Metal Author Michael “McBeardo /Selwin Harris” McPadden Has Died


Sad news to report as Michael “McBeardo/Selwin Harris” McPadden has died. He was just 52. No cause of the death has been revealed, and the news of his passing was reported by his friend and publisher Ian Christe of Bazillion Points. Mike McPadden was born in Brooklyn and built his early career as a writer and editor for such adult publications as Screw and later Hustler had his own iconic zine Happy and later penned fantastic books such as Heavy Metal Movies by Mike McPadden (review here) and at Teen Movie Hell: The Book. He was an authority on metal, as well as the history of adult entertainment, Cinema of all genres such as horror, sci-fi,  classic B-movies, grindhouse flix, and much more. Mike was also a frequent podcast host and guest and in general, a great emissary for Metal culture. We send our sympathies to his loved ones, fans, and friends at this time. 

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Editor of the Beast – An Interview With Ian Christe of Bazillion Points


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If you grew up in the early days of metal, there were no books about the genre. After Ian Christe wrote Sound of the Beast in 2003, he was still surprised at the lack of good books about underground music written or found anywhere. Undeterred, he founded Bazillion Points Publishing in Brooklyn, NY in 2008 and has helped put out the most authoritative books on thrash, black metal, death metal, prog, metal, glam and hardcore punk ever. Also he has put out other books that examined the cultural and political impact of metal on society, giving our community the respect few mainstream publishers ever would dare to. Ian is also well known as an authority on metal, often interviewed for documentaries, and for his own Sirius XM  Radio shows. With Bazillion Points celebrating five years of existence, we chatted with him to get the inside story.Continue reading