It Happened Right Here: America's Pop Culture Landmarks

By Chris Epting

Book Overview

Author Chris Epting established a new genre in book publishing when a trio of titles in the early 2000s--James Dean Died Here: The Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks, Elvis Presley Passed Here, and Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here--were released to critical acclaim and introduced readers to a groundbreaking travel concept: The pop culture road trip. Epting promptly followed these hugely popular and influential titles with two more legendary books: Led Zeppelin Crashed Here and Roadside Baseball.

A Booksense 76 pick at the time, James Dean Died Here was covered by such major news outlets as NPR's "All Things Considered," USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Publishers Weekly. Everyone from Ken Burns to The Sporting News to the New York Post expressed their love for Roadside Baseball, while Led Zeppelin Crashed Here was recommended for all public libraries by Library Journal and outlets from the Associated Press to Newsday encouraged any fan of rock and roll history to buy the book.

Now, in honor of the 20th anniversary of James Dean Died Here, Epting has produced It Happened Right Here: America's Pop Culture Landmarks, which collects the best of the best from all of Epting's prior books, and then adds dozens and dozens of new sites, many of them based on the pop culture of the 21st century.

It Happened Right Here once again takes you on a journey across North America to the exact locations where the most significant events in American popular culture took place. It's a road map for pop culture sites, from Patty Hearst's bank to the garage where Apple Computer was born. Fully updated, the book includes such new entries as:

- The locations featured in such television series as Stranger Things, Breaking Bad, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

- Locations celebrating the legacy of legendary musician Prince

- The dorm room where Facebook was created

- The location of the opening freeway sequence from La La Land

- The locations featured in the cult film Napoleon Dynamite

- The Jay-Z, Beyonce, Solange elevator incident

- The Jussie Smollett Subway sandwich shop location

- Steve Bartman's seat location at Wrigley Field

- and dozens and dozens of other new sites!

Featuring hundreds of photographs, this fully illustrated, updated, and revised encyclopedic look at the locations of the most famous and infamous pop culture events includes the fascinating history of over a thousand landmarks--as well as their exact location. With up-to-date information for the sites included in Epting's five original titles, plus dozens and dozens of new additions, It Happened Right Here is an amazing portrait of the bizarre, shocking, weird and wonderful moments that have come to define American popular culture.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595801200
• ISBN13: 9781595801203
• Release Date: August 2023
• Publisher: Santa Monica Press
• Length: 460 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Who would have ever guessed?

Admittedly one of my favorite activities centers around checking out bizarre landmarks: cemeteries, death sites, scandal sites. I was passively checking out the general travel section at the local mega bookstore when I came across this goodie. The title got me hooked. I knew this was something I was just going to love and I wasn't disappointed. This book covers the range of 'unusual' tourist attractions. Many involve long forgotten stories that hit the front pages years ago and are but faded memories and some of the stories involve incidences that I honestly would have never thought about. Regardless of whether I had past knowledge of some of these places or if they were new to me, I learned a lot from Mr. Epting's entertaining narratives. And of course, knowledge usually prompts more questions. One of the neatest aspects of this book is that it is not geographically restricted to one area nor does it devote itself to one rigid classification (i.e., celebrity death, scandals). And while this book seems to cover virtually everything, its companion book Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here (which refers to a beauty shop MM frequented in the '40's) dishes out even more. And if you are wondering, I have also checked out some of these places.

Pop-Culture Almanac

A must for anyone who is even slightly interested in American pop culture. This book is loaded with facts about all kinds of events all over the country. One of the cool things for me (when I first read this book) was realizing how many spots I've drivin past over the last few years without realizing that some historical event took place there. For instance: there is a Hollywood Video in LA that I've actually rented from that used to be the bank that Patty Hearst and her posse ripped off.It is a very easy-to-read-guide to all those cool events we've witnessed on TV over the last few years. And, no matter where you live in the country, you are bound to find an event that took place near you.GET IT!

Fascinating!

This book reminds me of the Book of Lists that were popular in the 70s. I could always pick those books up and find some tidbit I had missed in previous readings. This book highlights events you know happened, but may not know where they happened. I particulary liked items such as the fact that there is now a Virgin Megastore where the old Schwab's drug store was in Los Angeles. (Where, in fact, the author tells us that Lana Turner was NOT discovered!)A great summertime read. (Or any other time of year, for that matter!)

"you had to be there..."

Ever notice when you're telling a joke and people just aren't getting it you say, "well, i guess you just had to be there." looks like this author was, literally. and thanks to this book, you can be, too. the where is practically every pop culture landmark you can think of in the u.s. (and some you may have forgotten). area 51, the brady bunch house, the manson ranch, all places that you can actually go and see for yourself (of course, some places have less access than others). each listing comes with a street address, some even provide phone numbers and driving directions. but the beauty of this book is in the details, the bits of info that accompany the listings. like the fact that the lizzie borden death house has been turned into a bed and breakfast where guests can view the murder scene and sleep in lizzie's room, her parent's bedroom, or the guest room where her mother was killed.it's sad to note that some of the places that are part of our collective history are no longer there. it makes you realize the transitory nature of our culture. whether you visit the places in the book or not, i think you feel richer for having taken the journey with the author. his love of pop culture is infectious.

What a long strange trip...

This is an excellent book if you love all sorts of american history, pop culture, tv, movies, rock and roll, travel, trivia, etc. (Like we do.) It's coming on our road trip this summer--in fact it's guiding our road trip this summer because it tells you exactly where these things happened. (Like our nearby Woodstock and Watkins Glen concerts.) It's laid out very clearly, it includes tons of photos, weird little tidbits of info we never knew and it's a load of fun to browse through. I got it for my husband but now it's mine--he can get his own.