Ian Christe (born 21 March 1970 in Biel/Bienne) is a Swiss/American author, disc jockey and the publisher of Bazillion Points Books. He attended Mynderse Academy, The Clarkson School's Bridging Year, and

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

(1987–1990).

Writing and broadcasting

Christe is the author of the heavy metal history book '' Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal'', published in English in 2003 and subsequently translated into French, German, Finnish, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Croatian, Italian, Czech, Serbian, and Polish. A weekly radio show known as '' Bloody Roots'' was launched in 2004 based on the book, on the Hard Attack/

Liquid Metal A liquid metal is a metal or a metal alloy which is liquid at or near room temperature. The only stable liquid elemental metal at room temperature is Mercury (element), mercury (Hg), which is molten above −38.8 °C (234.3 K, −37.9 ...

station of Sirius XM Radio. Hosted by Christe, the show focuses on specific eras or styles of heavy metal, with Christe discussing them in-depth. He also hosted a brief daily spot on the Sirius Buzzsaw channel for several years. His first published work was in the ''IAN''

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

, and he started as a radio host at WEOS-FM in Geneva, New York, at age 14. As a freelance magazine writer, his articles appeared in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', '' Popular Mechanics'', '' Spin'', '' AP'', '' Wired'', ''

Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

'', ''

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

'', ''Stance'', '' Bananafish'', '' Mother Jones'', '' The Baffler'', the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'', '' Warp'', '' Blender'', Salon.com, ''

HotWired ''Hotwired'' (1994–1999) was the first commercial online magazine, launched on October 27, 1994. Although it was part of the print magazine Wired (magazine), ''Wired'', ''Hotwired'' carried original content. History Andrew Anker, Wired ...

'', '' Mass Appeal'', the '' Utne Reader'', '' I.D.'', and '' Guitar World''. Christe has also made film and television appearances on VH1 Classic, MTV2, VH1, and several metal-related documentaries. He has penned liner notes to releases by

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

, Mantas, William Hooker, and others.

Music

His unusual metal band, Dark Noerd the Beholder, appears on the soundtrack to the cult film '' Gummo''. Christe also toured as a member of the Jad Fair solo band. He recorded with the New York-based bluegrass band Grouse Mountain Skyride with cartoonists Dame Darcy and Christine Shields, and the experimental drone metal band Kuboaa with Jan Kotik and Stephen O'Malley. He performed during 2000 and 2001 as singer with the Jacques Dutronc "couvert" band Les Opportunistes, one of the first bands of the early 2000s Brooklyn rock renaissance.

Publishing

In 2007, Christe launched Bazillion Points Publishing to promote books by deserving like-minded authors. On June 30, 2010, Bazillion Points Publishing released '' Touch and Go: The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine '79-'83'' by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson. The book chronicles the 22 issues of Touch and Go, the DIY

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

fanzine. The zine was the precursor to Touch and Go Records.

Publications

*'' Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal''. by Ian Christe. , HarperCollins. *''Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga''. by Ian Christe. , Wiley & Sons. *''Marooned: The Next Generation of Desert Island Discs''. , Perseus Books. *"AC/DC: High Voltage Rock 'n' Roll: The Ultimate Illustrated History ". , Voyageur Press. *''The Trouser Press Guide to 90s Rock''. Edited by Ira Robbins. *''Voter Participation and the States''. by Jamie Cooper and Ian Christe, Center for Policy Alternatives.

External links

Ian Christe's weblogIan Christe's Twitter''Sound of the Beast'' websiteBazillion Points Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christe, Ian 1970 births Living people Swiss writers Swiss DJs People from Biel/Bienne Indiana University Bloomington alumni