Bruno is not your typical college bar bouncer. Although he has more than enough stories from the security front line, there are also a few sides to him that remain hidden behind his intimidating facade.
Bruno uses this pseudonym for security reasons due to his line of work, and has become known under this identity around the Geneseo campus as the head bouncer at the Statesmen. After being a part of this community for nearly six years, he admitted that his favorite part of working at the downtown bar is the "different faces every semester … and I don't have to worry so much about getting stabbed or shot."
This differs entirely from the jobs that Bruno held before getting a bouncing position in this quiet town. After growing up in Nunda, N.Y., Bruno decided to join the Marine Corps post-high school graduation, following in his father's footsteps.
Bruno stayed in the service "long enough to get kicked out," hoping to become a Force Recon Sniper. When his fate proved otherwise, however, he instead found himself working for STE, a security company that was hired by different bands, wrestlers - and strippers - to travel to gigs around the country and provide their services.
"I still lived in New York," Bruno said. "I just traveled. We went around, picked up everybody, went to different shows in different states." The group was on the road for two to three weeks at a time, helping set up electronics before performances and maintaining security during the events. It was on these road trips that Bruno, head of security, faced some extremely dangerous situations, including being shot and stabbed several times.
"When I got shot, we did a show in Texas - it was on the border of Mexico - and an old guy didn't take no for an answer from one of the girls," Bruno explained. "I got shot in the arm … that was only a .22 [caliber pistol] and the guy was drunk."
"Then I got stabbed in Mexico itself," he continued, adding that he's received a total of five punctures over his years of working with STE. "That's not to mention beer bottles broken over your head, pool sticks, chairs … college kids don't take it that far, which is nice."
Despite these setbacks, Bruno said he still loved traveling around the United States. Through this job position he had the opportunity to visit luxurious locations such as Hilton Head Island, S.C., as well as be on the set with bands such as John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band, which Bruno cites as his favorite.
After his boss found himself in legal trouble, however, the company shut down, leading Bruno to take the job at the Statesmen, close to his hometown and family. But there is much more to Bruno's character than simply his jobs.
"I write poetry," the burly Native American/German bouncer confessed. "I've had a couple of poems published, a couple turned into songs." Bruno also admitted that he is an "excellent chef," noting his specialty in cheesecakes - a trait he learned from his mother. He also enjoys playing paintball, working out and fishing when he's not traveling or working.
Geneseo students shouldn't let these facts get to their heads, though. Bruno takes his job at the Statesmen seriously, recognizing his duty to do whatever it takes to keep the community safe. "It's amazing what a drunk person can withstand when you throw them," he said.