Guess who’s coming to the Varsity Show this year? That’s right, you guessed it… Art Garfunkel, C ’65, of Simon and Garfunkel fame. Yes, that raconteur, stealer of hearts, and dreamer of dreams is coming back to Alma to receive the Varsity Show’s annual I.A.L. Diamond Award, which goes to a Columbia alumnus who has rocked the arts world. Hard.

While at Columbia, where he also received an MA in Mathematics (he’s wicked smart!), Garfunkel sang with the Kingsmen, and no doubt picked up some nasty habits (this year’s cast certainly sympathizes). He never actually performed in the Varsity Show, but V Show-ers past and present have drawn artistic inspiration from his hair, voice, and easy going manner.

Grace Parra, Varsity Show co-producer, tells all the nasty details about her telephone conversation with Art after the jump!

“He’s really pumped about the event, and sounded particularly flattered on the phone when I spoke with him earlier this afternoon. He noted
his love for Columbia (very classy), and mentioned that he’s just ‘some
guy’ who loves the music he’s made. He apparently has a new album
coming out soon – so watch out!”

The gala in his honor, invite-only (for V Show alum, administrators, and students involved in this year’s production), will precede the V Show performance on Saturday, April 29. So if you want a glimpse of Art, you’ll have to catch him at the performance, or get really friendly with Bwog. Get your tickets online starting April 3, and in the Lerner Box office starting April 17.

Even if you can’t make the show, you can still check out this crazy long list of every single book he’s read since 1968.

And who is this I.A.L. Diamond guy the award is named after? Well, he’s the only guy to have written four consecutive Varsity Shows, and went on to write Some Like it Hot and The Apartment, for which he won an Academy Award.