In town for History Con 2017 in MAEPS Serdang, Malaysia, PassthePopcorn catches up with Horny Mike a.k.a. Mike Henry from History’s hit series Counting Cars. In this exclusive interview, we asked the ‘horned one’ about his love for horns, air brushing and cars…
So tell us, who pulled the short straw for this trip to Asia?
Hey, I’m the lucky one! Danny’s just got too much going on. He’s got the show, the band and all the other businesses going on so he just said, “Mike you’re up! You see Ryan’s got to take care of all the work and Roli…..we’ll I don’t think Roli should because he might cause an international incident. Shannon’s got to build the bikes so you know…
So you’re basically saying you pretty much have nothing to do at the shop?
I’m the biggest slacker! I mean I get a free trip to Asia, meet everyone. I think I hit the jackpot!
How did you get your start in painting and air brushing?
Well, it sort of started in school when I saw one of the guys making money by painting tee shirts. And I thought, hey I can do that so I started doing what he did and over time I realised I was getting pretty good at it.
Did you ever think getting into this field would result in you becoming a huge reality TV star?
Never in my life. I’m still having a hard time believing it today. I mean who would have thought. I’m just an air brusher, I literally didn’t even graduate from high school and I lived in a van for about seven months. For all this to happen, is great because I spent a lot of years practically broke. That starving artist thing, that’s really true. It’s a hard way of life but I got lucky. I met the right people, got working with Danny and next thing you know he had a show coming up and I was just weird enough for TV and bam, that’s how it all came together.
How did you end up working for The Count?
Well as Danny would say, he just fed one of the cats and it just would not stop coming back. But I was persistent. I tried to get a job with Danny when I first moved there, but nope. I mean he had Ryan, and Ryan is an incredible artist even though I hate saying it out loud. But I just kept going back, and then he opened up Vamps and the tattoo shop and he needed some help with all the artwork and I came in and sort of just latched on and wouldn’t let go.
How much of Counting Cars is scripted?
Nah, if it was scripted in any way I would be fired. I would screw it up like a million times. My director loves laughing at me, especially when I make a fool out of myself. But what you see on TV is just the way we act towards each other. We like screwing around and being mean to each other honestly. We dog each other pretty hard but that’s like brotherly love more than anything.
Is that why audiences gravitate towards the show?
I really do because they see us and it’s like how they hang out with their friends.
Is it hard for you to get around Vegas without being recognised?
It’s pretty much impossible. I mean if I walk around with these horns, I’ll get spotted a mile away. But even if I wear a hat, I still get recognised. The weirdest bit is when they recognise you in the rest room. So yeah, it is a little strange.
How come there are so many of these types of shows coming out from Las Vegas?
Well, we’re just really talented people! I mean Pawn Stars started it all, and then came Rick’s Restoration, and then Danny came through with his show and all that he’s got going on.
How many cars do you think Danny has?
Well the current number is around 80. I mean he’s got a tonne of beautiful cars that make you jealous on a daily basis. Our show is basically a big jealousy factory.
Do you think he has cars stored away elsewhere?
I pretty much guarantee he has cars that I and Kevin don’t even know about. Especially Kevin, he’ll definitely hide them from him.
Your proudest piece of work thus far?
Man, that’s a tough one. I think it would be my little Smart Car. I spent a lot of time air brushing that thing and I am really proud of it. Yes it was silly but it came out great and I just loved seeing those three-dimensional horns on the thing. I think I spent the most time and effort on that little car.
Why pick a Smart Car though?
Well I wanted something small to tow around when I go to all these car shows. I’d park the bus and then I would still have something to cruise around in. So it was absolutely perfect for my needs. Plus, obviously it had to be horny. But unfortunately I already sold the Smart Car.
Did you make some money out of it? Did you sell it to a fan?
I came out of it pretty well actually and I sold to the Casinos. Danny has one of those customised poker tables and they wanted to use it as a prize.
Well technically you could go back to Vegas to win it back.
I could do that but knowing me it would cost me too much.
Your fascination with horns. How did it come about?
Well it evolved over time. It started with me making custom helmets with those little fins on them. Then one guy came along and asked if I could do it with horns. So I made them but the helmet was heavy. So I started messing with different materials like fibreglass skins you know to make them fit on the helmet faster and easier. In doing that I popped out a piece, I found that I could just stick it on easy. Next thing you know I started sticking them on everything from helmets to jackets and even bandannas. Basically everything they shouldn’t be put on. Go check them out at HornyMike.com! There’s a shameless plug there.
Speaking of which, how do you get those horns you’re wearing now through customs?
You know, I think they really don’t care because they’re just plastic. I bring about 30 of these on my trips in my bag. I bring a lot because I have a bad habit of giving them all away during events.
You’re doing air brushing demos at History Con 2017, any idea on what you’ll be painting?
Well it’s the usual crazy stuff like skulls; I mean that’s what customers want. They want that hard core looking skulls on the hood and body work. I’ll be painting two hoods here during the event and I’ll be giving some tips on air brushing. Like how they can mess up and how they can cover it up.
