Savannah Welch Instagram – I haven’t had the words for days. The only thing I keep repeating is “Not Hendo”. It. Just. Feels. Wrong. But I got to tune into the Livestream of his funeral service in Nashville today and if they can get up there, articulate so beautifully and get through songs, I can do this, by God.
Evidently I met Mike when I was about a year old. You know when someone feels larger than life, you just figure they’re untouchable to mortality like the rest of us. Mike was the guitar player in one of my Dad’s first bands, The Overtones, then later they were in The Dead Reckoners together too. When I was little, I loved watching their band for many reasons but a highlight that all of us kids waited for was when Mike would play his guitar behind his head and then throw his left leg over the neck and crank out a gritty solo hopping around on one foot. And he still hit every note. I loved watching he and my Dad crack each other up on & off stage and always wished I could be in on the joke. He had a wink that was as twinkly and reassuring as Santa Claus, and then couple that with his warm smile always outfitted with a toothpick & a little nod…you knew you were doing good if one of those came your way.
In those early days, Mike and his family lived in a house with an old chicken coop in the backyard. Mike soundproofed it, coined it the Chicken Shack, and that’s where my Dad spent lots of hours writing songs, playing snooker, watching Cubbies games, and the usual antics of late night hangs. When I was 14, my Mom bought that house and Dustin called dibs on the Chicken Shack, naturally. The legacy lived on with many, many more hours of music and foolery…and no doubt some Cubbies games too. I remember my Dad telling me once that it’s not always fun to watch a ballgame with Hendo because he wears a full Cubs uniform, head to toe, sits about a foot & a half from the little tv and there’s no talking allowed…unless you’re yelling at the screen…which, let’s be real, happened a lot. (Cont in comments) | Posted on 28/Sep/2023 01:54:33
