Mitch Friedman has been telling humorous stories for nearly six decades, whether it has been as a funny kid, a comedy performer/monologist, exhibited ironic street photographer, award-winning quirky pop songwriter of seven albums, or on the job as a film/video editor for the likes of Howard Stern and Ellen DeGeneres.
He grew up in Woodmere, Long Island, attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, performed with Gotham City Improv in Manhattan, and lounged around San Francisco for three years in the mid-1990s.
His concept album for kids, 'Purple Burt', won the 2005 National Parenting Publication (NAPPA) Honors Award. He has collaborated with long-time friends Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory of XTC, and home recording pioneer R. Stevie Moore. In 1998, he attended a one-week long songwriting course in England, taught by Ray Davies of The Kinks.
With Doug Miller, he archived and resurrected the legendary 1980s Manhattan public access television show 'Stairway to Stardom', and was interviewed about it for NPR and The Village Voice.
In late 2014 his first book, the tragicomic memoir 'Hell Toupee', was published. It was followed shortly by 'Totally Tuneless', an anthology of thirty years of his song lyrics. 2018 saw the publication of a full-length illustrated novel based on his Purple Burt album. 2022 brought a new memoir, Swell Goatee, the sequel to Hell Toupee .
He lives in Red Bank, NJ with all of his stuff.
Author photo by Doug Miller