Riot Fest owner says ‘things finally made sense’ after his recent autism diagnosis

Riot Fest owner and co-founder Michael Petryshyn says when he was growing up with undiagnosed autism, he was seen as “difficult but lovable.” (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times)

The great Joey Ramone once said, “To me, punk is about being an individual, and going against the grain, and standing up and saying, ‘This is who I am.’ ”

It’s a sentiment that Riot Fest owner and co-founder Mike Petryshyn has taken to heart lately as he and his team prepare to kick off the 17th edition of the perennial event in Douglass Park this weekend, which comes at a personal juncture in the life of the man behind the scenes whom many know as “Riot Mike.”