Open Mike Live logo in black, white, and red

This series chronicles Mike’s adventures throughout the US and Canada, offering raw and unpolished glimpses into his life.

Mike’s life is deeply rooted in his Steel Valley upbringing, but shaped by his travels throughout North America and a lasting desire to build a better home back in Ohio.

Featured Chapters

  • View of a city skyline with tall buildings in the distance and residential houses with trees in the foreground.

    Columbus Side B

    2023 - present

    Mike returns to Columbus, 6 years after moving away, and finds a city in transformation.

  • A person standing alone in the middle of an empty city street at sunset, with tall buildings on either side.

    Street Cred

    Mike chronicles times in his life when he was unhoused, living on the streets of Portland, Chicago, Columbus, Alexandria, New Orleans, Natchez, and Mansfield.

  • City street lined with multi-story buildings, some with decorative architecture, under a partly cloudy sky. Parked cars visible along the curb, with trees and street signs in the foreground.

    Calling My Bluff

    Feb 2023

    This collection covers Mike’s adventures during Feb 2023 in the town of Natchez, Mississippi, when a Grindr date abruptly goes awry during a roadtrip into the lad’s hometown.

  • A pathway in a park with a flagpole flying the American flag, trees, grass, a bridge in the distance, and a blue sky with clouds.

    Down South

    2021-2023

    This collection spans Mike’s time living in Alexandria, working in Central Louisiana to maintain, upgrade, and restore after extreme weather its electric substations.

  • A person with a backpack standing on a soccer field at sunset with dark, ominous clouds overhead, surrounded by trees.

    Paradise in Smoke

    2020

    This collection covers Mike’s move to Portland, Oregon - a paradise in the biblical sense - a cascading hell beneath the alluring veil of beauty and pretense.

  • City street scene with modern and historic buildings, people walking, bicycles, cars parked, and a large mural of a man wearing a hat on a building, under a partly cloudy blue sky.

    Pardon My French

    2018-2019

    This collection covers Mike’s return to Montreal as an American foreigner working in a Canadian utility firm in a strictly French-speaking utility industry.

  • A semi-truck parked on a paved surface at sunset with mountains in the background.

    Trans || Americas

    June - Dec 2017

    This collection remembers the 25,000 miles I traveled through 13 Western states with my boyfriend Matt, a long-haul flatbed truck driver.

  • Blue Mazda sedan parked on the side of a neighborhood street on an overcast day with leafless trees and houses in the background.

    Dashcam POV

    2012-2018

    Collection of Mike’s episodes taking place onboard his beloved blue Mazda - Osiris.

News & Politics

Recurring Topics

Technology



Performances

Infrastructure

Urban Sustainability

Prohibited

Family

Community

Recent Episodes

Alexandria, Alexandria (2) Mike George Alexandria, Alexandria (2) Mike George

Gone South

Freshly arrived in rural Louisiana, Mike adjusts to his new role at CLECO, contrasting the "boots on the ground" field work he now performs with his previous experiences working moreso in an office environment. He reflects on Pride at how the Queer community has evolved recently.

Read More