Mike Albo is a writer and performer who has been delighting downtown audiences with his witty and scathing sociological commentary since the mid-90’s. His solo shows include MIKE ALBO, SPRAY, and PLEASE EVERYTHING BURST- all co-written with his longtime friend, Dr. Virginia Heffernan, as well as many solo performances and tours across the United States and Europe.He also performs with Nora Burns and David Ilku in “Unitard,” and is a founding member of the legendary downtown dance troupe, the Dazzle Dancers.Mike’s first novel, HORNITO: MY LIE LIFE, was published by HarperCollins in October 2000. His next book, THE UNDERMINER, published by Bloomsbury USA, will be in stores on February 15th. His new solo performance, My Price Point opens Friday, January 28th at Performance Space 122.

1. My Price Point is all about America’s out-of-control consumer culture. What obsesses you most about consumerism?

I think its the fact that consumerism has MADE me obsess about it…its
inescapable, its part of my body and blood and I dont think I can ever really get away…I mean is there really a place in the world where there isnt an ATM machine now?

2. Your book, THE UNDERMINER, comes out this month. What is the origin of the Underminer character and how did you decide to expand it to a book?

I started doing the character about 4 years ago…Virginia and I just started noticing there was an awful lot of snide competitiveness happening…and once I started performing the character in LA, San Francisco and other places, and I noticed what a hoot it gave the audience, I realized that this character is an embodiment of something beyond a new york-y regionalism…he/she is a reflection of a larger behavior in our weird world of rampant crass overpromotion and 4,000 dollar studio apartments!…

3. How did you meet your frequent collaborator Virginia Heffernan and how do you work together?

We met Freshman year in college…we worked on the Literary magazine there together and were total poetry dorks. Basically when we collaborate, I write everything, send it to her or read it to her and she sprinkles her magic editorial wisdom or gives me some amazing zingers and then I go away and polish and freak out and memorize and come crying to her for comfort and advice…

4. You are the founder of everyone’s favorite mostly-nude dance troupe, The Dazzle Dancers. How did that start and what are the Dazzles up to these days?

My friend Gregg Guinta and I wanted costumes for Wigstock one year (I think 1994?) and we thought — ‘Solid Gold Dancers!” and it evolved, or devolved from there…

The DD’s are appearing in a Scissor Sisters video and in Craig Chester’s upcoming film Adam and Steve…but mostly we are looking forward to more lame gigs where they barely pay us and give us free drinks…!

5. If they made a movie of your life, who would you want to play you?

Peter Sarsgaard, but it would have to be written into the contract that he had to be my intimate lover — at least for the duration of the filming…for “research”….