Tanya Coen

My Tribute to Michael (from 1986 – 1996)
 
Charming, Gift of Gab, Witty, Original, Cerebral, Edgy, Dyslexic, Passionate, Lover of Life -- Social Justice, Diverse Experiences, Cultures, People, Music, Food, Places, & Drugs (pot & hallucinogenics).
Michael was…a character (an understatement), charming and sexy, with a fast-talking style, brash, hip and hilarious with hundreds of unique sayings (a famous one: “son of a male whore”)-- I think he got from his parents & the working class Redwood City neighborhood he grew up in, and the local car club culture his brothers belonged to.  Everyone I ever met loved to be in Michael’s presence. Michael, you were one-of-a-kind (another  understatement). A working class hero turned intellectual. Unwilling & unable to be anyone but you -- isn’t that the ultimate goal of living a life true to ourselves on this planet. Life was social justice…and a party! And, you pursued both, religiously. There were stories from Greeley to Oaxaca of famous parties you’d thrown.
Michael, I was very privileged to have been able to spend 10 years with you. You were, are -- a profound part of my life. In those years we shared much adventure, passion, fun, novelty, and our own share of craziness. I am happy to hear that in the last 15 years you had found a deep contentment and happiness. I believe people come into each other’s life for a reason. That was an amazing time. But, it is nice to know that we both continued to evolve along our path.
To many people – you, Michael, were music! Home life in Greeley & elsewhere was a daily and endless sonic blast of music. You turned me onto sooo much…early R&B, World Beat,… and gave me a continuing & voracious appetite in music: Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, The Bulgarian Women’s Chorus, The Slits, The Sex Pistols, Billy Brag, Celia Cruz, Traditional Cuban Son’s, Silvio Rodriguez, Pablo Milanes, Ruben Blades, Willie Colon, Afro-Pop: High Life, Ju Ju, Chimurenga -- Fela Kuti, Thomas Mapfumo, King Sunny Ade; early Hip Hop – Gil Scott Heron, Curtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, KRS One, Afrika Bambaataa, Public Enemy, NWA, Neneh Cherry, Sistah Soulja, Digable Planets, Brazilian Music: Milton Nascimiento, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Olodum, R & B and more, more, more: James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Van Morrison, George Clinton and Funkadelic, Sun Ra, Aretha, Ray Charles, Sam Cook, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Leadbelly, Marianne Faithfull; Jamaican Music: Linton Kwesi Johnson and all the Greats, Tom Waites, The Pogues….And, to all of those of you that knew and loved Michael….this was literally just the tip of the iceberg!
We had a total blast doing our 10 years of research in Nicaragua, during the Nicaraguan Revolution, attending nightly C.D.S. meetings, spending hours drinking rum and passionately discussing the revolution and the state of the world at the Hospedaje Norma, walking the dusty, earthquake and war ridden, post-apocalyptic looking streets of Nicaragua, and even jumping off a train. We were in our element, along with hundreds of revolutionaries from around the globe.
Then, there was Oaxaca…always, always Oaxaca…from the birth of Tristan, to the many people you turned onto it, to your present years. It was hard to crack your bond with your beloved, Oaxaca. Guadalupe and Henet’s home welcomed us for years. Lebanese coffee with cinnamon and amazing feasts, The Zocalo, Linda Vista, our new friends – the transvestites, the group with Polio, street kids, all the Oaxacan crazies that we knew and loved, and the rotating group of other long term Oaxacan friends, and the Greeley “family” that would sometimes meet up with us there.
Food, how can I not mention food? Michael was one of the original “Foodies”. This was almost as much a part of Michael as music, celebration, and social justice. If we weren’t cooking it…we were seeking it out. You loved to cook multi-course feasts. My first taste of this was a 6 course Moroccan meal you prepared. On your 45th birthday, you cooked a Russian Meal, along with Borscht and Braided Saffron Bread. Vietnamese, Thai, Sushi, Nigerian, Ethiopian,… there was always some new recipe!
Michael, I’ve left out a lot…the books, literature, endless philosophical discussions, precocious Siobhan’s teenage years (sliding out the window by a sheet, and stealing my i.d….) -- But, the hundreds of people you touched can fill in a lot, too! You lived life….entered this world by storm and set an example on how to truly live life! Thank You, Dear Michael for having graced us all with your presence!  Love, Tanya
Tanya Coen
grapesofcraft@yahoo.com