1/6
Is back in the Swiss mountains in “Hut Stories Special”: Manu Burkart.
Patricia BroderEditor People
For the third time, “Divertimento” star Manu Burkart (45) is going on a high-altitude tour through the Swiss mountains in “Hüttengeschichten Spezial”. There is a reunion with hut wardens from previous programs and a very special emotional experience, as the comedian explains in the Blick interview.
Blick: Manu Burkart, in the latest show you climb a 4000m peak at the end. How did it feel to be at the top of the peak?
Manu Burkart: Very emotional. My father had died seven weeks earlier and the mountain hike reminded me of him. Although I am someone who is very good at talking about my feelings, I suddenly realized on the mountain that I had suppressed the grief over his death in everyday life.
But on the mountain, your feelings caught up with you.
Yes, and that was a nice and at the same time liberating feeling. There is hardly a better place to process the loss of a loved one than on a mountain tour on a 4000m peak under a steel blue sky. A beautiful form of grieving.
For many mountaineers, the way to the summit is also a form of meditation. Do you feel the same way?
Yes very. I was already an overactive person when I was young. But the older I got, the more I learned to appreciate the peace and mindfulness – and you experience both particularly intensively in the mountains, which definitely has something meditative about it.
What have you learned from the hut wardens you have met on your three trips so far?
The modesty. Martin from the Zapporthütte in the Bündner Rheinwald, one of the oldest SAC huts in Switzerland, lives in a very small space, with little light, and has no running water. This grounds you immensely as a visitor and shows you the luxury we live in down in the cities. Food, a warm bed, beautiful nature and your loved ones are enough – that’s all you need to be happy.
Many think that a comedian is happy and in a good mood per se, or the classic sad clown. Which applies more to you?
Neither nor. I’m not the sad clown, but I’m certainly not the always happy one either. I am the thoughtful clown. The one who also likes to withdraw and is sometimes in a bad mood.
Have you sometimes suffered from the public claim to always be funny?
not suffered. But at the beginning of our career, I already believed that we were always expected to give a funny interview, with lots of punch lines and funny sayings. That put us under pressure. But after seven or eight years we realized that the audience is also very interested in the people behind the scenes. Who is authentic and real. And that’s exactly one of Jonny’s and my strengths. When we give interviews, we are genuine and approachable to our fans.
You reveal a lot of private information, especially when it comes to your relationship with your wife Michèle. What is the secret of a good relationship?
I think in a time of digital abundance, it’s especially important to put down the phone and look each other in the eye. This is a valuable recipe for a good relationship. I don’t mean to demonize the cell phone. I find the opportunity to acquire knowledge via the Internet or via social media particularly fantastic. Yet too often we stare at our smartphones. The mobile phone must not become more important than the relationship.
Speaking of relationships. What’s next for Divertimento this year?
Jonny and I are currently in the writing process. This means that we also withdraw together from time to time and work intensively on our new program. We’ll probably be on tour from autumn.
A little earlier, on May 5th, you and your metal band BBR will be performing as the opening act for Krokus in Zurich’s Hallenstadion.
Yes! Chris von Rohr called a month ago and asked us about the gig – I’m really looking forward to it! My band is incredibly fun and charges me with energy. It’s my noisy oasis of calm, so to speak (laughs).
“Hut Stories Special”, SRF 1, Saturday, January 21, 2023, 8:10 p.m
From teacher to comedy star
Manu Burkart, born in Zurich in 1977, is the third child of a lawyer and a “busy, loving family woman”. He meets Jonny Fischer (43) in the teacher training college. They quickly realize that they complement each other perfectly as comedians. What begins at birthday parties and wedding celebrations develops into Divertimento, the most successful comedy duo in Switzerland. Burkart lives with his wife Michèle and their three children in the Zurich Oberland.
Manu Burkart, born in Zurich in 1977, is the third child of a lawyer and a “busy, loving family woman”. He meets Jonny Fischer (43) in the teacher training college. They quickly realize that they complement each other perfectly as comedians. What begins at birthday parties and wedding celebrations develops into Divertimento, the most successful comedy duo in Switzerland. Burkart lives with his wife Michèle and their three children in the Zurich Oberland.