Dear friends of Operation Ivy: 

               Over the years it has become obvious that interest in Operation
               Ivy is not declining.. For personal reasons I have chosen to stay
               out of the limelight, but I decided to make this letter available to
               answer certain questions that people ask me all the time. 

               A) Why did OPIVY break up? Mainly because of band conflicts.
               I left the band because of a few issues, many of which I don't even
               remember, which seeemed unresolvable. It's not really my place to
               hash them out in public but I will say that over the years I have
               come to realize my part in creating some of the problems. 

               B) Are you still playing music? I am still writing music, but not in a
               band. I may do something in the future, but it probably wouldn't be
               a straight punk band. 

               C)Any chance of an Operation Ivy reunion? Although it would be
               fun, I've always respected bands that end clean. Anything can
               happen, but I think it would show more class not to. 

               D)What do you think of Rancid? I think they are great. Tim
               Armstrong is one of the best songwriters I have ever heard. You
               can not fuck with their rhythm section. Lars is awesome. I think
               they deserve every bit of success they have achieved. 

               E) What have you been doing since Operation Ivy broke up?
               After Operation Ivy broke up I went through a period where I
               was into more negative type punk bands such as The germs. It
               was fun but I gradually became interested in not waking up in a
               puddle of vomit and so I decided to get my shit together. I got
               heavily into Zen Buddhism for a while in 1992 and even became a
               monk for about 6 months. From this experience I learned the deep
               spiritual truth that it is cold as shit at four a.m. when you're wearing
               a silly robe. Currently I am learning how to play guitar, taking a
               class, and continuing to do art for Lookout. I am mainly writing
               this to clear a couple of absurd rumors ( although it's tempting to
               just let them fester ). 

               F) What do you think of all this shit? I think that it's great. I often
               ask myself how I got so lucky to be part of something so cool-
               especially something which seems to be meaningful to other
               people. In spite of problems we were always extremely passionate
               and united in playing the music. The exhilaration and love I felt
               when we were playing is beyond explanation. Of course I'm
               thrilled and very grateful that lots of other people understood and
               participated. 

               I hope this answers some of the questions people have about
               Operation Ivy. Allthough I am not currently active in the punk
               scene I still stand by all of my lyrics and the essential message
               which I think is basically: Think for yourself, have hope, don't
               forget to have fun!   Yours in unity and gratitude, Jesse Michaels.