Mike grew up playing basketball on the mean streets of Bellevue, and he spent his summers biking perilously down the hills of Lopez Island. Although he attended two years of Interlake with his childhood friends, he transferred to Eastside Catholic for his senior year, and he technically graduated from Eastside Catholic in 1983. He then went on to graduate from the University of Washington, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
Mike’s life story was a little more interesting than the average person’s. In the early 90s, he became addicted to prescription drugs. And in an attempt to pay for his drug habit, he started robbing banks. And after nearly sixty bank robberies (spread out over four different states), he eventually found himself on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.
Once Mike wound up on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, he realized he was making poor choices in life, and that his life had to change. So he voluntarily turned himself into the Bellevue Police Department in October of 1993. He admitted his crimes, he confessed to the robberies, and he was sentenced to federal prison. And while he was in prison, Mike refound himself. He spent five years in federal prison overall, and when he came out, he was a totally changed person.
Mike’s story became public in 2009, when he appeared on the nighttime radio show “Too Beautiful to Live.” Calling in as a listener named “Drew McFrizz”, Mike told the story of what he had been through. And he talked about his time in prison. And he appealed to people not to live the life that he had once led. And Mike’s story was so moving, and Mike was so good on the radio, that he eventually became one of their most beloved call-in guests. In fact, to this day, the five-part interview he later gave (“The McFrizz Files”) is still considered one of TBTL’s most popular segments.
Mike became a minor celebrity after his appearance on the TBTL radio show. He kicked drugs. He got married. He started his own podcast. And he was considered one of the legends in podcasting for many years after that. In fact, he was still podcasting, and sharing social commentary, and making people laugh, and think, and tune in, right up until the time of his death. He very much was one of the most respected named in podcasting for most of the 2000s. He did everything he could to turn his life around after his stint in federal prison. He was an exceptionally kind and gentle and funny man, one who nearly everyone loved.
Sadly, Mike Frizzell passed away on November 13, 2021, in Austin, Texas, after a brief and unexpected illness. He was 56 years old.
His obituary can be found here.
