The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
Back in June, to celebrate his 70th birthday, Vanyaland ranked the 70 greatest songs from Glenn Danzig. Curated by site founder and editor-in-chief Michael O'Connor Marotta and me, it was an exhaustive dive into the catalog of the Evil Elvis, one he would surely bristle at because that's just what he does, but which the... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Archive, where I'll be periodically highlighting articles pulled from my files that have either disappeared into the ether of the internet, originally ran in print, or otherwise faded away. Each one will be somewhat thematic, connecting the past to the present day. Today, it's an interview I did with The Kills back in... Continue Reading →
“If I could go back and change my life, or anybody’s life I would do it. That wasn’t supposed to happen; it was supposed to be a concert. I just try to take it one day at a time, and sometimes one day [is] worse… some days I can’t even get out of bed. I... Continue Reading →
When I started putting this list together, the intent was to check off my 23 Top Songs of 2023. I ended up with a playlist over eight hours long and decided to do the 123 Top Songs of 2023. Then I realized how insane that was and somehow whittled it down to the original idea... Continue Reading →
Arguably the best-known charity single in music history, and most star-studded for its time, “We Are the World” is the subject of a new documentary from Netflix titled The Greatest Night in Pop. Released this week on the streaming service, the film details the lead up to a single night in January 1985 when dozens... Continue Reading →
Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Luis Vasquez, who was the driving force behind The Soft Moon. I've long been a fan of his work, and to see him go out under what appears to be a fentanyl overdose which took also the lives of two others is just brutal. "It is with... Continue Reading →
There's been a lot of talk over the years about how maybe Brian Johnson didn't pen the songs on Back in Black, the biggest selling rock record in history. The theories go that the lyrics were actually lifted from the notebooks of the late Bon Scott, who died just before the recording sessions for the... Continue Reading →
The Mount Rushmore of grunge is universally recognized as being made up of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. To debate would be absurd, as those four were the most popular, sold the most music and sprouted out of early ‘90s Seattle, ground zero of the movement. Upon closer examination though, a bit... Continue Reading →
One of the neverending arguments in rock and roll remains the one over who was the best lead singer for Van Halen: David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar. When it comes to the Red Rocker, his supporters never shy from pointing out that Diamond Dave never had a number one album with the group, while... Continue Reading →
Anticipation was high for the Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth in the summer of 1996 when it was revealed that Sammy Hagar had departed the ranks of the SoCal party rockers and their OG singer had returned to the fold. Unfortunately, the (re)union was short-lived, and after a disastrous fallout at the MTV... Continue Reading →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 