Rock and Roll Road Trip

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Bonham last week – what a life has he has had.  

Recently, Kiss legend Gene Simmons tied the knot with his longtime paramour. I had the chance to speak with his kids about it…    

Sorry to have been so quiet lately – lots of books deadlines to hit – BUT – I have had the pleasure lately of chatting with some interesting musicians – in particular, John Cooper from the Christian Rock band, Skillet –  

Recently, I spoke with legendary drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Transatlantic and now Adrenaline Mob) about his 9/11 memories. Mike shared not just his thoughts on where he was, but a strange coincidence that took place that day, as well. It’s all recounted here in the piece I wrote for AOL Noisecreep.

If anyone had told me that in September of 2011 I would be lost and found and charmed and awed and stunned and heartbroken and thrilled and… by the new Glen Campbell album, well, I would probably not have been *shocked* – after all, Campbell’s canon of work is a study in classic, classy American…

Recently I learned about a terrific singer/songwriter named Aldo Leopardi. Some background: “Backslash Records has announced  the sophomore release of Denver-based modern rock guitarist/singer-songwriter Aldo Leopardi. The Villains & Heroes EP features five original songs by Aldo Leopardi and his band, and was recorded at Backbone Studio in Loveland, Colo. and The Blasting Room in…

I interviewed Jack Osbourne last week about the new documentary he co-produced about his dad, Ozzy. Jack was very thoughtful in our discussion and seemed like he approached this project with blunt honesty – this is by no means a whitewash – a rear feat for a child that turns the camera on a celebrity…

How crushingly sad to hear the news that Nick Ashford of Ashford and Simpson passed away from cancer at age 69. I was lucky enough to have seen them in their prime back in the early 80s and their shows were always an electric, joyous, love-filled explosion – the soulful sparks between them were inspirational.

I spoke with former Talking Head David Byrne recently. In addition to talking about his new DVD, he explained how his performance style has changed since those wonderfully quirky days back at CBGB in the mid 1970s… “In the early days, I was driven to get on stage. It was a personal psychological need, a…

Chris Epting
about

Chris Epting

A pop culture history aficionado, Chris has a lifelong penchant for documenting the exact sites where things both great and small occurred. As an author, Epting has found that unearthing and chronicling ""hidden"" locations offers him a challenge. What began as an inquisitive hobby soon developed into the writing and photographing of 18 books based on his discoveries, including ""James Dean Died Here…The Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks,"" ""Elvis Presley Passed Here, Even More Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks,"" ""Roadside Baseball,"" and ""The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain: The Locations of America's Pop Culture.""

As an extension of his efforts to chronicle the unique, Epting joined Hampton Hotels for a sixth exciting year as national spokesperson and consultant for the Hidden Landmarks program in support of the brand's national ""Explore the Highway with Hampton Save-A-LandmarkÔ"" campaign (the program recently won the President's award).
Chris is a frequent featured guest on numerous radio and television programs such as National Public Radio's ""All Things Considered,"" ""The Savvy Traveler,"" ""Access Hollywood"" and FOX TV's the ""Best Damn Sports Show Period,"" plus radio and TV programs around the world.
He has contributed articles for such publications as the ""Los Angeles Times,"" ""Westways,"" ""Travel + Leisure"" and ""Preservation"" magazine, and hosts the weekly syndicated radio show, ""The Pop Culture Road Trip."" Chris's latest book, ""Hello It's Me…Dispatches from a Pop Culture Junkie"" will be released in July, 2010.
Chris lives in Huntington Beach, CA with his wife and their two children.

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