The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
“Nostalgia” is always a big buzzword, looking in the rearview when things were supposedly simpler – like right now with the ‘90s. It could manifest as a movie evocative of the decade or one that’s straight-up banking on the legacy of a franchise. Maybe it’s a Britpop band singlehandedly thrusting the genre back into the spotlight. Sometimes, albeit rarely, it’s... Continue Reading →
When I recently began the "Archive" feature here with an interview with The Kills, it wasn't by accident. I was set to talk to them again a few days later, and couldn't find that LA Weekly feature for the life of me. This time around, my chat with Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince was for... 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 →
I've been doing the 617 Q&A series over at Vanyaland for quite some time now. Incredibly, it took until just a few months ago, with the electronic duo Phantogram, that I conducted it with more than one person. It's hard enough keeping the pieces to a manageable length with a single interviewee, even with the... Continue Reading →
Sidemen in music are often an underappreciated, faceless lot. You either have to make some serious noise in your career or work with some major names to get any sort of recognition. Earl Slick has done both. The guitarist is best known for performing alongside David Bowie beginning in the early-70s live and on landmark... Continue Reading →
It's been about nine years since I waxed on my affinity for Local H in this space. TLDR: I've followed them since college; they were one of my (if not the) first in-person interviews I did; I've probably seen them more than any other band - save for The Afghan Whigs/Greg Dulli-related projects - and... Continue Reading →
It's hard to contain my nerding out when it comes to bands I absolutely adore, like Phantogram. The electronic rock/pop/psych/indie pair made up of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter are so damn talented together. More importantly, they seem to have cracked the code of getting better with each ensuing release. Their latest, Memory of a... Continue Reading →
Back in 2023, I spoke with Marty Friedman for Metal Edge. He was touring the U.S. in support of Queensrÿche at the time and told me how it was all a part of his grand plan to reintroduce himself to the country, as he'd lived in Japan for over 20 years at that juncture. Now,... Continue Reading →
You've heard of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Well, this year over at Vanyaland, we did something like that...but not really like that at all. The staff compiled a dozen of their favorite songs, films, comedy moments, and more from the past dozen months to close out another loop 'round the sun for "The Year... Continue Reading →
One year ago I was in Portland, Maine for Thanksgiving and to work on some writing. Looking for something to do, I hit up ‘Beatles Night’ that Saturday at the State Theatre, expecting very little. Fab Four tributes are always good for a few laughs but tend to get old fast. That wasn’t the case... Continue Reading →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 