Treated for a brain tumour in 2002, the guitar player battled on throughout several operations, briefly rejoining the Man line-up in 2004 and playing at the band's annual Patti Pavilion gig, before being forced into retirement by recurring problems and handing his Gibson SG over to his son, George.
Since it began back in 1968, with Micky, Clive John, Ray Williams, Jeff Jones and Deke Leonard, Man has been an unslayable beast, enduring a myriad of line-up changes, high-living in the San Francisco psychedelic days, shifts in fashions and record label wranglings.
Their colourful adventures on the road in Germany and the US were detailed in Deke Leonard's humorous account — Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics. But the death of Mickey closes a pivotal chapter on the act.
Taking their cues from The Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service, (QMS's John Cippolina was an honorary member of Man on their Maximum Darkness tour of 1975), Man became known for their 20-minute mid-song jam sessions which would career off at all angles with no warning, and Mickey's guitar style was one of the cornerstones of their appeal.
Though coming late to the band (thru a live CD recorded on a tour with Hawkwind), I really enjoyed listening to the band and bought many of their albums. Sorry to hear of Micky's death, a great, great guitar player...
Rock on Micky, rock on...
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