Chase Bodiford sits talking about his anthology of British poets that’s back in his dorm room in Paty Hall while sipping his cinnamon latte from Starbucks, the only clue to who he is being the guitar nestled against the window behind him.

To some, he’s the strange shirtless cowboy who plays guitar around campus. To others, he’s merely Chase. To himself, he’s nothing to be taken so seriously.

“I got my first guitar Christmas of 10th grade. For six months, I thought all you could do was hit the strings. I didn’t know about the other hand doing anything,” Bodiford, a freshman majoring in journalism, said. “I took three lessons where I learned three chords from this drunk redneck named Josh who took $100, and that was it. I was on my own.”

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Since then, Bodiford has scanned YouTube to learn cover songs and used his ear to figure out the basics of playing guitar. It is only now, in his third year and with his third guitar, that he’s begun to go “behind the mechanics of what sounds good” and study music theory, though he still said he doesn’t think theory should rule the guitarist’s playing.

“My first guitar was an electric Gibson [named Lady]. I would really recommend anybody not start on an electric, because you think you sound more like a badass than you do honestly,” Bodiford said.

When Bodiford stepped on campus in August, he left his PlayStation 3 behind so he could focus on three things: school, guitar and making friends. So despite being busy balancing a GPA boost and an application to New College, Bodiford said he still finds time for his acoustic guitar – named Tamara – by playing her around campus, something that’s earned him friends and disgruntled looks alike.

“I’ve heard a lot of critics of me, if you want to call them that – because it’s not like they even know my own damn name – ‘It’s just the guitar dude walking around looking for attention,’” Bodiford said. “I like to get out to go around and to play outside. It just feels good to me. I can go outside and basically do whatever I want within reason, which some people might call walking out without a shirt on outside of reason, but I’m not really receptive to negativity being thrown my way.”

Bodiford said he doesn’t play guitar to earn tips or get attention. It’s an action that’s not only convenient, but something that links him to the reason he began playing guitar.

“I really, really wanted it that year. There was something beautiful about music that I found before I ever played anything. I didn’t know what I liked in music until about eighth grade or so, and I’m the type of guy that when I find something that I like, I obsess over it for an unhealthy amount of time. So for that period, I needed a guitar,” said Bodiford. “I wanted to make beautiful noise more than anything. I thought the guitar could let me put some order to this.”

Bodiford started playing shirtless outside his first day on campus because he said the weather was great and he’s a big fan of “getting your vitamin D and a tan.”

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Though he’s had some bad run-ins while playing guitar, such as an awkward stint down fraternity row where he “pushed some buttons” or a time where someone threw a beer bottle at him, he said he’s had more good reactions than bad. For example, on the Strip a week before Thanksgiving break, Bodiford ran into some of his fans.

“This group of admirers, apparently, of five girls came up to me. [This guy in the group] just walks up to me and hands me 20 bucks, you know, ‘Here, take it.’ And I’m like I can’t do this; I’m not this good to be taking tips right now. So I said the least I could do was give him a cigarette, so we had a nice little talk and smoke,” Bodiford said.

Jordan Millwood, a freshman majoring in pre-law with a minor in sports management and a close friend of Bodiford’s, met him at Bama Bound and said she was not sold on him completely at first, calling him “that random kid that acted a fool.” The two ran into each other when classes started and have been friends since.

“I always complain about the guitar ‘cause he just wants to play it in front of everybody. It’s Chase. Without [the guitar], it wouldn’t be Chase. I’ve come to realize that,” Millwood said.

Though Bodiford has friends such as Millwood, he said being ultimately alone on campus and having his “own back corner” is what makes him able to play guitar without being nervous.

“I applied to 42 colleges. I was very spread out. My top choices were Santa Barbara, Texas and Arizona State. But it came down to scholarships – I have full tuition here, and plus, in state, this was my number one choice. I did not want to go to a small college. I went to a small high school. I like not knowing everybody I see. It’s fresh. I like making as many friends as I can, but I like space,” Bodiford said.

Bodiford started on campus like many other freshmen – alone and looking to find a niche. Bodiford said he’s found his place on campus through his guitar and can only hope people become more accepting of it, because he said there is no way he can stop now. His mantra has quickly become “positive vibes” and a rejection of negativity.

“I’ve heard people say things about him, and I’m just like, ‘You’ve got to love Chase.’ That’s how he is. He loves his guitar. It’s like his best friend,” said Millwood. “He’s his own person. Chase is what everyone is scared to be.”

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