Hallo Mike!

I've contacted you long ago but seems you forgot me.
Some days ago, Debbie signed my guestbook and told me you work for her.
So, I hope this time you can make some free time to do this interview.
It's a bit strange after all those years to do a interview with my favorit BMX rider from the '80s.
When you rode for Hutch I had also Hutch but not a Hollywood series.
Now I collect old BMX bikes and I've a baby blue Hollywood myself now.
Well, let me begin with the questions that I've for you.

JJR: When and how did you started with BMX racing, how old was you then?
Mike: 13, because my parents wouldn't buy me a motorcycle.
JJR: What were your sponsors in your BMX career?
Mike: Too many to list.
JJR: How did you end up with the nickname "Hollywood", who gave it to you?
Mike: Steve Giberson, editor of BMX Action magazine, gave me that name because I like to show off.
JJR: Most of the people know you from the time when you rode for Torker and Hutch.
How was it to be a member of one of the greatest teams ever, Hutch?
Mike: Imagine travelling the world with your friends and getting paid to joke around all the time.
JJR: Can you tell us more about the Hutch Hollywood series?
Mike: Pro Series frames with very, VERY cool paint jobs.
JJR: You rode with Tim Judge, another BMX legend. How was it to be team mates?
Mike: We were team mates for a very short time; Timmy left BMX to become a top-ranked jet-ski racer.
JJR: Anything to say about the other Hutch team members? Eric Carter, Monte Gray, Charles Townsend, Steve Veltman, and Richard Hutchins? Any good stories from back then?
Mike: Eric Cater is one of the best men I know and I hope that my son can grow up to be just like him. Charles is one of the funniest people I know.
JJR: Can you tell us why and when you quit racing for Hutch?
Mike: I quit racing for Hutch when the company had financial troubles and was unable to pay my salary.
JJR: If I'm correct, after a full Hutch factory rider, you kept Hutch as a co-sponsor for some time. Is that correct?
Mike: No, when I left Hutch, I left Hutch.
JJR: The last thing I've found in the magazines was that you was riding for Free Agent. In a race you had a accident and broke your neck. When was that and was that the end of you BMX career?
Mike: In 1989, while racing in Florida, I fell and broke my spine. It was a career-ending injury.
JJR: How hard was it not to race anymore?
Mike: Not racing wasn't hard, but not seeing my friends all the time was.
JJR: What did you do after BMX and what do you now?
Mike: I went to work for GT Bicycles and now I work for Woodward.
JJR: The BMXers know you as a clown and a show man. Is there still something left of that at the moment?
Mike: What do you think?! I'm wearing a dress right now …
JJR: You travelled around when you was on Hutch. I know you was in France, Holland and England. What's the best memory you have of all that travelling abroad?
Mike: Making new friends around the world.
JJR: Ever visited Belgium?
Mike: Yes.
JJR: What do you miss most about those days?
Mike: When I fell down, it only hurt for one day.
JJR: You go now under your father's name Felty. So, can you explain where Miranda comes from?
Mike: It's my step-father's name.
JJR: Do you still have a BMX bike at home? Maybe your pink Hutch?
Mike: I have one complete pink Hutch, the one that was on the last cover of a magazine. I gave it to a friend in 1986, complete; he gave it back to me in 1998, complete.
JJR: Speaking of pink. You made pink a popular color in the '80s. If you think back now, was it not a big risc to ride a pink bike because today pink is for girls!
Mike: I still wear pink all the time.
JJR: Do you still follow BMX?
Mike: Not racing so much but I still love watching dirt jumping.
JJR: Do you think there is a difference in racing now and back then?
Mike: Yes. Clip-on pedals, tattoos, and steroids.
JJR: Do you still have contact with old BMXers?
Mike: Yes, my best friend James Vicente, the greatest BMXer from Nutley, New Jersey.
JJR: Do you have any souvenirs from your BMX racing days?
Mike: Besides my pink bike I have a Hutch, Torker, and CW uniform.
JJR: If you followed BMX a bit. What do you think of the new BMX bikes these days?
Mike: Seats and bars are too low and they're not pink.
JJR: You have signed in at Vintage BMX awhile ago. How comes I don't see you in that forum? I was gald to find you there! There are some other old Hutch racers on that forum you know?
Mike: No time.
JJR: Never thought to race in the veteran class?
Mike: Never. Remember, it hurts too much for too long …
JJR: You're a pro golfer (or was). Can you tell a bit about that?
Mike: I started by putting my golf clubs in the bottom of my bike box when I travelled. I played on Mondays after the races. I was good so I turned pro.
JJR: I've seen you have kids. No BMXers? Or are they golfers?
Mike: My son plays baseball and my daughter is a gymnast.
JJR: If you could turn back time. What would you change in your BMX career? Or what would you do different?
Mike: Two things that I would change: I would have been more careful with that zipper on my new Max pants in the bathroom that one time; and in Florida I would rather have gotten last place than break my back.
JJR: How's the feeling that you still have BMX fans after all those years?
Mike: It feels good to know that I still have friends.
JJR: What are your future plans? And what's behind this job you have at Woodward?
Mike: To help kids experience BMX and Woodward.
JJR: Any last words to the young and old BMXers?
Mike: Bones heal, chicks dig scars, pain is temporary, glory lasts forever. Evil Knievel told me that.
JJR: Thanks for answering my questions!
Maybe you can convince Tim Judge to do a interview like this one?
Thanks again and hope to see you at VBMX sometimes!

Johan
JJR