YM EXCLUSIVE: First Exit Interview with Gawker Media Star

While change ripples through Gawker Media like piggy-bucket day at a Coinstar, one of the more interesting developments comes from its Saturday night Dairy Queen hangout, Jalopnik. Refugee Huguenot Michael Spinelli, perhaps the most "pure" writer in the Gawker stable (save your ethanol and banana peels, people, get this man a book deal!) has jumped his personal Snake River Canyon -- that would be New Rochelle Reservoir Number 3 -- and stepped down from being the site's managing (and founding) editor with a goodbye post that successfully crashes the proverbial low-flying helicopter into the dune buggy it was chasing.

krucoff: you didn't fool me with that changing of the guard post. i successfully translated all of the italian references into their westchester counterparts.
mikespinnn: haha
krucoff: bacciagaloops blanket the isle of san souci. whortleberry island, to a lesser extent.
mikespinnn: actually, I'm hiding out behind the Davenport club
mikespinnn: picking up EVDO signals bounced off some guido's silver BMW 7-Series
mikespinnn: Zoe is actually a rat I've named "Crackiswack"
krucoff: you traveled down to kingsbridge to get her from a special breeder, right?
mikespinnn: yes! You go to the tire-repair shop near the EL and ask for "Peanuts"
mikespinnn: they do some Santeria shit
krucoff: so whats next? (in my best white newscaster from the 70s voice)
mikespinnn: just freelance for now, and fielding a tempting offer from Camshaft and Flywheel
mikespinnn: you should see their cafeteria. free Salisbury Steak.
krucoff: you should sail the world in a subaru
mikespinnn: that's a good idea
krucoff: i've heard about their atrium, though it's actually just a basement with a pachinko machine.
mikespinnn: yes! And once in a while you can see the owner, Sy Schmacktentrough entertaining advertisers while his brother tries to reconcile the books upstairs
krucoff: but great lobby, amazing auto art - clocks that tell the price of gas in all 50 states
krucoff: so, freelance, you gonna try to branch out and do more "lifestyle" stuff?
krucoff: i could imagine you writing for men's vogue or esquire (not that i read those magazines but i can imagine)
mikespinnn: actually, I'd take the Men's Vogue gig -- they do some pretty cool car stuff
mikespinnn: i'm doing something for Maxim
mikespinnn: and still with the Wired thing
krucoff: very cool. that's what i meant. interesting car stuff with mags not car-specific.
mikespinnn: yeah -- they seem to all want to pick up car ads
mikespinnn: so they're all doing more car content
mikespinnn: one word, kid, cars
krucoff: ranger rick could probably use a kick-ass piece on environmental-friendly ATVs
mikespinnn: i'd totally do that

Since Mike and I go waaaaay back (dare I even say he's MY FRIEND?) to the chrome rush days of the late 90s and he, with Chris Gage, brought me into this blogging world, he has agreed to occasionally post here on YM from time to time if he ever gets the urge to write about something that doesn't monetarily belong anywhere else.