Mike King
Encyclopedia
Mike King is a comedian
and television
personality famous in New Zealand
for the marketing and subsequent disengaging from the pork
industry.
Initially making his name as a stand up comedian, playing heavily on his Māori origins, he made the move to a more lucrative mainstream audience, appearing in the New Zealand TV shows Comedy Central, Game of Two Halves, Strassman, TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Pulp Comedy and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In 1997 he was nominated for the prestigious Billy T Award
.
In 2003 Mike starred in his own talk show
, Mike King Tonight, which was produced by Greenstone Pictures. It was based heavily on The Late Show with David Letterman, and ran for only one season.
In 2004 he appeared in a second talk show, simply called Mike King. Although similar in concept to Mike King Tonight, the show was instead produced by Touchdown Television
. It was shot on a smaller stage and no longer included the live band present in Mike King Tonight. It ran also for only one season.
He revealed in 2006 and in his 2008 biography that he had depression. He has patron status in 'Phobic Trust'.
For seven years he was the spokesman for "New Zealand
Pork
", presenting 30-second TV commercials showcasing quick-fix meals using pork known as Mike's Meals. However, in May 2009 he spoke out against the factory farming of pigs, and apologised for his previous promotional work. Appearing on the Sunday programme, he said "I will not be a party to this brutality, this callous and evil treatment of pigs. It's disgusting and it needs to stop."
On Jan 14, 2007, Mike King collapsed in a Melbourne
hotel and was left momentarily unconscious
and partially paralyzed from a blood clot in his blood vessel
while attending a poker
championship in Melbourne (a prize he claimed after winning a poker tournament in Auckland
, New Zealand
) after a blood vessel burst on the back of his neck (in a very rare case). It is yet unknown whether he had a heart attack
or stroke
His life was saved by his good friend and poker player Richard Lancaster. Richard found him in a state of paralysis and got Mike to the hospital very quickly. It is rumored that Richard's words of inspiration while Mike was in and out of stroke relapses is what saved Mike's life. Mike's rapid recovery from this very serious stroke is attributable to both the speed at which Mike was received at the hospital and the work of the team at Alfred Hospital.
Since Mike's run in with health complications, many aspects of his personal life have been brought to the public spectrum. In recent interviews with various Television personalities, Mike has openly released information surrounding his several year addiction to the drug cocaine. He purchased a travel agency as he became paranoid over the scarcity of the drug in New Zealand, having access to such an institution he assured himself of the continued availability of the drug. "If it ever came to it I could always jump on a plane and put myself up in a hotel for a few days" - Mike King (2009).
As of 2009, King fronts a Radio Live
programme airing on Sunday evenings entitled The Nutters Club. The progamme is produced in association with the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand's 'Out of the Blue' campaign, which aims to publicise depression and the steps which can be taken to recover from or manage the illness, and to promote change to improve the well-being of all New Zealanders. The Mental Health Foundation aims to make mental health everybody's business, and the radio show is linked to the Facebook
page for The Nutters Club. On the programme, King works with mental health professionals David Codyre and Malcolm Falconer, and invites listeners to phone in with comments and to share stories or issues which might be troubling the callers.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality famous in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for the marketing and subsequent disengaging from the pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
industry.
Initially making his name as a stand up comedian, playing heavily on his Māori origins, he made the move to a more lucrative mainstream audience, appearing in the New Zealand TV shows Comedy Central, Game of Two Halves, Strassman, TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Pulp Comedy and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In 1997 he was nominated for the prestigious Billy T Award
Billy T Award
The Billy T Award is New Zealand’s most prestigious comedy award recognizing New Zealand comedians with outstanding potential. It has been presented annually since its inception in 1997 when Cal Wilson and Ewen Gilmour shared the award...
.
In 2003 Mike starred in his own talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
, Mike King Tonight, which was produced by Greenstone Pictures. It was based heavily on The Late Show with David Letterman, and ran for only one season.
In 2004 he appeared in a second talk show, simply called Mike King. Although similar in concept to Mike King Tonight, the show was instead produced by Touchdown Television
Touchdown Television
Eyeworks Touchdown is a New Zealand-based television production company specialising in reality and unscripted formats, which has become a leader in the field in New Zealand, and the world...
. It was shot on a smaller stage and no longer included the live band present in Mike King Tonight. It ran also for only one season.
He revealed in 2006 and in his 2008 biography that he had depression. He has patron status in 'Phobic Trust'.
For seven years he was the spokesman for "New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
", presenting 30-second TV commercials showcasing quick-fix meals using pork known as Mike's Meals. However, in May 2009 he spoke out against the factory farming of pigs, and apologised for his previous promotional work. Appearing on the Sunday programme, he said "I will not be a party to this brutality, this callous and evil treatment of pigs. It's disgusting and it needs to stop."
On Jan 14, 2007, Mike King collapsed in a Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
hotel and was left momentarily unconscious
Unconsciousness
Unconsciousness is the condition of being not conscious—in a mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is a type of unconsciousness. Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a...
and partially paralyzed from a blood clot in his blood vessel
Blood vessel
The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...
while attending a poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
championship in Melbourne (a prize he claimed after winning a poker tournament in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
) after a blood vessel burst on the back of his neck (in a very rare case). It is yet unknown whether he had a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
or stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
His life was saved by his good friend and poker player Richard Lancaster. Richard found him in a state of paralysis and got Mike to the hospital very quickly. It is rumored that Richard's words of inspiration while Mike was in and out of stroke relapses is what saved Mike's life. Mike's rapid recovery from this very serious stroke is attributable to both the speed at which Mike was received at the hospital and the work of the team at Alfred Hospital.
Since Mike's run in with health complications, many aspects of his personal life have been brought to the public spectrum. In recent interviews with various Television personalities, Mike has openly released information surrounding his several year addiction to the drug cocaine. He purchased a travel agency as he became paranoid over the scarcity of the drug in New Zealand, having access to such an institution he assured himself of the continued availability of the drug. "If it ever came to it I could always jump on a plane and put myself up in a hotel for a few days" - Mike King (2009).
As of 2009, King fronts a Radio Live
Radio Live
Radio Live and Radio Live Sport are nationwide Auckland-based New Zealand talkback, news and sports radio networks owned and operated by MediaWorks New Zealand...
programme airing on Sunday evenings entitled The Nutters Club. The progamme is produced in association with the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand's 'Out of the Blue' campaign, which aims to publicise depression and the steps which can be taken to recover from or manage the illness, and to promote change to improve the well-being of all New Zealanders. The Mental Health Foundation aims to make mental health everybody's business, and the radio show is linked to the Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page for The Nutters Club. On the programme, King works with mental health professionals David Codyre and Malcolm Falconer, and invites listeners to phone in with comments and to share stories or issues which might be troubling the callers.