I transferred to Binghamton University and Mike was one of the first people I met there and I think he recognized I was new and a little lost there, and was an immediate friend. He was an incredible music lover, and it was an infectious and an educational love, an unstoppable DJ. He made art as if it was breathing or eating, it was that necessary. I am incredibly saddened at his loss but joyous in remembering our times together, that group of friends, and his amazing vitality.

Mike Naylon (Rollerblade Mike) was someone you may have known or encountered in Buffalo, Brooklyn or Manhattan in the 80's through the early decades of this century. Or maybe like me you encountered him at SUNY Binghamton, where he was my brother Thomas Rigney's housemate and one of his best friends. Maybe you saw him gliding through the streets, had a mile a minute conversation with him at Other Music, ran into him at a concert, or bought a used book, CD or strikingly original silkscreened shirt from him at a weekend sidewalk sale near the Bedford Ave L train stop. You likely knew of his love of music of all kinds and were blown away by his seemingly boundless creative spirit. Myself and many of his friends also knew him as a talented artist, with an amazing eye for an image, especially with his silkscreening and the literally handmade films he made that were the shirts' source material. You may not have known Mike's struggles with mental illness, because if he was out and about that meant he was generally in a good place. Sadly, many of us learned yesterday that Mike passed October 31. Like others, I slowly lost my connection to him for a variety of reasons which makes his passing even sadder. A great hole has opened up in our lives, knowing he's not out there rushing through the world somewhere, and that we won't ever run into him in the streets or at a show ever again. My deep deep sympathies to his family and all of those who loved him.

Mike and I met as freshmen at SUNY-BInghamton in 1989. It was a magical time. Our days there were filled with music, art, and incredible fun. Mike was intense, smart, and amazingly creative. We kept in touch for years after college, but gradually our lives diverged. I think about him all the time and wish I could have been a better, stronger friend. Love to Mike's family.