Why did the reporter cross the road?
To interview a comedy promoter. Duh!
Okay, so that’s not very funny, but maybe you are one of those people who can always make people laugh.
Have you ever thought about doing some stand-up comedy? If so, Patrick ‘Buzz Gordon’ Ouellette of Biddeford wants to talk with you.
For more than a year now, Buzz — as he is known to his friends and family — has been pouring his blood, sweat and tears into creating a vibrant comedy scene in southern Maine. He is a co-founder of the Comedy Mill, which promotes professional comedy shows and runs a weekly open-mic night for aspiring comics who want to perform before a live audience.
“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Buzz laughed during a recent interview. “Behind the scenes it’s a lot of work. We’re not getting rich, but we love it. We really love it.”
Buzz – a gregarious guy who always seems to be smiling – is especially excited about an upcoming show at Mulligan’s this weekend.
On Saturday, June 14, Brendan Eyre of New York will return to Biddeford to open for Connor McGrath, a nationally known comic who has appeared on the Comedy Channel and on the Late Night with Seth Meyers show.
“This is a big deal for us,” Buzz said. “We’ve been doing this for a year and now Brendan’s coming back to Biddeford to help us celebrate our one-year anniversary.”
That show will take place at Mulligan’s on Lincoln Street, beginning at 8 p.m.
When asked about the weekly open-mic nights on Wednesdays, Buzz says “there’s nothing like hearing a room full of people laughing.”
We’re not getting rich, but we love it.
— Buzz Gordon
We really love it.”
“I think we could all use some laughs these days,” he said.
The Comedy Mill is also helping promote this year’s Portland Maine Comedy Festival, which takes place at several venues in Portland from July 17 – July 20.
“Sometimes, we barely break even on our shows,” Buzz said. “But we are driven by one thing: we want people to have fun.
“We’re all delinquents, just hanging out,” he added.
But Buzz also has a soft spot. He and his partners regularly donate to the Biddeford Food Pantry. Earlier this year, they organized a comedy show that featured George Hamm, a nationally known comic and Marine veteran from Maine. All the proceeds from that show were donated to the Maine Homeless Veterans Alliance.
“We got to have each other’s backs, right?” Buzz said, saying the Comedy Mill would not have survived without the support of Mulligan’s. “This is a great city, chock full of great people.”
Buzz graduated in 2005 from Biddeford High School, where he was an avid football player. “Football was life when I was in high school,” he said.
Like most people, Buzz followed a winding path to get where he is today. “I remember thinking I wanted to be a cop, and then I thought I wanted to be a teacher,” he said during an earlier interview.
Today, Buzz works for a bio-tech firm near Portsmouth.
When asked what advice he would give to an aspiring comic, Buzz doesn’t hesitate. “Don’t wait. Just do it.”
“You want to make God laugh, Buzz asked. “Tell him your plans for the future.”
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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