I got to know Mike in late 2008 when I sat with friends in an East London bar in the daytime. I received a phone call from him because he found me online after having googled "London Bass Teacher". He wanted to pick up the double bass! How lucky was I to meet and work with such a wonderful, witty and interesting bass student!! At the time, I was curating a concert series for the Austrian Cultural Forum London - so whenever I rang their doorbell in our weekly lessons, he would ask "Is this the Austrian Cultural Revolution?" I use this joke today when I ring someone's doorbell to tell them who's there. Mike and I got on on an intellectual level. Needless to say, his library was just a wonderful location to hold music lessons. A good chunk of our time together was spent talking about various conceptions of adult learning, of course over a cup of tea. Also, we discovered we were both only children - both without brothers or sisters. He was the first person to explain to me some of the psychological implications that had complicated my relationship to my parents for a while. I started to better understand what was going on, thanks to Mike. His warmheartedness and views on the world will stay with me. His favorite song to play on the bass was "Stand By Me". I'll play it for him on one of my next concerts.