Mik puffed his cheeks out and began...
A long time ago in Beeston, South Leeds little Mickie Gallagher discovered the joy's of drawing cowboy's and spacemen and superhero's...no girls allowed. After a turbulent career in insurance, oil and construction Mik ended up where he should have gone in the first place, Bradford Art College. Then he left having played with ink, tape-recorders, punk and obscure eastern european cigarettes.
More construction work followed as his art career floundered then in January 1983 Mik found his vocation, the brown paper bag and the biro became his tools as he wandered from Leitrim to London doing portraits.
A degree in theology rounded everything off nicely..
Mik lost his marriage and everything...
A new dawn broke on some morning in May Nov 94 when Mik trod the boards for the first time as Mik Artistik surrealist, semi-finalist, performance poet, stand-up, performer...phew!!!
1998.Mik is finalist in Channel 4's "SO YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY?"
2004. Mik Artistik's Ego Trip(early version)was born.
2006 Mik Artistik's Ego Trip (new improved version)
2008. MAET played with Faust, Chumbawamba, did Latitude, and at Glastonbury sold over a thousand quids worth of albums...thank you.
Got on Rock Fm in September and cars were crashing as people got so distracted by our tunes.
October, the Idler magazine took them on as the light of the world, they played their bash and left grown men like Zodiac Mind Warp, Tom Hodgkinson and the drummer from the Jesus and Mary Chain weeping with joy.
The Colony Room Club in Soho, home of Francis Bacon, George Melly and all the Brit Artists this year experienced the full force of the Ego Trip and bowed down!
Big thanks to Radio 1, to Rob da Bank for playing "Window Cleaner"... and we got on the footie programme on Radio Leeds.
2009/2010 What a blaster of a year! Eighteen festivals an art exhibition and they still hadn't won the Mercury Prize... or the Uranus Prize...or the Turner Prize. They added a Todd Rungren / Paul Young element to their sound ...
2010 Jarvis Cocker plays them on Radio 6 "WHO IS MIK ARTISTIK?" a 35 min documentary by Jackie Jarvis is shown at the Leeds International Film Festival
2011. two slots on Radio 4 ( "Castaway" track used on afternoon play... Mik does a poetry slot at Cheltenham Lit. Fest) Solo Painting show at Opus Gallery ,Newcastle.
Xmas single campaign gets 1700 fans signin up!
2012. Bin a lively year so far with blistering slots at Leicester Comedy Festival, Vortex Jazz Club and Bath Comedy Festival at the weekend..It's gonna be a lively,blustery summer!!!