Michael and his partner reside in Echo Park, a neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, California, in a 1930s Spanish Revival house that holds a unique secret -- The HaleKahiki -- one of the best home tiki bars in southern California. Michael is an artist, musician and surfer. In the late 1970s L.A. punk scene, he was a member of the art collective World Imitation and band Monitor. He enjoys music theory and composition and world travel in order to research historical and ethnic design.