Mike Hudson

Mike Hudson was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Feb. 2, 1956. At the age of 16, he dropped out of school, hitchhiking throughout the United States and Mexico before joining the United States Army. By the time he was 21, he was an editor for Cleveland’s Sun Newspapers, and also released his first record with the Pagans, the seminal American punk rock group he co-founded with his brother, Brian. The band released a short stack of classic singles, including “Six and Change,” “What’s This Shit Called Love?” “Dead End America,” and “Not Now, No Way.”

Touring and recording steadily for the next two years, Hudson left the newspapering business and began publishing fiction in the fanzines of the nascent punk rock movement. By 1980, the Pagans had broken up, and he founded Terminal Records, a label that released the work of more than 20 bands, many of which appeared on the groundbreaking “Cleveland Confidential” LPs. The Pagans reformed briefly in 1982-83, releasing the classic “Pink Album.”

In 1984, Hudson moved to the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania to work as a crime reporter at the "Corry Evening Journal," a small daily newspaper. “Buried Alive,” a compilation album that included all of the Pagans studio tracks from the 1970s came out in 1986 to much critical acclaim. This led to another series of tours. Hudson continued publishing journalism and short fiction, moving to New York City in 1992 to work as a literary critic at the "Irish Echo" newspaper. A spoken word collection of his fiction, “A Monster and the Devil,” was released around this time.

In New York, Hudson recorded his first solo album, as well as two new spoken word albums. Around the turn of the century, he moved to Niagara Falls, where he founded his own tabloid, the "Niagara Falls Reporter." He also published five books, including “Niagara Falls Confidential,” “Diary of a Punk,” “Mob Boss” “Jetsam” and “Never Trust the World.” Hudson’s reputation grew, culminating in 2011 with a nationwide book tour.

Soon, Hudson found himself living in Los Angeles, where he would write his novel, “Fame Whore,” and record his first album in 15 years, “Hollywood High.” His writing has appeared in publications as diverse as "Radar," "Field & Stream," "Hustler," the Associated Press, "Master Detective," and the "New York Post." His 18 albums have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and charted in "Rolling Stone." Today, Hudson often appears as an extra in Hollywood feature films and television programs such as "True Blood" and "Glee."