Mike Strutter
Michael 'Mike' Strutter is a fictional character of an MTV (UK and Ireland) show, Strutter. He was created and is played by Paul Kaye, the comedian and actor behind the character Dennis Pennis. The character debuted in segments on Pennis' show, and is even responsible for the death of Pennis. The MTV series Strutter was co-created and written by Paul Garner who also features as an actor in the series.
The Strutter series consists of 2 seasons and a total of 16 episodes. Despite the series popularity, they were never released on DVD.
Strutter is an American lawyer who uses violence to solve his cases; he is often seen burying bodies. Strutter speaks with a Brooklyn accent, and dresses in fashion from the late 1970s. According to what can be gathered on the show, he is 41 years old, loves prostitutes, heavy metal music and seeing people get hurt, and hates indie music, emo music, Elton John, skaters and "cocksuckers". On his show, Strutter is usually high, and is usually seen snorting cocaine, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. His language tends to be extremely vulgar, and he makes heavy use of the word "cocksuckers".
During the final Dennis Pennis VHS video "Pennis R.I.P.", Strutter makes his debut appearance as the lawyer for an imprisoned anti-Pennis campaigner, Tony Cream. Cream realises that Strutter will become homicidal if anyone calls him a "Nana", and thus convinces Strutter that Pennis has been gallivanting around town, calling Strutter this fairly innocuous insult. An incensed Strutter vows to murder Pennis, and we later see this happening, with Strutter throttling Pennis to death with his own microphone cord.
Kaye has suggested that the general demeanour of Strutter, his dress sense, drug addictions and foul language are based on a combination of David Kleinfeld, the lawyer played by Sean Penn in the Al Pacino film Carlito's Way, and Joe Pesci.
The show has its own adverts, which consist of either Strutter trying to sell his fictional merchandise , or a fictional German couple named Peter and Elkie Zpittvar (the latter being played by Lucy Montgomery),[1] who mix sex with Extreme sports. At the end of some episodes, as the programme music begins, Stutter can be seen breaking down in tears after snorting cocaine, and making comments such as: "I'm fucked up!" or "What the fuck am I doing?, I'm forty one fuckin' years old!".
The final ident of the programme shows Strutter looking down at the camera with a cigarette in his hand and shouting at the viewer, "What the fuck are you looking at?!".
Kaye also performs occasional live gigs as the character, where he fronts a covers band in the guise of Strutter under the banner 'The Mike Strutter Band'.[2] London-based singer Kiria often joins the group onstage, and can be seen dueting with Kaye/Strutter in the video for her single Live Sex On Stage [3]