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Michael was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and raised within 75 miles of his birthplace. That means that in his youth he was steeped in the legend and lore of the Indy 500 (which he attended with his father, Al, on many occasions) and the Cords, Auburns and Duesenbergs which had been manufactured not very far from where he lived. Many other great marques came from Indiana. Stutz was built in Indianapolis too, and Muntz, not far away, in Evanston, Illinois. It was against this backdrop that Michael discovered his love for cars. But in high school, Michael's biggest interest was music. He played piano, trombone and guitar, was in the marching and dance bands, and when 16, formed a rock group that continued playing professionally through his college years (at Indiana State and Indiana University) and well beyond. With personnel and name changes along the way, that band made appearances for nearly 20 years and recorded at RCA in Chicago, though not under contract to that label.
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Michael has worked in radio in Indianapolis, Knoxville, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit and Los Angeles. As a reporter for KNX radio (since 1980) he has covered numerous high-profile stories and court cases: The Rodney King case, L.A. riots, the Zsa Zsa Gabor cop-slapping trial, O.J. Simpson murder trial, Menendez Brothers, and more recently, the Robert Blake trial. Michael has covered political figures, including Presidents Reagan and Clinton, and former Presidents Carter, Ford and Nixon. The list of celebrities, dignitaries and potentates he has interviewed is endless.
For example, he recently had a private interview with the British Ambassador to the U.S. Michael seizes every opportunity to do what, professionally, he likes best: commercials, voice-overs, film narrations and voice characterizations. As a friend said of him recently, “He has about 40 other people living inside him.” This year, Mike has move up the ranks of KNX radio to become its first commentator in over 20 years! No longer will he be reporting on news events in the field, but rather, will be able to express his personal opinions in editorials. This is an advancement long overdue for such a talented newsman.
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Michael's favorite cars are not what you might think. He likes them quirky, not too refined and pleasantly unpredictable. The kind you might piece together in your own garage, and in the main, European-American hybrids. Thus, Allard, Nash-Healey, Arnolt-Bristol, Iso Grifo, Facel Vega, Dual Ghia, Hudson Italia, A-C Cobra and others of that ilk are his favorites. Michael lives with his long-suffering and very patient attorney wife, Diane, in Thousand Oaks. Diane spends her time defending police officers accused of wrongdoing for the L.A. Police Protective League. She loves music and gardening.
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