a lot of people say. I like to plan stuff, which sometimes bothers my friends and girlfriends. I like to feel that my opinion matters. And I'm passionate about writing.

For more about Chris Camille, read Rider Insider.

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