The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
Aerosmith had their breakthrough record in 1975 with Toys in the Attic, but it would be the next year's follow-up, Rocks, that remains the fan favorite to this day among hardcore fans. It sees the Boston outfit at their most, well, rocking, on classics like "Back in the Saddle" and "Rats in the Cellar," alongside... Continue Reading →
The resurgence of the horror genre was in full swing by 1981, and the slasher subgenre led the way. It was also a prime time for sequels, and the first one for Friday the 13th came out that spring. This time, however, it wasn't Mrs. Voorhees who was stalking the sex-crazed, heavy partying camp counselors,... Continue Reading →
According to the most hardcore of Van Halen fans, the fourth album, Fair Warning, is unquestionably their best. It's pretty safe to say I fall into that lot, so it only made sense for me to do a track-by-track of the record for Ultimate Classic Rock. The piece can be found here, but it's worth... Continue Reading →
It’s typically an honor to be parodied in one way or the other on The Simpsons, but legendary alt-rock moper Morrissey thinks otherwise following the long-running cartoon taking deep aim at his career, beliefs and lifestyle this past Sunday. It’s made for one of the most controversial episodes in the program’s history. For those unfamiliar,... Continue Reading →
It was really going downhill in early 1996 for Van Halen with Sammy Hagar, and the drama surrounding "Humans Being," a song they initially did for the soundtrack to the film Twister, was the final straw for the second era of the band. Over at Ultimate Classic Rock, I did a deep dive on just... Continue Reading →
I've got a bit of a special place in my heart for movies by the late director Ted Demme. His 1996 film Beautiful Girls was already one of my all-time rewatchables by the spring of 2001 when I was invited to attend a college press junket in New York City for his new movie Blow.... Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden are one of the most consistent bands when it comes to putting out solid albums, but they've had some that weren't quite top shelf and others one could consider straight up clunkers. Earlier this week, over at Ultimate Classic Rock, a group of us got together to put forth our thoughts on the... Continue Reading →
It's not every day you get to interview a veritable music legend, but that's what happened this week when I got the chance to sit down with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. One of the things I've not been doing lately is taking on that many feature assignments due to the tight deadline of my... Continue Reading →
Making her debut as the musical act on Saturday Night Live last weekend, Phoebe Bridgers has spent recent days since facing a public skewering that would be laughable if it weren’t so misplaced and wildly off base. The Grammy nominated singer-songwriter raised the ire of many for committing what they saw as a cardinal sin... Continue Reading →
Whether you love or hate Def Leppard, there's no denying how huge they were for a stretch beginning in the mid-80s through the early 90s. And never were they more popular than with the release of the 1987 album Hysteria, which spawned an impressively ridiculous seven singles. The final one, "Rocket," came out in January... Continue Reading →
