Buzz Sutherland has done over 30 shows in more than 50 colleges during his career, but his comedy performances started right here at MU. With the promise of bringing “humor that is 100 percent clean and 200 percent funny,” the comedian performed at Jesse Auditorium on Sept. 21 as one of this year’s Family Weekend events. His specialty, family-friendly jokes, has given him the opportunity to visit 118 countries and work with big corporations like Disney and MTV.
As a Mizzou alumnus, Sutherland knows his audience. He’s been a part of Family Weekend countless times already and making a crowded Jesse Auditorium laugh brings him back every year.
“Coming back to Mizzou is easily the highlight of my college career,” Sutherland said. “I’ve done 3,715 college performances. Actually, the single most important day of my life happened on this campus, in this building, when I met the woman I would marry, found my vocation and found a friend that would change the way that [I] viewed the rest of mankind.”
Sutherland’s performance reflected his feelings for the school. The comedian was constantly interacting with the crowd, talking to people in the first few rows and even calling them on stage to dance, do a magic trick or help him out with a joke.
“There’s no method to the madness; it’s all about being comfortable,” Sutherland said after his set. “Every college matters so much because of the day we live in. When I started, if you messed up in Sacramento, California on a Friday night in September, they wouldn’t know about it in Sarasota until the end of November. Now, if you screw up in Mizzou at a 7:00 show, the world knows about it.”
After his set, the performer also mentioned his pride in the Mizzou brand, the Campus Activities Board and also being a Mizzou Tiger. Sutherland was named “Comedian of the Year” 16 times by the National Association for Campus Activities, a record number.
Sutherland’s comedy show was only one of the many events organized by Campus Activities and the Division for Student Affairs for Family Weekend 2018. Sutherland’s tradition of coming back to MU has lived on throughout the years, and people look forward to seeing him during future Family Weekends.
_Edited by Alexandra Sharp | asharp@themaneater.com_