The Genesis of a Dream: Mingering Mike’s Constructed Reality Mingering Mike, born in Washington, D.C., in 1950, wasn't simply an artist; he was the architect of his own elaborate and entirely self-contained universe. From roughly 1968 to 1977, this young man meticulously crafted a career as a soul singer and songwriter, producing over fifty “albums” – each a painstakingly assembled cardboard record complete with intricate gatefolds, handwritten liner notes, and simulated vinyl grooves. This wasn’t mere performance art; it was the embodiment of a teenage fantasy, a deeply personal project bor…