Michael Ryan PritchardMichael Ryan Pritchard (often referred to as Mike Dirnt) was born in Berkeley, California on May 4, 1972. He was given up for adoption by his biological mother, Carol Alba Rowland. At six weeks of age, he was placed in foster care with Cheryl Nasser and Patrick Pritchard, a couple who subsequently adopted him. He also has an adoptive sister, Myla Pritchard. His adoptive parents divorced when he was seven but later remarried.
Dirnt met Billie Joe Armstrong at Carquinez Middle School, and the two bonded instantly. Armstrong began to teach Dirnt how to play guitar, and the two spent much time in Armstrong's bedroom learning to play songs by Ozzy Osbourne and Van Halen. They formed a group with fellow students Raj Punjabi and Jason Andrew Relva who played drums and bass while Armstrong played lead guitar and Dirnt played rhythm guitar. He attended Salesian High School for his first year before transferring to Pinole Valley High School where Armstrong had also recently transferred to. Dirnt's family struggled with financial troubles and in an effort to help out, he worked as a chef at a seafood restaurant in Crockett. He managed to save up enough money to afford a pickup truck that he and Armstrong often drove to Berkeley to attend shows at 924 Gilman Street, an influential DIY punk club. The pair got jobs at the club as security guards. |