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The Sober Sit-Down: Actor and Musician Michael Des Barres of The Power Station and Detective
Few 78-year-olds in rock and roll have as much going on as Michael Des Barres. But before running down the current résumé – and we’ll get there – it helps to understand where he comes from. And we’re not even talking about the six-century-old French title he carries as the 26th Marquis Des Barres. That’s besides... Continue Reading →
Archive: The New Elliott Smith Documentary Focuses on His Music, Not His Death
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 connecting the past to the present day. Today, it’s a May 2015 LA Weekly interview I did with Nickolas Rossi,... Continue Reading →
MTV’s Rumored Demise Is Greatly Exaggerated
If you’ve been on social media at any point over the past few months, you’ve likely seen a myriad of reels, memes, and posts about the death of MTV. That’s right, the channel that exploded into the mainstream in the early ‘80s, revolutionizing the music industry by putting faces, performances, and concept videos to the... Continue Reading →
New Year’s Resolutions 2026: Some Recommendations for Your Favorite Artists
Welcome to this year’s edition of “New Year’s Resolutions for Rockers Who Need Them,” where we offer some help to musicians who may have trouble thinking up goals for the coming 12 months. It’s not an easy job, but one we’re more than happy to take on because, hey, these folks are busy. Last year,... Continue Reading →
The Best Recs from the 617 Q&A Series Interviews in 2025
Last year, at this time, Vanyaland was doing its annual Year in ReView, and my submission was 12 of the best revelations from our 617 Q&A series. This time around, we revisited the concept, but instead of combing through the interviews for revelatory nuggets, we went straight to the recommendations. If you'll recall, the 617... Continue Reading →
The Sober Sit-Down: Art Alexakis of Everclear
If you’ve followed Everclear at any point over the last three decades, you already know that beneath the sweet-sounding, radio-ready power pop of the Portland, Oregon outfit’s music, frontman Art Alexakis never sugarcoated a damn thing. He’s always been the guy who turned the ugliest parts of his life into songs, ones that just happened to be... Continue Reading →
Back to Iceland Airwaves, Still the Coolest Music Festival
After taking a year off to regroup, I was back at Iceland Airwaves, kicking off the month of November in the Icelandic capital city of Reykjavík and wondering exactly why missing the 2024 edition was a good idea, as it remains – however clichéd – unquestionably the coolest music festival on the entire planet. Arriving... Continue Reading →
Colin Hay on Men at Work, The Beatles, and the Last Time He Had a Vegemite Sandwich
One of the biggest acts of the initial MTV era, along with Duran Duran, Talking Heads, The Stray Cats, and Pat Benatar, was Men at Work. Led by the Scottish-born Colin Hay, the Australian exports were known for a series of video clips that aired around the clock, filled with peculiar imagery to match the equally idiosyncratic... Continue Reading →
Happy Halloween: Let’s Rank Glenn Danzig’s 70 Greatest Songs
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 →
The Chronicles of Michael Christopher 