Into the Arena: Michael Schenker

Flashback to 1983: I'm a 17-year-old headbanger at a rock concert in Cardiff, Wales (U.K.). The Michael Schenker Group is on stage, ripping through the instrumental anthem "Into the Arena." This vintage footage captures the experience:



MSG was big in Europe in the early 80s, although the band never quite succeeded in making the jump across the water to the U.S. But Schenker's precise, melodic brand of metal had a wide influence on many guitarists of the period. Twenty-five years later, watching the video reminds me of the band's teenage headbanger appeal, although I can't really say the music has stood the test of time. But it sure was fun back then.

Quote of the Week

"When someone is beating you over the head with a hammer, don't sit there and take it. Take out a meat cleaver and cut off their hand." - Bill Clinton, as told to Time magazine in 1981. (Source: Politico)