What Happened To...?
(OG): Anyone that knows me knows that I have an intense love for creating
music and music itself. I've been playing the guitar for about eight years
now, and I'd be in hell without it. It's my stress-relief...my purest
method of self expression. Mike Wilby was a dirty, hulking stoner with a
penchant for listening to death metal and watching pornographic Japanese
cartoons when I met him at Cross Keys, and so of course we ended up
becoming friends. He got me into his music and the prospect of learning
how to play guitar, and I followed through (a rare thing among most
"students"), learning everything he could teach me. He moved away one day
without notice (to Virginia, I believe), and I didn't see him for a long
time afterwards.
(AX:) I'll cut to the chase and admit that Mike Wilby absolutely frightened me. I was a short, skinny white boy with very long hair back then. Very into rock music (which I made very clear by wearing different bands' t-shirts to school daily), but didn't apply any of those stereotypes to my life. Mike came along, very "Metallica-fan"-looking, complete with demonic facial hair and drug affinities. I looked as though I may fit in with your average "metal guys", but was very far from that on the inside. With his interest in "death metal" and Satanism, Mike kind of struck me as a hard-core fellow. The only thing I dug was his generosity and sense of humor, which he never tried to hide. I was already in a band when he came into our little group of friends, but was just starting to play guitar. He was pretty good at it, which somewhat fascinated me at the time. But, whereas Santiago quickly became Mike's guitar student, I opted to play it cool and not mention my interest around him. I'd always tell him I didn't play, mainly just because I was too shy about my (shitty) guitar chops. The rest is history as far as that goes. I eventually developed my own screwy style of playing, as Santiago went on to take what he learned from Mike and hone his shit to the original and exceptional thing he does now.
STATUS:
(OG:) Mike came back into town in 1998, armed with a wife and a lovely
baby girl. He's currently in Atlanta, trying to make it musically (in a
band called Culture Shock) and as a dad.
(AX:) I saw Mike at some guy's birthday party in early 1994. His hair was cut short, he dressed sort of preppy, and he looked...well, smaller. He was a nice as hell guy, though. I think I finally played in front of him that night.