Name: Jamie Perriam
Year: 2nd
Major: English
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland
A few weeks ago second year Jamie Perriam made an incredibly unfortunate life decision: he sat next to me in an English lecture. As it happens, we’re in all three modules together, and armed with this information I decided we should be friends. I’m not sure how we’re doing on that front (especially after this article comes out) but he did agree to let me interview him for our ‘Campus Cutie’ feature, so he is clearly not too terrified. This is a good sign.
Jamie has always struck me as a nice guy—very polite, usually smiling, perfectly un-coiffed hair, the basics— but it wasn’t until he was completely unfazed by a random male friend of mine groping him on Hope Street that I knew he was something else. I should explain the details here, but I won’t. It’s better that way.
I jogged behind his 6’4” frame until we made it back to his flat, the “best kept secret of St Andrews” he says with a cheeky grin. I don’t want to give too many personal details away, but he wasn’t lying. That kitchen is sick. Fresh off of wrist-band collection duty for Sunday’s Charity May Ball, Jamie is looking dapper in his 3 piece formal suit, “I don’t wear this everyday, I swear!” he says as he puts on the kettle. I’m still not sure why he doesn’t, I definitely would. I sit down and he puts on an record (yes, I do mean record—the kind that spins around in a circle with a needle on it. My repressed inner hipster is in love.)
Charles “Jamie” (or Pez) Perriam is a second generation St Andrean, with strong personal connection to both the University, and to the Kate Kennedy Club—a club to which his father belonged in the 80s. When asked what he likes most about St Andrews today, Jamie answers, ‘the history’. Not the official history that you learn on guided tours, or in MUSA, but the personal histories: the things that keep bringing people back years after they’ve graduated; the stories, the relationships, the atmosphere. Then he smiles and adds, “oh, and the sea–not that I go in it everyday, or anything, it’s just cool knowing it’s there. A good vibe.” I must admit, not knowing many KK boys, a “cool vibe” was not the answer I was expecting, but Jamie turns out not to be the kind of boy I was expecting either.
Besides organizing balls, riding in the Procession (which is his favorite part of the KK, he says, “it’s the reason everything else exists”), and being the 2nd Year English representative, Jamie is active both in and outside of the University. He has acted in several productions this year with the Mermaids, is a member of the Cricket team, and plays on the Sunday Football League team, the Strokers (Prince William’s old team, for the ‘royal watchers’ keeping score at home). Jamie also spends his time volunteering at the Cosmos Center, helping kids after school. As someone who has trouble handling her work and heavy procrastination load—let alone extra activities—I am impressed. “I like to get involved”, he says with that same cheeky smile.
On the theme of involvement, we move on to the Kate Kennedy Club, who have had a notoriously eventful year. When asked his opinion on “the haters” of the club, Jamie thinks for a moment before answering, “People who hate us have probably never taken the time to get to know us. I think there’s a sense of jealousy as well…the Club puts on these really big events—over 1000 people are expected for May Ball—and I think it’s a victim of it’s own success.” And his thoughts on the ‘rogue members’ of the Kate Kennedy Fellowship? He is a bit more guarded here, explaining the surprise he felt when his friends chose to go off in a different direction, but also emphasizing that there is no hate there, “I’m not going to blank them on the street, or anything.”
The question on many people’s minds is what the Kate Kennedy Club is going to do next year, now that they have agreed to let women in for the first time. Jamie admits it’s something they are just going to have to see about next year. “I think that if there are great girls up to the standards, then absolutely. We said we’d do it, and we will.”
Speaking of girls…we finally get on to the important topic–Jamie’s relationship status (this is Campus Cutie, after all…). Usually when prompted with this question people’s answers tend to be a dry, ‘I’m single…’, or a defensive, ‘I have a girlfriend…’. But, as ever, Jamie is incredibly open. As he stands up to flip the record (yes, I am impressed) he explains, “I was with my girlfriend for a year [so he is single, just FYI]. It taught me a lot…how I work with relationships, and how to be with someone… I think it was a valuable experience. It was nice to be able to get to know someone really well; go places with them, have experiences…it was really good.”
So where is he now, you wonder? Back in the game, that’s where. I ask him what kind of girl he usually goes for, and this is probably the closest he has gotten to flustered. “I wouldn’t say I have a type…not sure what I’m looking for really. Nice girls. I don’t really like girls who get too drunk, but someone who is chilled out…yea, nice girls.” So if you like chilling out, reading, music, and otters, just look for the tall, lovely boy who occasionally dresses in a three-piece wool suit.
All in all, Jamie surprises me; he is unusually open and relaxed. When he speaks nothing is put on, nothing is censored, and he takes all of my bad jokes in stride. While his polite toleration of my humor wins him my affections, it may not capture everyone’s hearts—thankfully though, there is more to him than obligatory laughs. Jamie is intelligent, musical, involved, has a good sense of humor (as proven by his appreciation of mine, obviously), and doesn’t seem affected by stereotypes—or really anything at all. This boy is worthy of the not-yet-but-one-day-prestigious title, ‘Campus Cutie’.
Now for some other information I was too lazy to put into the article:
Best pick up line: “Can I give you a tour?”
Most embarrassing moment: Wetting himself during the Sound Of Music rehearsals when he was nine, because he was too scared of the teacher to ask to go to the bathroom.
Friends would tease him for: being a flirt (I threatened to write “massive schweff”, but he swears this is not true, “I’m just… nice to women!”)
Biggest fears: “Probably losing my teeth…but that’s a random one, let me think of something better… not living up to potential, yea…that’s probably it, not living up to my potential”
Wild night out, or calm night in: “Calm night in I guess… kicking back and talking about serious stuff in a funny way—economics, politics—everyone sharing their opinions. I think that’s great, learning from people and them learning from you.”
What would be a good night out for you: “Having a few beers with the boys listening to some records, just hanging out. And talking, just chilling out, and then bumping into random people out—not to clubs, but to house parties, and just talking to people. Getting to catch up, and make memories…going on some kind of adventure…”
Best adventures to date: Crowd surfing in his living room after opening ball; drinking a friend’s sea monkeys, going on a torch lit procession to Dervish after the Gaudie (#Standard).
Favorite restaurant: Dervish or Criterion, “The Criterion pie is really nice.”
Style: “I like dressing well. Don’t spend a lot of money on clothes, more into vintage stuff to be honest, like this suit. It’s kind of hard to fit, it seems like everyone who ever wore a suit in the past was really short and fat. Which is difficult, because I’m kind of tall (his 6’4” certainly isn’t short). I go chilled out as well, so I guess I go between two extremes.”
Surprising facts: Taught himself Ancient Greek, played American Football for Edinburgh, loves otters (he even volunteered with the International Otter Survival Fund—awww).
Sense of humor: “I just crack myself up sometimes…I guess it’s a bit wacky.”
Time waster: “Probably reading…Have you read “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”? I could read it all the time.”
Life motto: γν?θι σεαυτ?ν, or ‘know thyself’, for those of us not familiar with the ancient writings. “It was written on the walls at Delphi while people were really high…I mean, if you don’t know yourself, how can you know anything?” (Jamie Perriam: Budding philosopher)
For more information on some of the charities mentioned in this article, please check out their websites:
http://www.cosmoscentre.org.uk/
http://www.otter.org/
And for a taste of Jamie’s musical prowess, check this out –it’s really good!