Whiskey Mike

Have you ever been good friends with someone you have never met?

I have, and his name was Whiskey Mike, or for short, (WM).

I met Mike through the alt.news group alt.drunken.bastards back in the 90s. Back then, I was into drinking, and talking about drinking was nearly as exciting as doing it.

WM was a frequent poster, relating interesting and campy stories from his drinking exhibitions. He was a beer and a side car of Jame-o kinda guy. The kind that sits at the end of the bar and minds his own business kinda guy. The kind that when trouble sought him out it was one swift discourse and it was over kinda guy.

We hit it off from the very beginning. We were about the same age, and there’s some magical genX bonding of water hose drinking childhoods that you can’t find anywhere else. Our bond was never sexual. We just clicked and made each other laugh, and both of us needed the comic relief.

WM was from Milwaukee, and worked in IT. He was brilliant, and hardworking. And occasionally lost jobs for one reason or another. The last I had heard from him, he was in Florida and living near his mom helping her out. This was about 5 years ago.

This past week I was in Milwaukee for business and realized how long it had been since we chatted. So I looked him up.

Only to discover he had passed away several years ago.

So if you’re reading this today, let this be your sign to check in on your friends. Even the best ones you’ve never met.