"Happy Birthday, Mr. Dee"

by Tom Kielty
Tom writes for Spin.com and contributes to the Boston Globe.

Over the weekend I found myself in a position that I'm sure was not
uncommon, reminiscing about an adventure with Mikey. My personal favorite
was on his birthday last year. We were in New York for the CMJ Music
Marathon and the worst kept secret in town was that The Foo Fighters were
playing that night at The Bowery Ballroom. Those who know Mikey know of
his devotion/addiction/inspiration for the medium often referred to as
"power pop" and so when I mentioned taking a walk over to the show I
obviously didn't have to ask twice. I'd met a girl earlier in the day from
the label who had "assured" me that I'd be able to get in. I'm sure that
most of the people who know Mikey know how tenuous these kinds of
assurances are coming from people other than The Dee himself.

So, off we went, by now numbering five. When we came around the corner,
probably two blocks from the entrance, we were stunned. There were
probably 600 people in line, and an absolute mess at the door. I found my
friend from the label, who told me we might have a shot at getting inside
after a few songs had been played. Instinctively I started looking for a
familiar face in a position of authority, Mikey began thumbing through his
directory in search of the next closest rock, and Howie Althoz, an old
friend of Mikey's and new friend of mine, was coming up with a plan.

"Who manages Foo Fighters?", Howie asked nonchalantly and the encyclopedia
Dee immediately responded, "Gary Gersh". With that knowledge Howie
directed us to lean up on the stage door and "act like artists".

As I lit a cigarette and Mikey tried his best to look disassociated beneath
a baseball hat Howie approached the head security guard. Casually handing
him a business card, he then pointed at us and explained that as the
support act we needed to be inside. Now we were really playing it up, eyes
averting anyone who might "recognize" us (recognize us as a couple of
fanatics from Boston was the best/worst possibility, in retrospect),
desperately trying to give off a relaxed, "It's okay, the show can't start
without us" vibe. Within moments the door swung open, we all scooted
inside and spent the next five minutes jumping up and down like school
children at the bar. We toasted Mikey's birthday, we toasted our good
fortunes and we toasted The Foo Fighters. It was as fun a birthday as I've
ever spent with anyone.

One of the traits I have always enjoyed most about being in the company of
The Dee is that he'd have had as much fun if it had been anyone else's
birthday or if it had been no one's birthday at all, just as long as the
"rock" was loud and genuine and honest. Mikey is a guy who I've seen meet
a friend of a friend, a perfect stranger, and bring them into a sold out
show as his "+1". Mikey is a guy who is so enthusiastic about music that
at points he will seem on the verge of explosion when he realizes that
you've been listening to the same record that he has recently. Mikey is a
guy who will seek you out when he finds out you're in a club to tell you
about a movie he thinks you'd enjoy. Hindsight has Superman's vision, but
I know this, I'm glad it was your birthday that night, Mikey. And I look
forward to many more.

Tom Kielty