Full Name: Gary M.
Age: 26
Location: Oxford, Ohio
Occupation: Professional Musician
Hobbies: Billiards, watching movies, going to bars and not drinking, myspace.com, watching football, thinking too much
Pets: none since my cat died about seven years ago

1: the heavy part
Have your '20s been like you imagined?
No. I never imagined delivering pizzas until I was 26. When I started college at sixteen, I expected to have my PhD by now, and probably be sitting in a room doing equations on a blackboard and/or finding a cure for cancer and AIDS. When I dropped out of college at eighteen, I still thought I'd cruise through school once I got back. I also expected to get scholarships and grants, but I didn't even get enough financial aid to cover tuition until my junior year, so I had to work full-time while going to school full-time. When I graduated, I thought I'd open a music studio, but the bank turned down my loan. I also thought I'd be in love with a wonderful girl, but that hasn't happened. For a brief time, I thought I'd play in the [National Basketball Developmental League], but I could never bring myself to sacrifice enough to get there.

Which was the best year, for you, of the aforementioned '20s?
There are a couple good ones to choose from here, and twenty-one isn't one of them; I rarely drink, and I had a total of one drink the entire year (a mudslide on my birthday, and the guy at Applebee's didn't even card me). Twenty-six is the first that comes to mind because it's current. I'm living my dream, and even when I was working for most of the year, I caught glimpses of that dream, in the road trip to New York City (the inspiration for "Glimpse of a Dream"), and later the road trip to Cleveland and Chicago.

Right now, I'm happier than I've been since I was about ten and life was perfect. Twenty-two is close behind as that was the year I first got to quit delivering pizzas. I was able to just go to school for one semester; I actually got to experience college the way I feel everyone should experience it. I was out every night playing pool, as well as playing basketball, making music, and going to classes. That was the inspiration for "New Future." Twenty-two doesn't quite measure up to twenty-six, though, because of the way it ended. I had three months where I was in a classroom twenty hours per week, and at work thirty five to forty, and they were all senior level courses, so I slept about three hours a night and don't remember much of that time because of the sleep deprivation. The best two day span is October 19th/20th of this year, and June 22nd/23rd of 2002. The first because I quit work to make music and had an incredible show in Dayton the next day, and the latter because I finished my last day of college classes and felt all of the weight associated with seven years of college lifted off of my shoulders.

Why is music such an important part of your life?
I don't know where to begin with this one. There's so much thought to this answer, and no way to organize it. I'll try to give a one sentence answer and expand on it. Music allows me to express myself, learn about myself, relieve stress, and get through obstacles in my life that I don't know how else to get through. It's also been a part of me for thirteen years now.

A big part of it is the purity of music. I started rapping when I was 13. My mom was alive. I was healthy and happy, if tall, goofy, ugly, and a bit uncoordinated. It was part of my childhood, and one of very few things that have continued into my adult life from childhood. It's therefore kind of a bond or a glue to my life, a consistency amongst constant change. I used it as my therapy when my mom died. I didn't always rap about her passing away, but just the act of rapping allowed me to focus on something to keep me going. Writing lyrics allowed me to explore my emotions and take away from the massive amounts of confusion and stress I had that year. It's continued to get me through difficult times, such as ending up homeless after graduating, and renting a car to deliver pizzas (for nine months).

Of course, music didn't just get me through the bad times; it's brought me humor and improved upon the good times. Songs like "Playin' a Little Basketball," "Hopeful Messages," and "Wanna Get Down" are songs that take good things and make them into great things for me personally. By expressing myself through music, I've never had a problem with my identity. I've always known who I am, and what's important to me. I've questioned many things about life, but never about who I am, because my self-expressive music constantly reminds me of who I am and what matters to me.

When did you become Mission Man?
I started rapping when I was thirteen, and became Mission Man after I wrote "Intro To My Mind." I had written the fourteen songs (thirteen made the cut) for the CD and still didn't have a name. I needed something to show that I was on a quest or mission to change the way people see hip-hop. It was 1996, and gangsta rap was huge, and I wanted to show that what was great about rap was the ability to express yourself. I was seventeen.

What was the turning point for you, Mission Man-wise?
I don't remember the exact date, but it was October or November of 2004. I had just lost $1,000 promoting Playing for a Cure [a benefit for the American Cancer Society held in remembrance of Gary's mother, a cancer victim], and raised nothing from it for the American Cancer Society. I had gone to open mic every Wednesday in Oxford for five weeks in a row, and got a lot of weird looks, and next-to-nothing crowd response. I had no real shows lined up. Week six there, I was ready to give up on my hometown of Oxford, and I said to myself before open mic "If I get no response tonight, I'm not coming back."

That night, about five people gave me a huge response after I performed a medley of "You Gotta Want It" "Weightlifting Jam," "Playin' a Little Basketball," and "Chillin' at the Papa." That was all it took, was five people legitimately loving was I doing. The next week there were twelve, the week after there were twenty, and the next few weeks after that there were thirty to forty people there specifically to see me. That turned into one hundred twenty at my first show at Hole in the Wall in January of this year. Since then, things have gone right in several cities, and things seem to get better all of the time. I don't want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't gone to open mic that night; I'm just very glad I did.

What made you decide to "go pro"?
I was able to save enough money to not work for a month, and the time demands of music became to large to continue working and music both. The fans are what made me choose music. I have some incredible fans in many places. Dayton, New York City, Columbus, Oxford, Oh., Athens, Oh., Chicago, and a few others. The superfans do things like hold pre-Mission Man show parties and invite all of their friends, and put up flyers all over town for me, and giveaway demo CDs, and spread the word on the internet. They're the ones who have ultimately given me enough confidence and support to make this step.

How are you going to support yourself?
There are multiple ways I'm going to try, and they obviously all depend upon the fan. The first is shows. I want to perform in my strongest markets every couple of months, Dayton, Athens, Columbus, Oxford. I want to develop a couple more base regional cities, Muncie, In., Bloomington, In., Indianapolis, Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati, to make enough money to pay my bills and music related expenses.

In addition, I want to try selling CDs again. I had given up on that for a long time because most people just steal music now. I actually used that to my advantage by giving away a ton of music so people who copy it for their friends and come out to my shows. But, I think real fans will eventually buy CDs (when they have money), and so I'm focusing on two such CDs. One is The Complete Mission Man Collection. It has one hundred twenty-one album cut mp3s from seven full albums (and three songs from [my new album], Indiependent), live recordings, video, album artwork, photos from past shows, and album notes for every CD. That's available for $16 at www.cdbaby.com/missionman4, or you can go to MissionMan.net and follow the link.

The other CD I call Mission Man Top 19.5. There are nineteen songs and a skit ("MFQ") for $5 at live shows. I'd like to make it available online as well, but I can't handle the processing of orders on my own, and CDBaby (and other online stores) have a large enough mark up that I'd have to charge at least $9 plus shipping for something fans can get for $5 at shows. In addition to shows and online CD sales, open mics have been good to me. Some of them have cash prizes (though I've never won one, so I've never gotten the cash prize). Open mics give me free exposure, and the last 3 that I've tried to sell CDs at, I've sold a total of five $5 CDs. Not much money, but helps pay for gas. If someone buys a $5 CD, my profit is about $4.25. If someone buys the Complete Mission Man Collection online for $16, my profit is about $10.50, so buying that online is very much supporting me and my music.

What do you have planned for next year?
I'm planning a Florida tour for January before making my way back to Ohio. Beyond that, I'm just going to perform and record as much as possible. Sometime in 2006 I expect to finish Indiependent (by the end of next week, I'll have five songs total about twenty-two minutes, and I want it to be an hour long). I'm toying with the idea of doing a European tour in the summer, but a ton of things are going to have to go right for that. Most likely I'd have to gigswap with some European band and give them a dozen or so dates here in exchange for the same over there.

It's very hard planning anything long term right now because so much is dependent on other people. If my Florida shows are all amazing, I'll be returning there several times this year. If not, then I have to adjust accordingly. I do plan on making my way back east, and putting together bigger tours, on the scale of forty-five shows in thirty cities in three months. I'll probably spend quite a few nights sleeping in my car, and many nights depending on the hospitality of fans giving me a floor or couch to crash on.

Of your own songs, which is your favorite, and why?
In terms of live performance, I'd have to say "Wanna Get Down." I freestyle for part of it, have samples of "Playin' a Little Basketball," "Weightliftin' Jam," and "Runnin'." I get to essentially invert my voice for one of the choruses, run in place during the Runnin' sample, and pretend to lift weights during the "Weightliftin' Jam" sample. In terms of listening to my own music, "Revitalized" is up there, as is "Glimpse of a Dream," and "When My Dreams Come True."

Why are people drawn to "Chillin' at the Papa"?
It's real, which means people can identify with the lyrics. It's got a fun catchy beat, and it's funny. Beyond that, I have no idea. It's a phenomenon beyond my explanation.

What's the craziest thing that has happened to you as Mission Man?
Well, hmmm... the whole signing breasts thing is close; I didn't think that actually happened. It's something I had only seen in the movie Happy Gilmore. I'd have to say it happened on a pizza delivery. It was about one a.m., and this girl called up to order a large pizza and breadsticks, but she didn't "want it unless Gary delivers it." We weren't busy at work, so they let me take it. When I get there, one girl opens the door and just stares for a moment. The entire room was silent, then one guy yells "It's Mission Man!"

Then things happened very quickly and I had trouble comprehending what was going on. One girl had her hand on her chest as though she was going to faint. The other girl pulled me in, and a third girl had a professional camera ready. It looked like something you'd see on a model shoot. They had me pose for some pictures. The girl who pulled me in asked if she could kiss me on the cheek. I said sure, and since it was for a picture, she had to hold the pose. After the picture was taken, one guy yelled to the other one "Man, you need to control your girlfriend." The other girl looked at me and said "this means so much!" and again looked like she was going to faint. I put my arm around her while holding the pizza (in its hot bag) in the other hand.

It was quite surreal since I was delivering pizzas and being treated like a celebrity. I walked out and heard one guy yell "It's like Bruce Springsteen just delivered our pizza." The door closed and I just said to myself "What just happened?" On a side note, the total on the order was $9.99, and they gave me $10 (so a one-cent tip). The combination of the two worlds is what makes it so weird.

What do you mean by "Viva la touch it"?
I'm impressed by your knowledge of my music. I'd say maybe five people beyond myself have listened to "Open Road." "Viva la touch it" is a reference to the band Dos Locos. Instead of saying "cheers" they say "touch it." I wrote the lyrics while attending one of their shows, and the expression was the finishing symbolic touch on a song about freedom and living life my way.

There's a certain fear manifest in "Scares Me to Think" and "There Was a Man." Are you afraid someone is going to try to hurt you?
Two oddly different and yet similar songs. "There Was a Man" is purely symbolic and fictional. "Scares Me To Think" is about a real event. "Scares Me To Think" is about Dimebag Darrell (from Pantera) getting shot and killed at a club in Columbus while performing with his last band, Damage Plan. It scared me because I found out about it while waiting to perform in Oxford at an open mic, and because I had actually sent a demo to that club to try to play there. I don't understand how something like that can happen. Someone just walking on stage and shooting a musician during a performance. I don't expect it to happen to me, but I didn't expect it to happen to anyone, and a lot of musicians (especially great ones like John Lennon and Tupac) have been murdered.

"There Was a Man" has to do with my mission to change the way people see hip-hop. I've always thought there was a possibility that people would misunderstand my music. There are certainly those out there who think I'm mocking hip-hop; there are probably people who are fans of my music because they think I'm mocking it. The wrong person misunderstanding what I'm doing could end up in bad things happening. "There Was a Man" is supposed to illustrate the fact that I am in no way mocking the art form I've dedicated my life to. I am simply expressing myself, and hopefully helping others in the process. There is a minor fear that I will be shot or stabbed sometime because someone misinterprets what I'm doing and is offended enough to attack me.

Where would you like to be on New Year's Day 2007?
In a hotel room with my future wife having just brought in the New Year by performing to hundreds of people at a New Year's party. The city isn't all that important.

2: the not-heavy part
Describe a good night out...
Playing pool with some good friends while listening to a good original band and meeting one great new person. A great night out would include dinner at Outback, and probably playing some serious video games at Dave and Buster's or Jillian's. Maybe even throw in a movie, preferably not a remake of something from twenty-five years ago.

And a good night in the apartment?
Recording some music, then eating some good food while watching Monday Night Football or a good movie.

Current favorite ethnic food and, if possible, dish.
Hmm... I don't eat much in the way of ethnic foods. There is essentially no selection for that kind of thing where I live. It's probably been three years since I've even been to an Indian restaurant. I need to do that more often.

What have you been listening to?
Sage Francis, Saul Williams, Blackalicious primarily lately. I don't have a CD player or an iPod, so I'm unfortunately stuck listening to mainstream radio when I drive.

Was hast you been reading?
The Wheel of Time Series. I loved books one through six, and there's a chapter in book nine that's the best chapter of any book I've ever read. Book eleven (Knife of Dreams) came out in October, and it's great, but now I have wait for book twelve to come out, and that may be three years down the line.

What have you been watching on TV?
Mostly football. I only get two stations (don't have cable), and can't handle watching commercials during regular TV shows. If I had cable or better reception, Desperate Housewives, 24, Curb Your Enthusiasm, or Dave Chappelle.

Seen any movies lately? What did you think?
I think I've seen five movies that came out this year. Star Wars: Episode III, Willy Wonka, Batman Begins, The Longest Yard, and Serenity. I loved Revenge of the Sith. It's honestly my favorite of the six Star Wars films. I didn't like Willy Wonka and didn't expect to. I'm not a big fan of remakes, so I didn't see much this year. Batman was better than I expected. The Longest Yard was exactly what I expected, completely predictable, but I like Adam Sandler, so I enjoyed it. Serenity, I knew nothing about going in, and very much enjoyed the film. I borrowed the entire series it was based off of (Firefly by Joss Whedon) from my brother, and enjoyed the series as well.

You're getting ready to go out: Which song do you blast on the stereo?
Going out for me is pretty laid back because I'm not a drinker, so I rarely blast anything. When I do, sometimes it's whatever song I just finished recording, other times it's Tupac or Wu-Tang, and occasionally it's '80s music.

3: the cocktail party
So you're having a cocktail party: list five A-list guests, other than Jesus, me and your friends...
Natalie Portman, Michael Jordan, Prince, Dave Chappelle, Bill Clinton.

What drinks will you serve?
Long Islands (my drink of choice), and anything else the professional drinkers want.

What will be in the stereo?
Probably a mix CD including Michael Jackson (Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal), Prince (Let's Go Crazy, Little Red Corvette), Bill Clinton playing the sax, Tupac, Frank Sinatra ("My Way"), "Hey Bobby" by Sage Francis, "Shakespeare" by Saul Williams, and Cyndi Lauper ("Time After Time").

Conversation topics will include...
With Natalie Portman, I'd discuss the fact that I respect her for keeping her parents' identity a secret as much as possible. Not letting her fame affect her family is wonderful. Michael Jordan, I'd talk a lot about basketball obviously, but also whether or not he evers get privacy and what to look out for if I get famous. Prince, I'd probably just absorb everything he has to say about music. Dave Chapelle would be there purely for humor value, as I'm sure he could imitate everyone else there. Bill Clinton, I'd ask what it was like having the most stressful job in the world and probably complain about the fact that people focus on everything unimportant about the president, and not how he's doing at actually leading the country.

How will the evening end?
With that group, who knows. Hopefully I'd kick everybody out and fall asleep watching a movie with Natalie.