Johnny Bowman, UC President

In this series, we probe the minds of people around campus by asking them the same set of questions about Harvard and Cambridge life. Want to suggest an interviewee? Leave a comment or e-mail us at flyby@thecrimson.com.

JOHNNY BOWMAN, UC President

What time do you wake up in the morning?

Depends. Once or twice a week I’ll have an 8 or 9 o’clock meeting, but usually I wake up at…maybe 9 o’clock’s the average.

Who is your favorite Harvard alum, real or fictional?

Maybe Tom Morello…he’s the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine. He dropped out of Harvard to be a rockstar, and I respect that. [FlyBy: Morello actually graduated from Harvard in 1986, Johnny, but he's still cool.]

Was Larry Summers sexist?

Yeah. Hell yeah.

Who is the smartest person you know?

Eric Hysen. He’s my VP.

What have you always wanted to tell tourists in the yard?

I give tours of Harvard, and if they understand English I always tell them that John Harvard’s covered in pee. If they don’t speak English, I tell them that it brings them great fortune, just because there’s really nothing else that I can communicate. Urination’s very hard to communicate across language barriers in a civilized manner.

What was your most recent CVS purchase?

It was bronzer. For my yearbook photo last week, I covered myself in bronzer. My roommates did the same. The yearbook is a complete waste of time.

Harvard Bookstore or COOP?

I definitely buy more books from the COOP. That being said, I’m sure Harvard Bookstore is a lovely place to buy books. I have nothing else to add.

Where do you get your burritos?

I get them from Felipe’s. For the group trip, me and my blockmates treat ourselves to Qdoba. Felipe’s if it’s a solo trip. I’m a big fan of horchata. [What’s that?] It’s like a liquid Mexican heart attack.

Who is the most interesting person you’ve passed on the streets of Cambridge?

I’m wavering between Incubus Dude and my roommates, who are very interesting people, and Professor Gomes, who always has something hilarious to say.

What’s your neurosis?

For a long time, my only real neurosis was dropping my wallet in the toilet—until about three weeks ago, when I actually did drop my wallet in the toilet. So now I’ve overcome that fear. [That’s it? No more neuroses?] No neuroses, no.

When’s the last time you took the T?

It was a couple of weeks ago, just to grab dinner with my parents. Not terribly interesting.

Describe Harvard students in one word.

Ambitious.

Photo courtesy of Johnny Bowman '11.