The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Music • Culture • Film • Travel • Photography • Vinyl
Sylvester Stallone wasn't just the biggest action star of the mid-80s, he was the most popular actor at one point. It was during the run when the Rocky franchise delivered hit after hit and Rambo was seemingly following in the same footsteps that he took the lead role in Cobra, about a loner cop fighting... Continue Reading →
When it came to double - and triple - crossing, lots of sex and bizarre subplots, there really was nothing better than mid-80s late night soap operas. Dynasty, Falcon Crest and, of course, the crown jewel in Dallas were all comfort food for the brain that was oh so good to indulge. It was Dallas... Continue Reading →
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced it’s 2021 induction class this week with a mixed bag of genres represented by alt-rockers Foo Fighters, rapper Jay Z, pop punkers the Go-Go’s, R&B star Tina Turner, singer/songwriter Carole King and Upper Darby’s own Todd Rundgren all getting the nod as performers. Also on deck for... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
