The Chronicles of Michael Christopher
Writings. Musings. Mediocre Photography. Travel. Skulls.
I'm pleased to announce that the audiobook for Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock is now available across all listening platforms. While the print and eBook came out last October, I had been concurrently working diligently on the audiobook version, which was quite the experience and one that I look forward to taking on... 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 fine folks over at Johnny Beane TV are going to have me on this evening at 8:00pm on their program Talkin' Van Halen to discuss my upcoming book Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock, which comes out next Wednesday, Oct. 6. Tune into the show live or catch it on the replay. It's... Continue Reading →
Last week, the guys over at Halenville Live! had me on to discuss my upcoming book, Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock. It was a lengthy conversation that any Van Halen fan will find enjoyable as everyone on the show is a huge fan of the band - including myself! You can watch the... Continue Reading →
The Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth debate will likely go on forever, but the first time any real comparison could be made was when the latter dropped his debut solo LP, Eat 'Em and Smile, in July 1986, a scant few months after Van Halen released their first effort with Hagar at the mic,... Continue Reading →
Come the late spring of 1991, it had been just over three years since a new album by Van Halen was released. It was long overdue then when the single "Poundcake" dropped ahead of the upcoming For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge LP that June. Starting with the sound of a drill raking over the strings of... 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 →
Unbeknownst to fans at the time, come 1995 the relationship between Sammy Hagar and the brothers Van Halen had seriously deteriorated. Their fourth album together, Balance, was released that January, and by the following spring, they'd split. The recording of the LP had been anything but smooth, leading producer Bruce Fairbairn to ask Eddie Van... Continue Reading →
Today marks the 25th anniversary of Van Halen's final studio album with Sammy Hagar at the helm, the uneven Balance, which was released January 24, 1995. Though it wasn't clear at the time, the band was falling apart from the inside out, which had quite a bit to do with the mess laid down on... Continue Reading →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 