Today, we pay tribute to my friend Mike Slavko, aka the legendary disc jockey known as “M. Dung.”
M.Dung was a very popular disc jockey on KFOG Radio in San Francisco for many years. He had a program called the “Idiot Show” that celebrated the absurdity of rock ‘n’ roll. Rhino Records even released a special CD that paid this tribute to very special show.
When the Leukemia Foundation partnered up with KFOG to create the first LOUIE LOUIE Parade in 1988, Dung was the man chosen to be the ringleader /”Grand Louie” of this event. The event, which also featured composer Richard Berry as a special guest, turned to be very successful, and they did it again in 1989.
Since that time, Dung has done of lot of other things, eventually leaving KFOG, and launching a special “Idiot Show” podcast for the 21st Century.
A few days ago, on November 22 = Dung’s birthday, he shared a very special message for all of his friends on Facebook:
Well, your old Dung-boy is happy to say he survived a heart attack. I now have 3 stints in 2 arteries. The blockages were at 95 and 90%. The cardiologist at Valley Care in Pleasanton did an amazing job. I am lucky to be alive.
That being said, I am not out of the woods. I was diagnosed with myleofibrosis last year. It is a blood cancer and could be advancing, and may be the reason I am now experiencing so much pain and swelling in my joints. The pain meds don’t seem to be helping and every move is a struggle. The hematologist at Valley Care is going to take me as a patient. He is affiliated with Stanford University so I am hopeful he can help me figure this out.
I might be lucky, and this pain may be from reactive arthritis. Needless to say, there will be more tests, and more waiting until we know what is going on. Being diabetic on top of all of this has really thrown the medical staff for a loop.
I have had to turn down 3 job offers within the past month, one of which I really wanted. Judy has been working 2 jobs, and is pretty wiped out. I am not sure how long it will take, or if I can get either short or long term disability. So, as difficult as this is, I am reaching out to you, for a little financial help while we get through one of the toughest times of my life.
Music is my passion, and I like to share it with anyone who will listen. I really want to get back to my studio and whip it out for you baby!
Please give what you can, any amount will help.
Thanks…
Mike
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise money to help Mike pay for his various medical bills. If any of my friends could donate something to help him out, that would be quite awesome.
To celebrate the legacy of my friend, I’m sharing some footage of him from the first LOUIE LOUIE parade. He talks about getting involved with this event, and his personal history with this song.
You can also see some snippets of various musicians performing this song at this event.
Here’s some footage of Dung performing with Richard Berry.
Digging around Facebook, I found this cool of M. Dung as Elvis, playing with The Nomads – Dave Barrett on the sax, John “Pyno Man” Seabury with his head cut off playing bass, Al Chan, Ben Dover, and Joseph Marc. (photo courtesy of Dave Barrett)
Here’s a photo of yours truly with the man himself.
All my best to you, my friend.
Please continue to fight against all that ails you.
I want you to be one of my special guests when I finally unveil this long-awaited film of mine….
Stick around, OK?