Led Zeppelin Crashed Here: The Rock and Roll Landmarks of North America

337 Pages·2007·16.95 MB·English

by  Chris Epting

Praise for JamesDeanDiedHere
ABookSense76Selection
“JamesDeanDiedHereis an addictively irresistible tour through pop culture past and
present.”
—ChicagoTribune
“The whereabouts of 600-plus places that have helped shape national identity, from the
momentous (site of the world’s first A-bomb explosion) to the ridiculous (where Zsa Zsa
slappedthathunkyBeverlyHillscop).”
—USAToday
“WhosaysAmericansdon‘tknowmuchabouthistory?...Epting’squirkyfactoidsaremost
appealing.”
—PublishersWeekly
“Chris Epting has written a guidebook to a broad range of historic and often hysterical
Americanlandmarks—morethan700inall.JamesDeanDiedHereincludesthespotwhere
theyoungmovieiconperishedinacaraccident,thelocationoftheBradyBunchhouse,and
thehangarwherethefinalsceneofCasablancamayhavebeenshot.”
—NationalPublicRadio’s“AllThingsConsidered”
“ChrisEpting’somnibuspicksupwherestandardguidebooksleaveoff,directingcouchpota-
toestothespotsthey’vealwaysimaginedbutneverseen....49statesarerepresented,
the600-pluslocationsarealmostentirelyfreetovisit,andyou’llneveragainlose$40to
takeastupid‘startour.’”
—ArthurFrommer’sBudgetTravel
“Justintimeforsummerroadtripscomesacoolnewbookthatliststhelocationofabout
650pilgrimage-worthypopculturesitesacrosstheUnitedStates.JamesDeanDiedHere:
TheLocationsofAmerica'sPopCultureLandmarksisaguidetositesmorbid,trashyand
profound.Eptinghasassembledatreasuretroveofpoplandmarks!”
—AlbuquerqueJournal
“WanttoknowwhereZsaZsaGaborwasarrested?Thehousethatwasbuilt ontheIndian
burialgroundinPoltergeist?WhereElvisrecorded‘HeartbreakHotel’?It’sallinhere,Baby!”
—BookSense76
“Thisbookbulgeswithfacts!”
—LosAngelesTimes
“With sweep both noble and tacky, Chris Epting’s book, JamesDeanDiedHere:The
LocationsofAmerica'sPopCultureLandmarks,isthecompletepackageforthosewholike
theirAmericanhistoryunadulteratedbytheusualculturaldistinctions....Whetheryouare
stickingtothatarmchairorplanningaroadtripthissummer,JamesDeanDiedHereisa
spiritedcompanion,onethatwillsteeryouofftheinterstatetosomeofthecountry’smost
exalted,tragicallychargedandhopelesslyhokeylandmarks.”
—BaltimoreSun
Praise for
MarilynMonroeDyedHereand ElvisPresleyPassedHere
“Tabloid readers and tourists on the fringe will love Chris Epting’s MarilynMonroeDyed
Here,aHollywoodBabylonmeetsFodor’sguidetothehistoric,tragicandscandalous.”
—LosAngelesMagazine
“There’ssomethingintriguingaboutvisitingaplacewhereahistoricalmomentoccurred.
Ofcourse,one'sdefinitionofhistoryvaries.Ifyou’reChrisEpting,you’reobsessedwith
uncoveringthestrange,weirdandwonderfulmomentsthatconstituteAmericanpopcul-
ture history. Epting has unearthed a ton of information here, dividing this fun and irre-
sistible guide intopalatable pop culture chunks: history and tragedy, crime,murder and
assassination,celebritydeaths,movies,musicandliterarystuff.Thisbookwillkeepyou
entertainedforhours.”
—ChicagoTribune
“AvirtualroadmapofHollywoodandpopculturehistory.”
—ABCNews
“Youcouldcallthesebooksmagicalfortheirpowertotransformyourcarorreadingnook
intoatimemachine.Theyaddthedimensionofnostalgiatoarmchairtravelingwhileplant-
ingseedsofwanderlustforfutureroadtrips....Whetheryou’dliketocheckoutWoody
Allen’sNewYork,aBobDylanWalkingTourorsimplyexploreanunexpectedsideofmore
than1,000storiesyouthoughtyouknew,theseextraordinaryphotoandfact-filledreposi-
torieswillputyouthere.”
—CarandTravelMonthly(AAANY)
“You might think, after amassing two other seemingly comprehensive tomes about the
placeswheresomethinginterestinghappened,thattheindefatigableChrisEptingmight
startrunningoutofmaterial.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth,however,foracou-
pleofgoodreasons.OneisthatAmericanhistorystillcontainsmanyrichlodesjustwait-
ingforsomeonelikeEptingtominethem.Theotheristhatpopcultureisnotlikefossil
fuel—it’s a renewable resource. . . . Epting’s other two books in this series, JamesDean
DiedHereandMarilynMonroeDyedHere,havespawnedamovementamongpeoplewho,
like the author, like to go and stand on a spot where an event of cultural significance
occurred.Forthesefans,ElvisPresleyPassedHerewillprovidemanymonthsanduntold
milesoffascinatingexploration.Butthegreatthingaboutthisbookisthatphysicaltrav-
elisoptional.Thebookisajourneyinitself,asortofhop-scotchgamethroughAmerican
culturethatleavesthereaderwithanoverviewutterlyunlikeastandardhistorynarrative.
...Adelightforaficionadosoftherandom-pageapproachtoreading,it’sjustasgoodas
alinearexperience.Covertocover,ChrisEptinghasmostdefinitelydoneitagain.”
—RoadTripAmerica.com
“You’ve done Graceland, Dollywood and toured the stars’ homes. But have you been to
Maria’sHairDesigninAberdeen,Wash.?OwnedbythemotherofNirvanadrummerKrist
Novoselic, it’s where the famous ’90s grunge act practiced in their fledgling days. And
what about the Aquarium and Pet Center in Santa Monica, Calif., where Britney Spears
boughtherdogBitBit?Ifyou’veneverheardoftheseoffbeatattractions,ordon’tknow
wheretofindthem,checkoutElvisPresleyPassedHere,abookbyChrisEptingthatlists
infoabouttheseandhundredsofothernearlyunknownpopculturelocales.”
—NewYorkDailyNews
Praise for
TheRubySlippers,Madonna’sBraandEinstein’sBrain
“From the lantern Paul Revere used to warn colonists that the British were coming to
EltonJohn’splatformshoes,thisbookisbothaguideforthosewhowouldactuallylike
tostandinthepresenceofsignificantsouvenirsaswellasthosewhoenjoyreadingabout
alltheweirdandwonderfulstuffpreservedinsidemuseumsandalongroadsidesacross
thecontinent....TheRubySlippers,Madonna'sBra,andEinstein’sBrainhasenoughto
keepthemostavidroadtrippershappilyseekingoutmarvels,oddities,andiconsfora
long,longtime.”
—RoadTripAmerica.com
“Anyone who’s pondered the whereabouts of Dorothy’s footwear, the limousine carrying
JFKwhenhewasassassinated,orGeorgeWashington’sfalseteethwillfindtheanswersin
thisbook....ForeveryNationalBaseballHallofFame,you’llfindaCockroachHallofFame
Museum(inPiano,Texas).Foreveryhistoricartifact,you’llfindanoffbeattreasure.”
—HonoluluAdvertiser
“Folks who enjoy sampling odd sites around the country should enjoy this road-trip book
filled with strange sites, including the world’s largest ball of twine, George Washington’s
teeth,theWatergatefilecabinet,theEasyRidermotorcycleandElvisPresley’sreportcard.
Chapters include American Curiosities, Roadside Relics, Historic Artifacts, Criminal
Remains,CelebrityAntiquities,MovieandTelevisionKeepsakes,MusicMementos,Sports
MemorabiliaandaTopTenMissinginActionPopCultureArtifacts.”
—SaltLakeTribune
“Suretoappealtoseekersofthecurious,triviabuffsandpop-culturevultures....Afinegift
forsomeoneembarkingonacross-countryroadtriporeventoconsultinyourownquest
forthecurious.”
—LouisvilleCourier-Journal
“You never know where your travels will take you, but with this book you just might find
you’reastone’sthrowfromanimportantpieceofNorthAmericanpopculture.Thebook’s
chaptersincludeAmericanCuriosities(thefamousandsupposedlycursedHopeDiamond
canbefoundattheSmithsonianinWashingtonD.C.),andMovieandTelevisionKeepsakes
(thefamousbenchwhereForrestGumpwaitsforabusisinSavannah,Georgia).Canadian
entriesincludeTitanicartifactsattheMaritimeMuseumoftheAtlanticinHalifaxandElton
John’sfamous,early1970’splatformshoesattheBataShoeMuseuminToronto.”
—Tribute
“Everhadayentolearnexactlywheresomeoftheiconsofourpopculturehavecometo
rest? If those niggling thoughts have ever crossed your mind, then TheRubySlippers,
Madonna'sBra,andEinstein’sBrainisexactlytherainydaytomeyouneed.Packedwith
thewhereaboutsofeverythingfromLizzieBorden’saxetothemotorcyclefromEasyRider,
it’sallinhere,packedwithphotos,annotation,andtheperfectrecipeforonewonderfully
weirdroadtrip.”
—ign.com

Copyright©2007byChrisEpting
Allrightsreserved.Thisbookmaynotbereproducedinwholeorinpartorinanyformor
formatwithoutwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.
Publishedby:
SantaMonicaPressLLC
P.O.Box1076
SantaMonica,CA90406-1076
1-800-784-9553
www.santamonicapress.com
[email protected]
PrintedintheUnitedStates
SantaMonicaPressbooksareavailableatspecialquantitydiscountswhenpurchasedin
bulkbycorporations,organizations,orgroups.PleasecallourSpecialSalesdepartmentat
1-800-784-9553.
ISBN-10:1-59580-018-2
ISBN-13:978-1-59580-018-3
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Epting,Chris,1961-
LedZeppelincrashedhere:therockandrolllandmarksofNorthAmerica/byChris
Epting.
p.cm.
ISBN-13:978-1-59580-018-3
ISBN-10:1-59580-018-2
1. Rockmusic—UnitedStates—Historyandcriticism.2. Musicallandmarks—UnitedStates—
Guidebooks.3. UnitedStates—Guidebooks.I.Title.
ML3534.3.E682007
781.660973—dc22
2007006246
CoverandinteriordesignandproductionbyFutureStudio
Backcoverphotos:
Toprow(lefttoright):JimMorrison’shotelroom;JohnnyRamone’smonument;TheBeach
Boys’birthplace;CapitolRecordsbuilding;GramParsons’sdeathsite
Bottomrow(lefttoright):Theauthor,picturedinStudio1atSunsetSound,whereseveral
songsfromhisfavoritealbum,ExileonMainSt.,wererecorded;Siteoftheinfamous
Altamontconcert;JohnnyThunders’sdeathsite;TheBeatlesandtheRollingStonesplay
NewOrleans;ThefamousRockWalkatGuitarCenter
Contents
Introduction 9
It’sOnlyRock’n’Roll(ButILikeIt):
Sex,Drugs,andRock’n’RollMayhem 13
RollOverBeethoven:
TheBeatles,BobDylan,ElvisPresley,andTheRollingStones 77
KickOuttheJams:
ConcertSitesandLivePerformanceLocations 117
TheSongRemainstheSame:
Music,Film,andTVRecordingSites 159
SweetHomeChicago:
BluesandJazzShrines 185
Don’tFeartheReaper:
Homicides,Suicides,andaBadMoonRising 203
Knockin’onHeaven’sDoor:
R.I.P. 225
Can’tBuyMeLove:
Rock’n’RollMuseums,Restaurants,Hotels, 269
andOtherPlacestoSpendYourCash
B-Sides:
295
RecordStores,RoadTripMusicSuggestions,and
OtherRock’n’RollMiscellany
100ClassicRoadTripSongs
100Rockin’RoadTripAlbums
MyTopLive25
30GreatNorthAmericanMusicStores
Appendix: Rock'n'RollLandmarksbyState 319
Acknowledgments 326
PhotoCredits 327

Introduction
OnadrizzlyMay1,1975,theRollingStones
createdabitofbedlaminLowerManhattan.
ToannouncethedatesoftheirTourofthe
Americas,theyhadscheduledapresscon-
ference at One Fifth Avenue. As reporters
gathered inside the hotel to wait for the
band, a commotion was noticed outside. A
rumbling was heard coming down Fifth
Avenueandloandbehold,itwastheRolling
Stones on the back of a flatbed truck per-
forming “Brown Sugar.” Stunning the
lunchtimecrowd,theyranthroughthesong
beforetossingoutleafletstothoseonthe
street.Onthesheetsofpaperwerethetour
dates. The flatbed then drove around the
corner; the band jumped into waiting cars
and was gone in a flash. The idea for the
impromptu concert came from Stones
drummer Charlie Watts, who’d read that
jazzbandswouldsometimespromotetheir
evening concerts with truck tours around
thecity.
Iwasin8thgradeatthetime,13yearsold,andinthepreviousyearortwohadbecomea
hugefanoftheRollingStones.WhenIgothomefromschoolthatday,Iwasgluedtothenews
reportsoftheevent.Iknewexactlywherethattruckhadpulledupandcouldnotbelievethat
theStones,intheflesh,hadactuallyperformedwithininchesofpeopleonthestreet.That
night,myfathertoldmehehadgottenticketsthroughhiscompanyforustoseetheStones
atMadisonSquareGardenandIbegancountingdownthedaysuntilJune22nd.WhenIhear
peoplewhogrewupinthe1960stalkaboutseeingTheBeatlesonEdSullivanandhowthat
changedtheirlives,well,that’swhatMay1,1975wasforme:alightningbolt.ThedayIdevel-
opedaseriousemotionalattachmenttorock’n’roll.
MytwofavoriteAmericancreationsarebaseballandrock’n’roll,andsinceI’dalreadywrit-
tenabookaboutbaseballitonlyseemednaturaltopenoneonrock‘n’roll.Becauseitwas
bornhereinAmerica,withrootsgoingbacktoCongoSquareinNewOrleans,therearemany
landmarks,shrines,andtouchstonesthroughoutNorthAmericaandthat’swhatledmeto
approachrock’n’rollfromageographicangle.FromthestorewhereElvisboughthisfirst
guitartothesiteofBuddyHolly’splanecrashtothelocationofTheBeatlesfirstperform-
anceinAmerica,thelandscapeislacedwithhundredsofplacesrelevantnotjusttorock’n’
roll,buttorock’sbuildingblocksaswell.Sitesrelatedtojazzandthebluesarejustasimpor-
tantinabooklikethistohelpformafoundationalperspective,andsotheyareincluded,too.
9