BY MIKEY MIGO
I've come to the conclusion that the name "Mike" is awesome. That goes for the variations as well including "Michael" and "Mikey". Out of the blue the topic of discussion went from random randomness to "Name all the famous Mikes in music". There were a lot of famous names and a few ridiculous ones. The only other names that came to mind that had possibly better candidates was "James/Jimmy" and "John", but we'll stick to the original discussion. Worth noting is that I'm blatantly saying that I'm not famous and my name is faaaaar from even visible from this grouping. I just like the name "Mike".
Feel free to leave comments about "Mikes" that I missed or omitted or even leave a list of musicians with YOUR name. These are pretty much all the "Mikes" I could think of. Not necessarily my "favorite", but in order of how much I don't hate them. Fair enough? Sure it is!
We start with the ridiculous…
12.)
The Mike: Michael Bolton
The Band: Michael Bolton (solo)
C'mon! I seriously couldn't think of as many "Mikes" as I thought I would. Michael Bolton came up in jest and ends up MAKING THE LIST!? Oh my gawd. The guy had a lot of R&B hits in a short window during the 90's. I'm sure we've all heard them at least one painful time or another. He's also famous for his hair, or at least he used to be. It's not confirmed, but I've been told that his hair was made up of the pubis of tribal virgins. I also can't confirm if that was made up by me or if I really did hear it somewhere. Either way, I think that's a message that needs to get out there.
11.)
The Mike: Michael McDonald
The Band: Michael McDonald (solo)
Not too much different than Bolton, but my perception of McDonald isn't as negative. His hair wasn't as flowing, but he does look like a cross between George Lucas and Kenny Rogers. At least he has THAT going for him. Well, that and some good jokes about him in "40 Year Old Virgin".
10.)
The Mike: Mike Jones
The Band: Mike Jones (solo)
For a short short minute, Mike Jones was a guilty pleasure for a lot of people including myself. "Who?" was responded to by many assholes, including myself, with "Mike Jooooones." Hating ourselves isn't necessary. We can all just move on. I know I have.
Here's two more "Mikes". I respect their works and have enjoyed it at one time or another, but they're just sorta "there"…
9.)
The Mike: Michael Einziger
The Band: Incubus
I used to like Incubus, but their recent stuff hasn't done anything for me. They'd faded farther and farther down my list of bands I listen to that they're almost just a memory. I'm always hopeful of their new material, but it's just not my cup of tea.
8.)
The Mike: Michael Buble'
The Band: Michael Buble' (solo)
I'm willing to bet that a lot of people reading this have no clue who this guy is. I've came across him casually from time to time on channels like PBS. He's got that classy lounge singer vibe that the old Rat Pack would have. But in comparison they had a shit load more edgy and swagger than Buble'. He's still a good singer, but not even close to the style he's emulating.
The next two are in the middle for me. I appreciate their work, but not enough to get excited about it…
7.)
The Mike: Michael Anthony
The Band: Van Halen/Chickenfoot
This was the other guy in the band not named "Van Halen". Michael Anthony always stood out to me. He's an awesome bassist, but was also always the forth wheel to the brothers and whoever was singing at the time. That's a shame too. He was obviously one of the main foundations of the band despite not being as popular as the rest. To call him the "Ringo" of the band would be insulting. In the times I've seen him off the stage in interviews, he seems like a cool guy. Then to just up and replace him with a teenager? Not cool. It is cool that Eddie brought his son on board, but to just toss Anthony away after like THIRTY YEARS should be criminal. He's now with Sammy again in "Chickenfoot", but it's a far cry from any of their best works.
6.)
The Mike: Michael Hutchence
The Band: INXS
I won't even get into the "Rockstar: INXS" reality show. Outside of Marty Casey's awesome "Trees", the show ended up being a waste of time. Before that INXS had some great songs, but sadly they've fallen wayside. "Need You Tonight", "Devil Inside", and "Never Tear Us Apart" are all really good songs and I'm sure if I listened to more of them I'd find additions to that list. Sadly, Hutchence passed away. His death has resulted in a lot of speculation, but when it comes down to it that doesn't matter. Sadly, this man of much potential is gone any way you look at it.
I'd say the top five are all people I am enthusiastically a fan of…
5.)
The Mike: Mike Nesmith
The Band: The Monkees
I know "The Monkees" are often the butt of many music jokes, but dammit I still love their music. As a child, this was still the case. They were still considered "lame" by many but I rocked the cassette tapes as much as any kid under the age of 10 could. Their show was in syndication so they were fresh to me. My favorite Monkee was Mike Nesmith. As I got older I've occasionally revisited their catalog and always leave it a bigger fan than I was before. I don't listen thinking about how they formed or in comparison to any other huge bands from the time. I take them for what they are. The Monkees were never about "saving the world" like "The Beatles", but their music is far from lacking substance. They're under respected, underappreciated, and apparently over many people's heads. Sure, they're a bit poppy
4.)
The Mike: Michael Stipe
The Band: R.E.M
The voice of REM is one that a listener remembers and Stipe has carved his name in music history with tracks like "It's The End of The World as We Know It", "Losing My Religion", "Shiny Happy People", Man On The Moon", "Everybody Hurts", my favorite "Orange Crush", and plethora of others. I've always been a respecting supporter of REM. I'd never really go as far as saying I was really THAT into them. I enjoy their singles and whenever I see a performance on television I'm always impressed. I've just never taken that full leap into their full body of music. That doesn't change the fact that the singles of REM are more than enough for Michael Stipe to placed high on this list.
3.)
The Mike: Mike D
The Band: The Beastie Boys
If you own a set of ears you are destined to love "The Beastie Boys". Mike D is one of the voices and faces of this hip hop group. At the age of 43, the guy seems to still have more youth inside him than people less than half his age. I've never seen a Beastie performance that I didn't love and for the most part I've always enjoyed their music. I could of dealt with a bit less of the "techno" sounding stuff recently, but from what I've heard of "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1" they'll be back to rocking our collective asses off as soon as MCA is ready. The wait, while completely understandable, shall be worth it. When you think of the hit singles of the Beasties, you almost get overwhelmed. "Fight For Your Right", "No Sleep till Brooklyn", "So What'cha Want", "Sabotage", "Sure Shot", "Brass Monkey", "Girls", "Intergalactic", and the dozen or two more will kick start any party at any time.
2.)
The Mike: Mike Patton
The Band: Faith No More and a slew of others
I really wanted to put him as my number one. The works of Patton, "Faith No More" especially, are some of my favorite things to currently listen to. I came late into their music so it's still really fresh with me. I won't claim to be a lifelong fan or anything, but discovering the musical genius of Mike Patton has been one of the best music related moments of the past few years of my life. I've been a fan of about half of the people on this list for a lot longer, but I know good art when I see or hear it. Mike Patton is an artist.
1.)
The Mike: Michael Jackson
The Band: The Jackson Five & Being "The King of Pop"
Is there any doubt here? It feels sort of redundant to list his accomplishments and talk him up now. It's been done a million times over by fans, the media, and columnist including myself. But if I do have to pick my favorite "Mike" in music, it has to be Michael Jackson. Just because he passed away doesn't mean his music doesn't live on. I can honestly say that even before his recent untimely death that he'd STILL be the number one on my list. I grew up on this guy and he has provided more hits than Chris Brown during award season. When you're having a casual conversation about music and the name "Michael" is brought up, we all know who's being talked about. To millions, and maybe even billion(s), he's always going to be "Michael".
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