Uncategorized

Alton Miller: 2017 is here and I am reflecting on not only 2016, but also how I have spent the last twenty-five years of my life. My story is very similar to most DJs who decided at a very young age to pursue their dreams and play records as if their life depended on it. Go to club. Hear sound system. Hear DJ become an infinite source of sonic bliss and spiritual pleasure for countless others. My mom was an avid clubber and would tell me stories of her nights out in club land here in Detroit. She would describe in detail the songs, the sound systems and the way the DJ moved the crowd. One of her favorites was “D” Train’s “You’re The One For Me”. Ken Collier was a frequent name on all the flyers she would bring home. At age fifteen I went to L’uomo which was at the time the first and only underground club in Detroit. Mike Neil is synonymous with names like Robert Williams, The Assoon brothers, David Mancuso, Michael Brody and Steve Rubell. Mike Neil is part of the foundation that was built by others like him… visionaries, freaks and dreamers that became tastemakers. They created places where day to day existence could be abandoned and where people could be elevated, transformed, and become one with music and dance. His story is part of my story.

AM: Growing up on Detroit’s northwest side during the late 1960s, what type of sounds were you and your parents listening to?

 

Mike Neil (MN): At that time we were listening to a lot of James Brown and Aretha Franklin. They would have me dance like

James Brown, you know, the splits, twists and all dance moves he would do.

 

AM: What were the prominent radio stations in Detroit and who was hot on the radio?

 

MN: WJLB, WCHB and the hot groups were the Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire.

 

AM: Were you going to record shops and buying records?

 

MN: Yeah we bought a lot of 45s and LPs. I remember the yellow disc that we would put in the middle of the 45s. The Floaters, Enchantment and a lot of local groups were formed with a Motown era ideology of how they performed and finding talent for their groups.

 

AM: Do you remember the names of the record shops you went to?

 

MN: Kendrick’s, Detroit Audio and some shops on 7 mile.

 

AM: Where did you graduate from high school?

 

MN: I graduated from Cooley in ‘75

 

AM: Did you play sports or were you involved in the arts while you were in high school?

 

MN: Karate and basketball. We had this gang called the Red Hoods and would terrorize the neighborhood. We worked out doing the day and hung out with our girlfriends at night. I was All-City and All-State. We made it to the City Finals all the time and I remember busting through the tape as we ran on the court at Cobo Arena. They called it the Finals back then the Cobo. We always made it to Cobo. We also went to a lot of basement twenty-five cent parties.

 

AM: What was it that led you to put on your first party? What led you to clubbing?

 

MN: We (Neil and his brother Kenny) were young entrepreneurs and into selling clothes. We had a clothing line called L’uomo. Our parents did not want us to open up a shop in a mall. They thought if we opened up in an office building we would have more patrons to sell our clothes to, so we opened up a shop at 6 mile and Meyers in 1978 because they worked there. I went to Western Michigan University and then to Michigan State when Magic Johnson was there. When Magic went to the Los Angeles Lakers in ’78, I came home and opened up the shop. We had $45,000 in merchandise. We were vandalized and broken into.

 

AM: Did you finish school?

 

MN: I am finishing now at Central Michigan University. We had to come up with some money (back then) because we had to pay off the line of credit for the clothing. We threw a party at the Cotillion Club (at Puritan and Littlefield.) That was the first party and started an organization called L’uomo named after the boutique. We were popular. L’uomo means the man.

 

AM: Who was involved in the project with you?

 

MN: My brother, Peter Barksdale and a brother named Smiley. We were well to do and we dressed well. The party had so many people, the police came but they did not shut us down because we knew them. The party was amazing. We knew we were onto something.

 

AM: Do you remember who DJed that party?

 

MN: Ken Collier. We were buddies. He was the guru. Whenever we had something we had to have him.

 

AM: From that very first party eh?

 

MN: He was the glue. He would take me to the studio when he was mixing records for Was Not Was and I met Don Was. Ken was showing me where he wanted to go musically.

 

AM: What happened with your parties after the first one?

 

MN: We took the party to larger venues. Bonnie Brook. Sold out. Roostertail. Sold out. It was hot. Everything we did sold out. All of these DJs would flock to Ken like Delano Smith and Darryl Shannon. I would bring guys from New York and Chicago to play. They were the Kens of their cities.

 

AM: Ken was the resident DJ for L’uomo the party concept?

 

MN: Yep. We would go to New York City together and he exposed me to early club culture. I stayed at the Paradise Garage until 7am! The bass would move you if you stood still. The sound blew me back. The technology fascinated me. The lighting and the sound system. They used BGW amps. If it was not BGW amps, I did not want anything to do with them. The L’uomo parties were very successful and we were selling out large venues. Because of high demand we needed to have a weekly event. The Studio 54 space was owned by George Page and it was located downtown on Bagley.

 

AM: What else was going in city club wise at that time and where was Ken playing?

 

MN: Ken was playing at a place called the Chessmate on Livernois near McNichols. Melvin Hill was playing at the Famous Door on Griswold. He is a very good DJ!  There were a lot of party promoters on the scene at this time. Charles Love, Love Seekers, Showbiz Kids. They use to have parties at different places. Everybody wanted to be a promoter.

 

AM: Do you think the radio stations reflected what was being played at the parties during this time? We are talking the height of disco right?

 

MN: No. I think what was being played at the clubs and the parties had great influence on what was being played on the radio. People were sick of the music that was being played on the radio and they wanted something different. DJs had special mixes of tunes that radio jocks did not have.

 

AM: Do you remember any of the record pools back then?

 

MN: There were lots of record pools. Atlantic, Warner Brothers, Angott. They would pay us to come to Southfield Road and 8 mile to listen to records for $65 an hour. We would give our opinions on records. We got records from all over.

 

AM: So it was a combination of the club owner or promoter and the DJ working together to set trends, make and break the next hit.

 

MN: Yep and I had the best, Ken Collier. I would pay Ken very well to be exclusive for me. $200 a night and back then that was a lot of money. He played every weekend from 9 -1.

 

AM: Were you doing events every weekend at this point?

 

MN: At this point we were doing Studio 54 every Thursday.

 

AM: Ok but wait. What happened to the clothes and fashion line?

 

MN: It became secondary. We were not going to miss this call. The parties were huge .We were the talk of the town.

 

AM: What was your crowd like in terms of age bracket?  Was it alternative?  Was it black, white, straight, gay?

 

MN: That was the key. We needed all types at the party. It had to be a zoo. If it was not a zoo it was not happening. It had to be like Noah’s Ark. When we opened the doors at 9pm there was a line to get in.

 

AM: Was there anything happening at that time that would have been considered underground? Was there anybody using a cabaret license to stay open longer than 2am? Were there any afterhours spots?

 

MN: Yeah, but they did not cater to music and dancing. They were illegal gambling joints. I went to Adolph’s, Bud Johnson’s special invitation joint. I would go but would not stay. I would give people that I knew tips on where to go if they were looking for something else to do.

 

AM: How many partners did you have?

 

MN: My right and left hand was my brother and Peter Barksdale. They knew all the ins and outs and handled the money. We made $50,000 in one month. On a Thursday we were making $2,200 and his bar was making easy $5,000.

 

AM: He (owner George Page) was very happy.

 

MN: Yeah he was very happy. He wanted me to take Thursday and Sunday. As soon as you came off the freeway and bent the corner at Lafayette it was on full tilt boogie. We always had the spotlight outside the club. If we changed venues we would put on the flier just follow the spotlight. “Look in the sky and follow the light.”

 

AM: Would you say you were more on the side of creating the aesthetic of the party?

 

MN: Yes I was totally into it. Being able to travel and see, at a very young age, places like the Paradise Garage, Studio 54, Grand Central Station, Limelight, Danceteria and hanging out with Madonna, the DJs, actors and all sorts of people was unreal. I was exposed to a lot very early…

 

AM: Let’s go back to the first L’uomo. I never made it to the first one. What moved the party to Studio 54 from L’uomo’s first location?

 

MN: The Cotillion Club was the first. There was a club across the street called Babes and they were after the spot that we were looking at. We had toy store in the building next to it and I put a club in there. This was just supposed to be a place for us to hang out. It was too small. It was like a motorcycle club. Morris Day and the Time would come there. Charivari. Snobs would come there. All the kids in high school were forming these clubs and coming to this spot to hang out. People from the suburbs were coming, both black and white, because of new wave. Everybody was punking out. People look like they were coming from Mars. We were not wearing suits anymore. We wore cut off pants, cut off shirts, army pants…anything freakish and punked out at the time. People had Mohawks.

 

AM: So same party concept but different style?

 

MN: Yep but too small. That’s how we knew we were on to something. Ken was the man, the resident. Ken was hot. Everybody wanted to see him. I had to have security at the DJ booth because people wanted to be near him.

 

AM: Was it different? Were the DJs doing something different before this?

 

MN: There was a disco convention in NYC and twelve of us attended. We discovered that there were more DJs mixing keeping a steady beat. Dancers were not leaving the floor. The music was beginning to be more electronic. With Ken we did not have to give him any direction from the very beginning or even when we saw that DJs in other cities were becoming more skillful in their mixing. He was flawless. When we got into new wave and brought it to Detroit after hearing it in New York we had to give him direction. He was the catalyst. He had to make an adjustment with new wave. That sound took us to another level. The Cars, B52’s, Devo and groups like that opened another door. Ken came with us to the convention in NYC. We were there a lot. Nightlife was at an all time high. We spent a lot time there at all the clubs.

 

AM: So you began running the club?

 

MN: Yep officially every weekend. The guy across the street that owned Babes had police contacts and we did not have a license. He called them and they shut us down. They took me to jail for dancing. Who does that? No alcohol, just dancing. There was no place for his people to park. He was not happy. He saw all these kids looking like they were from Mars that were not going to his joint so he had to do something about it.

 

AM: How long were you in the first spot?

 

MN: A year maybe… at least six months. We had to make an adjustment.

 

AM: any guest DJs in the first spot?

 

MN: Yes. The guest DJs were Delano Smith and Darryl Shannon. Ken was getting a lot of offers to play out of town.  He was traveling and we had a lot of DJs who wanted to play. They studied Ken and were getting good. They would make tapes. “Here is my tape. Give me a shot. I am good.” Then we moved to 7 mile. We were mega hot on the eastside in a warehouse like the Paradise Garage in1981 and 1982!  And I had video game arcade. We also played movies on a big screen like The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

 

AM: How old were you then?

 

MN: I was 22 or 23. We were on TV…sports celebs… everybody wanted to know what was going on at L’uomo, this hot club. Whodini was there hanging out. It was hot.

 

AM: Would you say that L’uomo was Detroit’s first true underground club?

 

MN: Without a doubt. We were open until 7am, but the kids could not stay out until 7 so we opened 8 -2 for the youth and from 2 -7 am for L’uomo late night which was for the gay community. It was off the hook. They would come thru the back door. We had thirty minutes to clean up, restock and get the club ready for the late night session. I would leave at 7am and there would still be a hundred people there.

 

AM: What was happening on Friday night?

 

MN: Same thing, same schedule. I had a cousin named Nicky Allen and he was gay. That was his baby. It was dancing at the finest level that you have ever seen in your life. The music was top notch. Ken was pulling double shifts. He would play from 8 until 7 in the morning Friday and Saturday. All the DJs that you know about now, they were there. If Ken let you play, and especially if he was not there, you had arrived. They (aspiring DJs) would try to pay me to play. They wanted to practice. They wanted to play at any time for any type of party. DJs wanted to play at L’uomo.

 

AM: Who was responsible for putting the sound system together?

 

MN: Myself, Ken and Nicky. Ken had the most input. He knew what he wanted. Russell Jewell at Audiolight had the boxes. He is a perfectionist. We tri-amped and fine tuned that system. That’s how we got the rep for the best damn sounds in town. I spent a lot of money on sound. We were always tweaking the system, making it the best all the time.

 

AM: Tell me about the logo on the wall.

 

MN: We had this friend named Cindy. At the time I was into the artist Neko who was always in Playboy magazine. It was avant garde type stuff. Cindy could draw. We had the face of a lady that looked like she had turned into a party diva. That and the logo from Cindy we used on everything. She designed what we wore. What are you going to wear to L’uomo?. Everything had to be mad because we were unique. You could not go to Saks or Hudson’s. Man oh man. Ciao and City Slicker. They were Detroit owned stores. They started to emulate our style and carry things that we were wearing.

 

AM: What about Smitty and De Zanella?

 

MN: Smitty and I were partners at one time. De Zanella was the number one store in Detroit for that type of fashion.  Smitty was on top of his game. Every time I would run into Smitty he was making moves. We ran in the same circles. We were both from Detroit and that made it special.

 

AM: Were there any guest DJs at L’uomo? Robert Troutman speaks about Frankie Knuckles playing there?

 

MN: It did not make a difference. If he said it was okay I would make it happen. I trusted him. If Ken said to have this guy play it was official. I did not question it. I would make it happen. It was done.

 

AM: What was the most memorable tune at the club for you? The song when you heard it, was the epitome of why you had done the things you did before and leading up to the club?

 

MN: We shared a lot of favorites. Ken had a special mix. He would look at me when he played it. He would run the beginning again, then come back into it with another version. Wow man. He made me like a lot of things that I probably would have not gotten into, but it was the way he played tunes that was great. Ken was an engineer. He was more than a DJ. He made records hot. That was my man.

 

AM: So you really gravitated towards new wave and the English invasion? The Clash, B52’s and the English Beat?

 

MN: That sound was something so special and when Ken mixed it with dance music and his sound, for me it is what you call techno. It was very powerful. We tested a lot of early rap at the club. We were still going to the record pools. I would have discussions with them about this music because the English and new wave sound was slating to go out. I told the major record labels that you can’t stop this music, referring to dance music and rap. Especially rap. Disco was dying. When Ken would play a little bit the club would erupt. They told me to take all the rap records. We would give these records to the DJs and the people that would come to the club. That time was constantly changing. I used to talk to Russell Simmons and people like him before they got the money. After Saturday Night Live and becoming this white thing, disco was gone. There were New Kids On The Block, but we still dictated what was happening in clubs in Detroit at that time.

 

AM: Let’s talk about the climate and what was happening in Detroit at this time outside the club.

 

MN: Drugs. We stopped selling out at our events. It became another thing. People would come to the club and be like I am paying for twenty people. I did not want you in here. I would say its $15 to get in. It did not matter. People were coming in with a different mindset. I had to increase security. I got dogs. I got Pinkerton security. I got Powerhouse Gym people. I needed everybody. This was 1982-83. This crack thing was becoming an epidemic and was spreading like wild fire. Clubbing became secondary. You were not going to be in the club long because you had to go get more drugs and if you came after getting high all you wanted to do was destroy. Rap music was making you angry and aggressive. You ain’t thinking about having fun or a good time. That is what the big record labels were scared of when it came to rap. When I would speak to people like Russell Simmons they would talk to me about their visions and they knew how far this music would go. Ken hated to play rap.

 

AM: Who was Jimmy Jay? I remember him playing at L’uomo just as much as Ken did at one point. Who was he?

 

MN: Jimmy idolized Ken. Ken was his mentor. Jimmy played rap. He had very good skills. Ken would give him 15 minutes. He would watch him from 1:15 -1:30.

 

AM: That was it?

 

MN: Yes .Fifteen minutes and then he had to go. He had fifteen minutes of fame and he took off. It got to a point where I had to put him on. Everybody wanted to hear him. He was booked a lot and would come and do his set after his other commitments. He became just as hot as Ken.

 

AM: What was your most memorable event?

 

MN: It would have to have been the party at the Roostertail.  That was the turning point. All the promoters were there and they had parties that night. My biggest competition had always been Charles Love. He thought he was God Almighty. When we threw a party, I always wanted to know when Charles was throwing a party. If he was at the Hilton we were at the Roostsertail. If he was at the Bonnie Brook, we were at the Hilton. This went on until I won the award for best promoter in the city. When I accepted the award, I had the entire L’uomo crew come on stage. We were not in the club yet but after this we knew we would establish our own club. I got tired of making people a lot of money. My goal always was to open my own club. The team I had was first class and they helped me achieve my goal.

 

AM: What was your most memorable event at L’uomo?

 

MN: The New Dance Show and the Scene had parties at the club and we were on TV. Nat Morris was the host. A lady named Barbara Taylor was an on-air personality for WJLB. Those people were at the height of their careers. We joined together. The Scene was broadcasting their dance show from the club. Their ratings went up because people wanted to see what was happening at the club. We had crossed over into TV. Our people were watching the Scene, but we would have done better if we did not appear on TV. It took away from our mystique so to speak. It fell apart. Nat Morris stopped coming and R.J. Watkins had to fill in for him. So, the drug epidemic crack, rap and the hype of being on television really took us off our course. When it was simple and pure it was great but it became something else. TV diluted it. It was fake and it was just the cameras. It was not true.

 

AM: Were your brother and partner still involved?

 

MN: No they succumbed to drugs as well. It took longer to get to me but it did. I was left to my devices. I held on for as long as I could.

 

AM: So when did you get to the point where you said you had enough?

 

MN: I was the mayor of a city inside the city. I made a decision to take it to the next level and that was dope. With the contacts and connections that I had in New York and Los Angeles I knew needed to get a liquid license.

 

AM: Do you remember the final year or final party and how did Ken take it?

 

MN: No I don’t remember. I don’t remember when we shut down. Ken had a lot of options. We went got a liquid license we changed the name. We just let it die. Ken would come and do guest spots. There was no more L’uomo. We left the building. My concept was if everybody wants to get high lets sell liquor. We changed everything. A lot of the team did not make the transition. I was elated because I felt that I had graduated. I had just gotten married and my wife was the youngest black female ever to own a liquor license in the state of Michigan. I was dealing with the Liquor Commission. I was at another level. We’re talking six figures.

 

AM: No sentimental anything about L’uomo?

 

MN: No man I am older now. The taste had been taken out of my mouth. There was too much chaos. I went straight Anglo-Saxon. I was selling to skinheads and punk rockers. I was not selling Hennessey. I was selling Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Absolut. This was at the Steam Pit and Asylum. It was great. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Smitty and I opened up the Steam Pit. It was just a temporary move because we were getting investigated for our liquor license. We had to be cool. I was already looking at the old Vaudeville Theatre building around the corner. It had been a clothing store. I wanted my people, but they were not ready so I turned to Amir (Daiza) and Vince Bannon. I milked the Steam Pit for at least 6-8 months. It was very short lived. I was making a lot of noise. Smitty pulled out about a month after we opened. Smitty told me though. “I am doing this and you are doing that and it is not going to mix.” That’s when my soldiers showed up. Charivari and all the guys that I had nice connections with pulled some quick strings for me. I did not have to wait long for the license. We had to show how we made our money and it was legit enough for them so they pushed it through. Then I was downtown on Broadway. The kind of money that I needed to get it to where I wanted it Smitty and De Zanella had, but I had to go elsewhere. I had to grind again. It was terrifying.  No lines of credit. The dope thing was cash and carry or credit card and swipe. I had to go against the grain. It consumed me.

 

AM: Were you doing everything by yourself at this point?

 

MN: My wife was my right hand. The license was in her name. Vince and Amir were my crew. They were bringing in fresh acts. It was like New York but in Detroit. I had a love hate relationship with the club for about a year and half. I wanted the money, so Dr. Ogenbasi entered the picture. He ended up opening Club Elan. I gave Vince and Amir one month’s notice. I wanted to cash out because I was on drugs too. Plus the Doctor was fucking my wife. I used the drugs to pacify and numb me to whatever was going on. I could not save my face and ass at the same time. I told myself let me save my ass. I knew how to get the money. Dr. Ogenbasi offered $125,000 cash. They had to give me a briefcase because I wanted small bills. I always carried a briefcase. (Well known lawyer) Jeffrey Fieger’s letters started coming to the club because of allegations of rape by some ladies. They were suing the club because of him and these charges. He had sixty percent of the club. I only had forty percent. I told him that’s rape. They are going to put you under the jail. I told him to give me $75,000 and you can have it all. He made one call to Nigeria and he told me I could pick it up that Friday. It was the Monday before. I told him we had to talk. I had three letters here and I know he (Fieger) is serious. He gave me the money. (Shortly after) I was hanging with Vince and Amir in New York. Then I went to a different country and had a good time on the islands. We (Dr. Ogenbasi and Neil) were cool until I got my money. So on his first day my plan was to shut him down. He had extravagant flyers and so forth. I was in Acapulco and I called Big John, the guy who helped me obtain my licenses. I said to him “it is tonight.” John said “I got it.” All the people that came that night left right out. It had happened to me when William from Babes had me shut down. People were laughing and I got handcuffed, so I felt like Al Capone. The club never really got off the ground. He ended up committing suicide because of all the charges and the pressure got to him. I saw it coming.

 

AM: I remember because we were across the street at the Music Institute. We were his competition. We had a line down the street on weekends.

 

MN: Yeah I was done. I went through all of the money. I left rich and famous between 86-87. From that point on my life it went straight down hill very fast. I was using. I was not listening. People would tell me to go and get help. I did not listen. I was slowly committing suicide but it was on a daily basis. Nothing made sense to me. In 2006 I gave myself a birthday present. I went into treatment and I have been clean since. No cigarettes, alcohol, nothing. I am glad to be here. 7 years.

 

AM: I am very happy that you are here.

 

MN: I am in good health. God has kept me in his grace and mercy. Lots of people have asked me to do things. I get offers all the time. I refuse. The danger. If the drugs don’t get you the lifestyle will. I got high with a lot of famous people. The fame and glory comes with a price. You’ve got to be well rooted in your faith. You’ve got to walk that walk and stay grounded. Get in and get out. You are dealing with the arts. You have to take something to get that artistic expression and get it off on a constant basis. That’s where you falter. I told my parents that I was coming to do this interview with you. They told me I should not. I told them it is okay. My foundation is good. I am in a good place. I can go back to those days and tell the story. If I dreamed it I could do it, to seal a deal back then was to take a one on one. I started using just to come up with ideas. That was part of our creative process. We would put fliers together for parties yet to come. We were ahead of schedule all the time. This was me and my team. It was the medicine and the mood enhancer to create this movement. I lived it for sure sometimes. I used to think the crowd was moving to slow in the club and in my mind I was going to hit the floor and bring up the energy.

 

AM: The times dictated a lot of shit eh?

 

MN: Hello?  That was an era. My idol was Steve Rubell from Studio 54. In my eyes what they were doing was ok. Shit, I had all the money. I had all the drugs I could ever want. I had all the women. I had a good time. The wildness started later. I still take pride in my appearance…how I dress. I get a lot of compliments about well I look from people that I have not seen in a very long time. I am looking at some of these guys who are younger than me. Alcohol use has really hit some of them hard. I stay away from it. I don’t like the smell. That’s a blessing. God’s people take their health for granted. A lot of people are stuck there. I played a part in it, but they did not move on.

 

AM: Do you think that Charivari, out of all those high school groups, is the one you gravitate towards the most?

 

MN: Yeah Charivari. That’s my baby. I like those guys. They could do no wrong. I took them under my wing. I exposed to them to a lot of shit. They are good guys. They reminded me of myself. They came from good families. They are younger than me. I am happy for them.

 

AM: Yeah I am a bit younger than those guys but going to their parties at L’uomo was mind changing for me. What they were doing back then resonated with me. I thought they were real.

 

MN: My life, I am grateful for it. I put the p in party. I set it off. I stopped partying period. I thought it was forbidden on this side. I was told I was entitled on this side to have a good life. My reaction was, “Do you know who you are talking to? Do you know where I have been?” I was like a little kid because I thought in giving up that lifestyle, I could not have fun anymore. I was like “y’all told the wrong muthafuka that.” Aw man I started having so much fun and it was clean. I was invited to speak.  Then I got the call to speak at the World Convention of Narcotics. You’re talking 80,000 ex-dope fiends and crack heads in Philly. This one was the largest. I ran into a lot of people in that I used to party with. It was great. We went to dinner and it was great to see these people. I got teary eyed because it was good to see that these people were not dead. To find out that they were over here doing this was great. I was elated.

 

AM: How do you feel about gentrification and what’s happening in Detroit in regards to clubs and the music?

 

MN: Those guys (promoters) remind me of myself. They are into artists and after parties for concerts. It is not safe. People get shot and killed. It’s more worrisome. When you get there you have to get loaded to have fun and ease the pressure. But then you are drunk and you can’t communicate with people. It is not pure. It’s a lot to have to worry about. It is not as safe as it use to be.

 

AM: You think gentrification is something to worry about in regards to African American people getting things done?

 

MN: Yes it is going to be private. Once you cross the (Grand) Boulevard there’s going to be a lot of changes. Ilitch (Olympia Entertainment) and Gilbert (Quicken Loans) are buying all the buildings. If you are not on either one of those teams it is going to be very hard. When I came downtown nobody was down here. I knew it was coming. I signed my lease for ten years because I knew it was going to happen. I did not make it. It is all about timing. If you are too quick you still may miss an opportunity. If you are before your time you still may miss. You have to take the slow road so you will get accepted in whatever you do.

 

AM: Do you go out?

 

MN: No I don t go out. The (Charivari) picnic was the first time I had been out in a long time. When people saw me they lost their minds. If I go out it is something very special. When the past calls, I don’t answer. There’s nothing anyone can show me, not coming from where I have been.

 

AM: Give me your top five tunes of all time. Don’t think about it.

 

MN: B52s “Rock Lobster”, Black Coffee “Superman”, Was Not Was “Tell Me That I’m Dreaming”, Laid Back “White Horse”, Gary Numan “Cars”

 

AM: Bruce Lee or Jet Li?

 

MN: Bruce Lee

 

AM: Buddy’s Pizza or Domino’s?

 

MN: Buddy’s without a doubt!

 

AM: Lou’s Deli or Mr. Fo Fo’s?

 

MN: Lou’s

 

AM: Baker’s Keyboard Lounge or Bert’s on Broadway?

 

MN: Baker’s

 

AM: Armani or Calvin Klein?

 

MN: Armani

 

AM: Donny Hathaway or Stevie Wonder?

 

MN: Stevie

 

AM: Dramatics or the Temps?

 

MN: Temps

 

AM: Motown or The Sound of Philadelphia?

 

MN: Motown

 

AM: Soul Train or the Scene?

 

MN: Soul Train

 

AM: L’uomo or Warehouse Chicago?

 

MN: Warehouse

 

AM: L’uomo or Paradise Garage?

 

MN: Paradise Garage

 

AM: L’uomo or Music Institute?

 

MN: L’uomo

 

(Laughter!!!!)