Why Mike?

Well, this is just one of those questions I end up asking myself as I'm flying across the country. Why the hell am I doing this?

First and foremost of course is the music which touched my soul back in 1983 and has given me hope and inspiration throughout the years. Sometimes the music is that pinprick of light to go towards when the rest of your life is darkness. And there have really been some dark days in my life, as there are dark days in everyone's life.

And of course, the music really rocks!

Then there's Mike himself. Who is just so incredibly human towards his fans it's almost unbelievable. I'm not that easily impressed by the whole so-called Rock Star Scene--hell, I'm infamous for telling Bono to shut up during a press conference. Geez.

But Mike's different. You feel like you've connected on a personal level, even after just a brief meeting. He makes you feel like not just a fan, but a friend also.

I always find it fascinating that when you talk to Mike, he's always interested in what you are doing. He seems to turn the conversation away from himself and wants to know about your life.

My journey began when watching MTV one day--I saw the video for "The Stand" and was totally blown away. Acoustic guitars in the land of synth-pop, passion in the domain of superficial love. And who can forget that hair! Something clicked and connected and I was hooked. The Alarm EP was one of the first three records I bought--U2's Under A Blood Red Sky and The Police's Synchronicity were the other two.

My passions shifted among these three bands that shaped my teenage years. The Police were the first band I ever saw live--February 13, 1984 in Charleston, West Virginia of all places. I eventually became a serious U2 nut, editing a fanzine dedicated to Adam Clayton with my buddy Kellie, and attending 13 U2 gigs on the Joshua Tree tour.

It wasn't until April of 1988 that I finally saw the Alarm live. Met up with my Kellie and my other friend Tracy up in Kent State Ohio. I remeber not feeling very well, but becoming regenerated when the band hit the stage--and being right up front and blown away by the whole experience. Amazing! After the show we met Mike and Eddie, and I was really impressed by how down to earth they were. They knew of Kellie and me from the Adam Clayton zine which a friend of ours had given them in San Francisco earlier in the tour.

Well, Kellie and I decided we had to get to another show, so we drove 4 or 5 hours from our small town in Athens, Ohio to a club in Indianapolis, Indiana.

But when we got there, we discovered we weren't old enough to get in! Of course we were devestated, so we sat by the stage door and hoped we would at least be able to hear the set from back there. Mike saw us sitting there and we explained the situation. A few moments later, we saw I guess it was the band's manager at the time talking to the club owner. Over the club owners objections, we were given crew passes and told to stand quietly in the corner.

We were obviously thrilled to be able to get in! Unfortunately, though, the band was pretty upset they weren't playing an all age venue, and played an extremely short set--only about 30 minutes. Kellie and I felt pretty bad about it, because we felt that it was our fault. Especially after the show when an angry mob gathered around the bands tour bus!

After a few moments the band came out to calm the crowd down. When we finally got to talk to Mike, we apologized for causing so much trouble, but he reassured us that it wasn't our fault--the band should have played an all age venue. That made us feel a little better!

I'll never forget what Mike did for us that night. He's such a genuine human being who really cares about his fans. So now, even ten years later, I still admire and respect Mike for both his music and his humanity.