I see him coming from a distance. Always dressed in black, always sharp, always respectable. His hair slicked back wearing the famous metallic hair net keeping his membrane well inside the capsule. It must feel kind of weird for him to be interviewed. He is used to slavishly reproducing all sounds and screams. Everything that is whispered, spoke or sang. He just stands there, takes it and replicates it. For once he will be the one doing the talking. He places himself very comfortably in him case. The foam surrounds him. He looks at ease. EB: Well Mic, how were the last 3 days of gigging here at the taubertal? MIC: It was hard work. Very intense. Sometimes, very, very hard to take. Some singers were cool and some would just chuck me around from left to right. EB: Do you have a band that impressed you? MIC: I particularly liked the German bands. The Spanish group from Barcelona was also very interesting. It’s a shame that one of the German bands had a salivation problem so I ended up being spat at all night…I got showered!….Only joking. Anyway, this is a common problem that we are trying to resolve with our union. EB: Does this mean that we are likely to see strikes soon? MIC: Well…If the singers keep on spitting on us, eventually something has to be done. EB: How’s your relationship with the mixing boards these days? MIC: Well, until a few years ago we were very close. We were bound by a sort of umbilical cord and that would keep us tied together. Since we now operate with wireless frequencies, our relationship has become very distant, strictly professional I must say. EB: What would you suggest to a budding you mic that wants to start in the business? MIC: You see… young mics need to understand that hours of sweaty hands around you and constant screaming from close distances is not a joke. Most of us are stressed about this. You know, there’s a lot personal fulfillment but the beginning is always hard. EB: One last question: what’s your relationship with the other mics like? Is yours a team effort or do you work individually? MIC: Look, being a mic is a very personal choice. A guitar or bass amp mic for instance, does not have the same exposure as us singing mics. Once, a bass mic colleague of mine, realized at the end of the concert that the amplifier was fed directly to the system so all his work was a waste of time……he had being standing in front of the speaker all that time! This certainly get you thinking. I am happy that in my work I don’t have to stand there for hours above a cymbal or next to a snare drum. That to me is a dirty job with no dignity. At least I get the limelight. EB: Mic, Thanks so much for your time MIC: Pleasure.