Iron Mike of WNY
Husband, Father, Friend...Legend!!!
Iron Mike Sagliani also known as "Sags" and infamously, "Iron Mike of Western New York" was a staple at every Flipside Show.
Mike was a former DJ in Scottsdale, AZ on KUPD98 formally 107.7 FM. He was known as the Rebel of Radio and received an award from the station as one of the top Radio DJ's in America.
Mike returned to his home town... Buffalo, NY where he began doing DJ services for weddings and events. He also played bass guitar.
His love for music and entertainment led him to cross paths with Flipside, where he began a long relationship with the band and was truly a man behind as well as within the scenes.
Within the Scenes....
Mike's love for photography had him lending his talents as the band's photographer. The majority of his work can be viewed on this website under the "Flipside Photo Archives" tab and features several years of his photos. Mike would always politely ask if he could take your picture for the website and made sure you viewed and approved the photo first on his camera's preview window before adding it to the portfolio. He faithfully brought his work forth at the beginning of every week so that it could be added to this website and ready for the weekly mailer.
Mike was also famous for his introductions of the band at every performance. When you saw Iron Mike take the stage, it was a beacon that the show was about to begin.
Mike looked forward to his live role in the hand off of the infamous Jameson bottle during the act which was used for the slide guitar performance. He would wait faithfully to take it back when the routine was over. He would also be right there to catch the American Flag bandanna after it was waved in tribute by the band as part of the show.
Sometimes he would set up his DJ equipment to lend his talents during band intermissions.
Behind the scenes...
Iron Mike helped with equipment, was there to trouble shoot and was in charge of the mailing list sign up books.
Mike's kindness would often come in surprises for the band such as equipment he would donate or batteries which he always restocked. He was responsible for the run of Flipside promotional coozies and Flipside facemasks during the pandemic. If you have one of these items, that was courtesy of Iron Mike.
Mike had the heart of an angel and was loved by his Flipside family, Mark, John, Dan & Paul and also our fans that were his fans too...the "Flip-Fam"
But most importantly, Mike loved and adored his wonderful family and they loved and adored him. You could see his pride exemplified when he spoke of his beautiful wife, Diane, his three amazing sons, Vinny, Nick & Dominic, his lovely daughter in-laws, Whitney, Mindy and Julie and his incredible grandchildren, Chase, Noah, Lincoln, Decker, Melody and Saige. And of course, his faithful dog, Honey Bear, now by his side with the rest of the Angels!!
It didn't matter if it was the arctic cold of winter or the sweltering heat of summer, Mike's trademark was to always wear one of his many sleeveless t-shirts from his collection and his catch phrase was always... "Cause Iron Mike Says so!!"
To honor his legacy, Iron Mike of WNY would only want the best for all and for all to be happy, healthy and live life to the fullest!!!
So grab your favorite sleeveless tee and do just that..."Cause Iron Mike Says So"!!!
In Loving Memory
(February 26th, 1954 -July 18th, 2022)