Coquitlam- “It seems that every seven years I release a new album”, the Mystic Minstrel aka Magic Mike Likey observed during a recent phone interview.
“The first album of new material after my father’s death in 1994 was in 2002, titled “Dear Dad”; then I decided to focus on getting two doctoral-titles through two metaphysical seminary schools in Sedona, and write two books, plus re-illustrate one of my children’s books. Add to that my careers as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Ordained New Thought/Metaphysical Minister, Spiritual Counselor and Reiki-Master, and that just about left some time to write the new material (for “Moonbeam Dancer”)” by 2009, quipped Likey.
We asked him about a touchy subject, his “semi-retirement” from show-biz: “From 1981 to 1994 I had performed 200 concerts (magic and music) a year in New York, Florida, the Bahamas, (his native) Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg, plus active careers as published journalist, cartoonist, caricaturist, teacher, TV-star/producer (9 years!) with Winnipeg as my home-base. By 1994 I wanted a “life”, and was tired of Canadian winters, so I moved to a place in Canada with a more temperate climate, Vancouver. Little did I realize that was to be a “forced retirement”, because the entertainment scene there was completely different than anywhere else I’ve been in North America! I was burned out, and the relatively sedate west-coast lifestyle provided a perfect setting for my healing, a real blessing in disguise.”
The new 2009 album “Moonbeam Dancer” was born out of this healing process, containing songs especially written and inspired for Likey’s Sunday-morning metaphysical gatherings. Likey quoted his hero, Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens: “Sometimes people will sooner listen to a good song than to a lecture; since I love doing both, the new and old songs seem to combine in perfect mystic fusion with the lectures to create entertaining, educational, and soul-stirring Sunday-morning events. (Likey is the CEO/Spiritual-Director of his “International Spiritual-Light Centre”) We also donate food and clothing to various charities, a way to give back.”
He added, “Without the past pressures of having to perform for obscene amounts of money, with unrealistic scheduling, I only perform now for the love of it, the original reason I started performing in the first place! My work is far more honest and complete again.” And we are grateful!
Listen to Likey’s latest album at Moondancer Productions’ website: http://moondancermysticminstrel.weebly.com
Contact e-mail: moondancer.mysticminstrel@gmail.com
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