Godspeed Mike Friese!

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Mike_FrieseIt is with great sadness and a deep sense of loss that I share the following news. On Christmas Day 2012 Mike Friese passed away. For those who watched the original cable TV series “Biker Billy Cooks with Fire” you will remember Mike as my off camera sidekick and soundman. Our banter was a special part of the show and a source of much laughter and joy. Mike was a good friend and if you had the opportunity to work with him you were lucky indeed. He was a genius with sound and the tip of his soldering iron created many a wonder back in the studio days we shared. I still have and use microphone cables he made over 20 years ago; they have endured the test of time, as will the place he has in my heart. I have so many memories of Friese, he preferred to be called by his last name, although he did let me get away with calling him “Mikey” especially when I had freshly sautéed onions. Mikey loved them onions. One fond memory from our days in production on the show was when I forgot something and had to rush off camera to retrieve it. On those occasions I could always count on Friese to provide some entertaining assistance in what he called “traveling music” which meant he would hum some ditty while I scampered off camera. He enjoyed performing like that so much. So in saying goodbye to a good friend in a way that would make him smile: Friese, how about some traveling music – Godspeed Mike Friese!

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