The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Links to writings. Musings on life. Photography. Travels. Skulls.
There sure has been a lot of horror film talk around these parts lately. "'Tis the season" goes the saying, but this is (maybe) the final entry on the topic for the year, one where I've focused on the second entry in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy's Revenge. The movie was renowned... Continue Reading →
The last time Freddy Krueger was on the the big screen was 2010 when the reboot of A Nightmare of Elm Street came out. A year before that was the Friday the 13th reboot, the last time Jason Voorhees was in theaters carving it up. At a time when horror films are at an arguable... Continue Reading →
It's the age old question. Who would win in a fight: Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers? And while we didn't get to answer that specifically, over at Ultimate Classic Rock this week, a group of us had a little roundtable to discuss the trifecta of horror. Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm... Continue Reading →
Today marks 15 years since my grandfather, Charles F. Higgins Jr., passed away. It got me thinking about the small role he played in shaping the history of early rock and roll. Below is an article I wrote for The Daily Times a couple weeks before he died, and I thought now would be a... Continue Reading →
Even the most casual readers of this column know I’ve always been a big fan of Van Halen, evident in the number of articles written about them since taking over Rock Music Menu a decade and a half ago. It would be an understatement then to say how much of a shock it came when... Continue Reading →
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen passed away today at the age of 65. It's a brutal blow to music and to me personally as his namesake band was one of my favorites - hands down - when it came to rock and roll. I've got many memories from over the years involving Van Halen, and will be... Continue Reading →
Following on the heels of last week's Rush roundtable, I sat down with some of my esteemed colleagues over at Ultimate Classic Rock to talk about Metallica. Specifically, we broke down whether the band was better in the '80s or the '90s and why. Both periods had their merits, with the Cliff Burton era coming... Continue Reading →
Chris Cornell should've turned 56 today. Not "would've" - should've. Crippled by depression, he took his own life three Mays ago at 52. It was so incredibly unexpected, heartbreaking and brutal. That day sticks with me like the JFK assassination does for boomers. Seriously - it was that intense and I'll never, ever forget the... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, as part of the 7th anniversary of Vanyaland celebration, I linked to a piece written for the online magazine about seven artists I personally think should be way, way more popular than they are. That was the first of two features I did for the landmark occasion, the second being seven revealing things I've... Continue Reading →
During the 70s and 80s, Ted Templeman was hands down the hottest producer in rock music. He worked on some of the most memorable records in the history of the genre, like Van Morrision's Tupelo Honey, The Doobie Brothers' Takin' It to the Streets and the first six albums by Van Halen. Seeing the words... Continue Reading →
