| Mike Paladini | ||||||||||||||
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Mike was a musician from London, whom Joe Dawson and his band picked up after the young man appeared at every one of their shows, every night. In Paris, they gave him a shot on stage, "That was amazing. It was just like Jimi Hendrix was in my head and I was just playing along."
He was noticed by Byron, former 19th century poet, and current rock star. Byron seemed impressed and after the gig, invited Mike to jam with him. Dawson warned him to take it easy and he'd see him in the morning for rehearsal. Unfortunately, Byron was not only immortal, but used drugs recklessly, and put himself and others in life threatening situations, and expected those about him to do the same. The star-struck Mike found himself balancing on girders with Byron, nearly falling to his death, before being allowed to play with the star. Byron then invited Mike to lay down some tracks and meet a few people until Mike refused his offer of drugs, he then reversed himself saying the day was too busy. His groupies then enticed Mike to stay, and Byron got him to accept a bag of cocaine. When Mike arrived at Joe's rehearsal, still high, his playing suffered badly.
Joe told him not bother with the rehearsal, and to get some sleep, and Mike was incensed, "We're talking about Byron here! You should be happy for me, not bitching at me!" and he stormed out. Duncan MacLeod, accompanied by an interested Methos, who had been Byron's First Teacher, decided to have a talk with the rock star, to warn him to take it easy on Mike. Byron, however, reacted by telling Mike to go home, he wasn't ready for 'the big time.'
An angry Mike confronted MacLeod with Dawson witnessing, Mike told MacLeod to stay out of his business because he wanted more of a career than playing little clubs like Joe. Mike was told Byron cared nothing for him, but Mike insisted Byron was his shot. When Joe asked if he was still opening for them, Mike threw up his hands and ran off, returning to Byron, who was in the midst of a catastrophic drug binge, and insisted Mike join him; "Now, Mike, I hope you're not going to let me down again...." and presented a syringe.
Mike missed his gig with Joe, and MacLeod went looking for him at Byron's where he found the young musician dead from an apparent overdose. Furious at the waste of a promising life, MacLeod went looking for Byron. Methos who had gone to warn Byron to leave town, stopped MacLeod and pointed out that no one forced Mike to do anything, MacLeod insisted Mike was dead because of Byron. Methos argued that Mike was dead because of Mike. But MacLeod angrily pointed out that even if Byron "didn't pull the trigger, he sure as hell put the gun in his hand." Methos tried one last time to save his former student: "Think about the poetry. Think about the music that he's made. Think about the music that he will still make. You're going to kill all that as well?" But MacLeod's response left him with no further argument: "And what about Mike? What music could he have made?"