Christopher Weingarten

All this week in Soundcheck's House of Horrors, we’ve been posing this question: Who is the scariest musician of all time? Today, it’s time to pit some of your nominees for scariest musician against each other in a quickfire Soundcheck Smackdown. 

Chris Weingarten, senior editor for Spin magazine, and Melissa Locker, freelance music writer for outlets like Time and Rolling Stone, help decide who's the scariest in each round of our smackdown, from Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper, to Insane Clown Posse and Slipknot, to Kenny G and Michael McDonald. 

Who do you think wins each matchup? Who did we leave out? Tell us below. 

Christopher Weingarten, senior editor at Spin, joins us with the magazine’s updated list of 100 greatest guitarists of all time -- with plenty of names you might not expect. We take a look at who’s in this new crop of guitar heroes -- and, who was left out. Plus, we’ll ask you to nominate your favorite shredders, from outliers to axe athletes.  

We debate the pros and cons of being an “earbud person” (gym rats and rugrats) and a “headphone person” (DJs and wannabe DJs). Mark Katz, author of "Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music," explains the evolution of ear wear. And music writer Christopher Weingarten and Maura Johnston, writer for Popdust, defend their preferred mode of listening in a Soundcheck Smackdown.