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Buzz: Buzz is a very clumsy character -- he tries to be slick, but he's a klutz. He does the Buzz flip, where he ends up on his back. When the band plays the Budweiser song, I usually push the band director out of the way and conduct the band. I used to pull the guy's pants down, but now he wears a belt or an extra pair of shorts.
PB: With moves like that, you must have women all over you.
Buzz: Oh yeah. I'm a gentleman, but I'm also quick to push the boyfriend out of the way and go for the girl. Any time there's a cute girl, I go for her -- I sit on her lap, flirt, and I usually try to get her phone number or a kiss.
PB: What type of girl do you go for?
Buzz: I'm pretty much nondiscriminatory, as long as they're cute. I'm kind of dirty in a sense.
PB: How so?
Buzz: When there are no kids around, my mannerisms get more suggestive, like, "Hey baby, whassup?"
PB: When you're not busy getting some action, do you play a big part in the team's success?
Buzz: Of course! While I can't affect the outcome per se, it's my job to entertain the crowd, which will fuel the team. If there's ever silence, I'm quick to find the highest object, draw the most attention to myself and get the crowd screaming as loud as possible. Last year we'd even soak 'em with a water gun, but we're not allowed to do that anymore.
PB: What other mascots do you consort with?
Buzz: The Virginia Tech Hokie, Harry the Dog from Georgia -- he has a no-fighting policy, so I pick on him. I actually have more friends on the pro level, like Thrash from the Atlanta Thrashers, Freddy the Falcon and the Atlanta Hawk mascot.
PB: What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to Buzz?
Buzz: Once during a basketball game, all the guy and girl cheerleaders paired off, and I was feeling left out. So I brought out a blow-up doll dressed up as a cheerleader and started stunting with her.
PB: Stunting, huh? What are some of your other props?
Buzz: I have a go-cart shaped like the Rambling Wreck that we drive around the stadium. And like I said, I had that water gun, but I've been disarmed.
PB: Is there a lot of pressure to repeat as national champion?
Buzz: Each year's Buzz puts pressure on the next Buzz. We've won two years in a row, and no school has done that in a while. We push each other all through the year, saying, Let's make it three, four, five.
PB: What's the biggest mascot misconception?
Buzz: That we're not athletes. There's 45,000 people in the crowd, and I try to see each and every one of them. Jumping off walks, crowd-surfing, doing back flips, running around the whole time -- you'll never catch me standing still.
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