SEATTLE — Michael Henrichsen has ideas about how he might celebrate his 26th birthday this week.
First, Billy Idol rolls up in a limo and tells him to hop in. There are women everywhere. And later, when the British rock icon takes the stage and rips into “Rebel Yell,” bras start flying, and 1,800 of his closest friends go wild.
Far-fetched? Maybe not. After a two-year campaign that was part résumé stunt, part charity drive and part heartfelt effort to get his far-flung friends together for a great time, the irrepressible Seattle man has actually persuaded Idol to play his birthday party Friday night.
“This is surreal,” Henrichsen says. “It should not be happening.”
How do you network to convince Billy Idol that it would be a good idea for him to come play a show on a specific date in Seattle?”
The first step was getting a friend, Jim Stamper, to build him a website, . “I thought it was never gonna work,” Stamper says.
The next step was to get people to look at the website. He posted a video. Then he got endorsements from comedian Kevin Nealon and other celebrities who came to town.
