With all the music fans on this website, I though this article might be interesting. Mike is a big blues fan. Mike got tickets to see Junior Wells at the old Backstage and Junior called Mike out from the stage. He made sure we we're coming into the dressing room for the post-show party. After knocking on the backstage door, one of Junior's sidemen yelled at Junior "Hey Junior, the judge is here" and the whole room started chanting "Here comes the judge, here comes the judge". It was pretty funny at the time.
If you've ever wonder about judges and how they ended up where they are, here's an article written by a friend of mine who happens to be a judge. This article was published in the Seattle Times in November. I meant to post it at the time but Mike's wife Sally, who encouraged him to submit this article, was very ill and passed away not too long after this was published.

Special to The Times
The music made it real
Michael J. Fox

"What you doin' here, boy? You're not from around here." I turned around to face my inquisitor. He was white, about 50, easily 25 years older than me, coming to cast his vote in the courthouse on the town square before his day's work.

"Sir, I'm just an interested citizen watching how things go at the polls today." I felt awkward in my jacket and tie in the middle of the small Central Virginia town I'd been sent to, holding my clipboard in front of me with both hands as if it gave me some official status.
"You FBI?" I looked around. There was no one else close by. "No. I'm just here to see if everyone gets to vote today if that's what they want to do."

I'd felt alone and a little scared since getting out of my car a half-hour earlier, but now I was getting nervous. I was the only "observer" assigned to this small town, with its single polling place. There hadn't been enough of us to send in pairs."

Balance of the article here:
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/

Dang, I can't find the remainder of the article through the link. I enjoy Junior Wells quite a bit, but I thought he died about ten years ago. Any chance you could post the rest of the article??

Thanks

Sorry, I must have messed it up when I copied it.

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.co...ry=michael+fox\

Junior did die about that long ago. I think the Backstage has been closed down almost that long. Mike had been to Junior's club in Chicago and had dinner in his home several times. When somebody tells me they know a musician, i usually take it with a grain of salt or as bragging but after Junior came over to talk to Mike in the middle of a song to ask him why he didn't come back stage before the show, and after Junior giving us all a t-shirt, I knew it was a real friendship.

Chuck E

Thanks for sharing, I've always felt that music was the most powerful medium. Blues is easily my favorite. Good thing there's so much good stuff out there, new and old, to keep influencing me.

Thanks Chuck! Dude we gotta get you fishin!!