Interviewing Cave Dwellers
Site owner, Nathan L.'s man cave:
When did it all start?
It started before 2015 when I discovered the term man cave in my home in Geneva, IL in my bedroom. I had posters of Resident Evil, a knockoff of the sword of Conan The Barbarian, political posters, a 720p plasma TV, a computer section and Star Wars FX lightsabers.
Does the man cave have a theme?
It has multiple themes: classic games, movies, Coors Light beer, street signs and a traffic light, wrestling, Conan The Barbarian/Destroyer, Japan, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles decorations.
Did I do all the work, or asked for help?
For the man cave of my former residence, I bought all the wall decor and put them up. Now in my current studio, I did about 95% of the decorating and a few things like getting my lightsabers, Conan sword and a light-up marquee on the wall with the help of my stepfather. The structure of the studio apartment was built by my stepfather who is a licensed contractor, his employees and I think my brother even said once before he built some of it.
If married, what does your wife think about you having a man cave?
I'm not married. I'm happily single. Just me and my best friend.
What are the nights like in my man cave?
My nights are a lot like my days. I like to watch man movies, shows like "Home Improvement" and "Married...With Children," watching videos of arcades and pinball since I don't have one or room for one. I also like to do computer research on things I want to make a good living on. I make dinners all by myself in my kitchen as long as it's healthy and/or Japanese. I enjoy reading about Japanese culture and stories on my tablet. At 4:00 or 9:00 PM, my best friend calls and we have a male bonding time.
What is for drink in my man cave?
If you like beer, then it's Coors Light. A man needs his beer; there's no getting around that, because denying a man his beer is against the laws of mankind. Without his beer, the man is powerless. If for some reason, you don't drink beer, then it's zero sugar Pepsi. Either drink it's in the mini fridge chilled.
What is your favorite object or item in your man cave?
That would have to be the 4K TV because I use it a lot to watch movies, the news, TV shows, cartoons, anime and play classic games.
What does the future of my man cave have in store?
Well some day, I and my best friend want to save up our money and invest in property with a basement where we can collect 80s and 90s arcade and pinball games, a bar, parlor tabletop games, and a restaurant booth where we can enjoy cheesy fried food on the weekend. But where talking way into the future. First we need to find a way to get back into the workforce and make this happen.
What advice would you give to other men building a man cave?
Go wild. Stock up on whatever decor or items that makes you happy and use them to style up the room. Remember, the man cave will never be finished, because there's always updates and making new adjustments.