Caught him in Springfield Mass. stage right with a guitar and keyboard setup. Didn't know who he was but by evening's end, I had to find out. And he was having FUN.
Mike is one of my favorite people on earth! So happy to see this interview. I got to see Mike when he and Bryan Beller were doing the road shows for Taylor. They played Inca Roads and I cried with joy. Afterwards we chatted for quite a while. Such a good guy. Has a great Patreon thing too!
I saw Mike and Scott with Dweezil in Spring 1993 in the SF Bay Area twice. They routinely fluffed their lines during the complicated non album material( Don’t buy Music For Pets guys. I threw it away after one brief listen. Live. they were great though. Josh Freese on drums was outstanding. Good memories man. In the early days of Facebook Mike was always ready to answer questions no matter how obscure btw. A true gentleman and a scholar.
Mike is such a cool guy. I was chatting with him after a G3 show and didn’t realized that he was the guy on stage with Vai that night. What I realized it I was like “you’re awesome!” And he responded with , “you’re awesome!” Then he signed my Passion and Warfare book 😁❤
excellent interview..............Mike'a early Zappa journey mirrors my own..............Freak Out.........Live at the Fillmore.............heavy listening for impressionable minds........
Fresh from seeing a double header of Gong and Ozric Tentacles at the Cheese and Grain in Frome, Somerset South West England, this is just the morning unwind the doctor ordered, endlessly fascinating delving with these wonderful people and their stories, many thanks.
I was a big fan of MK in high school, even had a Nonkertompf shirt that I wore to school! In retrospect, the appeal was an ideal mix of irony/silliness (anyone remember his email poems?) and sincerity. He could be totally goofy and off the wall, and then do a sweet song that was total teen angst fodder. Not too many people pull that off like Mike. It is great to see he’s doing well, and seems to be the same guy I remember (briefly) meeting a couple decades ago.
I was lucky enough to actually hear "The best band you never heard in your life" and have followed MK ever since. It was cool to hear about Wooden Smoke, a very special record.
Another Stellar interview by Chanan. One of the first Zappa discs I acquired was Make A Jazz Noise Here, my introduction to Mike. I really need to check out his catalog more in-depth, and a lot of other stuff referenced by him and Chanan. I agree that Gentle Giant is something special, Octopus is in regular rotation in my car CD player, slowly getting into them. I really feel like a kindred spirit to anyone who is a fan of this channel, if anybody is in Olympia WA and would like to get together now and then to jam or whatever, let me know. Information is not knowledge Knowledge is not wisdom Wisdom is not truth Truth is not beauty Beauty is not love Love is not music Music is the best.
I once heard that FZ said that Mike had the best ears in his band - saw him the first time on the Zappa's Universe tribute show wow! , and I think I can see his green guitar in the rack in the background from that show?...great stuff Chanan
Many times I think: what would I say if I met one of my idols? Well, I would say to Mike: Thank you for everything! And hats off to Chanan too. You’re doing a job few people would be able to do. As a Zappa fan, I’m tired of hearing some questions like: “Why the name Mothers of Invention”?
I remember being impressed with his playing at a 1997 Vai concert in Sydney. And I remember the hat! It wasn't until recently I realized he was the same guy who played with Satch and did the first album of Vai piano covers. What a career!
Great interview! I have been a rabid MK fan since the 90's, mail ordered to the UK! So happy to see him well, happy and playing fantastically! I saw him play solo material twice in the UK in Swindon and London, maybe one day I will get over to the baked potato for a show..
Always looking forward to see Mike play live, the last two times with Devin (2019 and 2023). Also love his solo work and Wing beat. An amazing musician and a very nice person to listen to. 👍🎶🖖
Excellent stuff, I knew that Mike was a dude just working with FZ. When I saw him live on the Hologram tour he was ripping out one blistering guitar solo after another!
Mike is crazy, well fearless at least. When he was doing a music store appearance w/ an acoustic bass player (maybe Bryan Beller) he asked if there were any requests. I stupidly said I know you can't do Echidna's Arf, but how about playing Sofa. He said who says we can't play Echidna's Arf. The duo then did an unbelievably good job of putting it down. The small crowd (justifiably) flipped out.
Ruddy Nora, I was going to suggest MK as an interviewee! Brilliant 👍🏻 Wing Beat Fantastic is an absolutely delightful record, and deserves far greater recognition. Keep it coming, Chanan😊👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Can't believe I missed out seeing Mike here in Australia. Frustratingly it completely slipped my radar. Will have to check for newsletter. Can't help wondering if that Roxy SG in the background is the Gibson re-release or a converted SG based on the original. No one knows exactly which pickups Frank used in the guitar. I bought some Epiphone vintage pups and desoldered the metal shell covers off for the ones I used in my Tokai modified replica I had to make myself because all the Gibson re-release for sale 2nd hand had cracked necks. However Steve Vai kindly signed the bridge for me so it's ultra special to me now. Would love to know what Frank actually had in it at the time though. Wonderful to hear about the musical inspiration and how like minded so many of us fans are when it comes to Frank's music. Superb interview. Many thanks to All
There is an upload on RU-vid of him playing a track Scullbubbles I think it's called, as a live 3 piece somewhere from about 2008? It almost has me in tears it's so good.
Thank you very much for this, Mr. Hanspal! Great questions start to finish, and of course Mike is so deep and articulate as always. A beautiful experience, sir. 😊
Really great interview! So happy to see and hear Mike; he seemes really comfortable and happy to talk. Ha-ha, at times he reminded me of Randy Bachman, another musician that's got a lot of stories to share😄
Another great interview with a massively talented musician . I have all of Mikes albums and saw him twice with FZ in 1988 . Thanks for posting Chanan .
Loved this Chanan (and Mike). Was going to comment at around midnight to say I knew what I’d be doing for the next hour. Liked this before I’d even watched it… XTC, Zappa, Vai, Satriani, come on. Haven’t even mentioned Mike and Chanan yet. Like at Chanan’s grin a5 the start, priceless. Love the enthusiasm. However, despite initial reactions, managed to restrain myself. Now I’ve finished… really glad I watched this. Thank you both.
Yeah, these really are about the best music appreciation/analysis pieces out there. Chanan is a brilliant player in his own right, but it's his enthusiasm that hits home. Music is interwoven into his DNA - great stuff, more please!
That was excellent. Thank you. Sinister footwear on them or us was my first Zappa album and sinister was my favourite. Such a diverse album with many styles and emotions. And when I heard sinister footwear I thought, this beats Jean-Michelle Jarre with just one tune. But it took me 2 months to fully fall in love with 2nd part of the composition. I faded it out slowly when I copied it onto cassette for my cheap 0.85 liter mini when driving to work. Then my untrained musical ears slowly fell in love with the second part and I would be annoyed that I had faded the second part. Then of course I put the entire composition onto tape when I fully appreciated and understood the piece.
Great interview and informative from Mike! What is the exact story on Scott Thunes hoping Mike Partridge would attend a Zappa show? Was he notoriously a recluse or something?
Remember to keep the vapors astonished and follow the Dog down to the community Ugly Town as you seek beer for dolphins, guidelines are only vague suggestions from the central scrutinizer.
Thanks so much Chan. Great interview. I have something for you to look into... did Quincy Jones copy Zappa. Listen to Bamboozled by love then listen to Michael Jackson Beat it.
I've always considered Mike a good singer. It's probably more an issue of voice register. Some people don't like ANYBODY that sings in that register. It don't bother me none...lol... but I'm not like most other people.
