Mike Batlan

Michael Mike Rasta Batlan (born ca. 1953, Freehold, NJ), was the guitar tech Bruce Springsteen asked to create a recording setup in the bedroom of his rented Colts Neck home, in December 1981. He bought a four‐track Teac Tascam Series 144 tape recorder for $1000, hooked up an old Gibson guitar echo unit to give the tape some reverb, and on January 3, 1982, Springsteen recorded most of the Nebraska album. A year later, at Springsteen’s Hollywood Hills Residence, he setup another makeshift studio, where The Lost Masters Hollywood Hills Garage Sessions were recorded, January–April 1983.

In July 1973, he was hired as a roadie by Bob Marley for the Wailers’ first USA tour, after a week at Max’s Kansas City as Springsteen’s opening act. When Albee Tellone left in December 1973, Mike accepted Bruce’s offer to replace him. He stayed with Springsteen until late 1985, when he resigned after the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. Bruce later described it as, hugs and handshakes all around. In August 1987, Batlan and drum tech Douglas Sutphin sued Bruce Springsteen for $6 million in damages. After a judge threw the case out, they filed suit again, this time for several hundred thousand dollars in unpaid overtime. Six years later, the case was settled out‐of‐court.