If There's a Bustle in Your Hedgerow: 50 Lyrical Lines That Helped Define the 1970's

by Chris Epting

Veteran music journalist and author Chris Epting takes a unique look at 1970s music by focusing on individual, notable sentences from songs that stand out to him. Certain words and phrases had the ability to call extra attention to themselves for a variety of reasons and Epting’s offbeat literary exercise helps explain why some tunes stand the test of time while others simply fade into the sonic background. Certain to inspire conversation, debate and lots of baby boomer musical memories, If There’s a Bustle in Your Hedgerow is a rocking, groovy, soulful, funky, bubblegum, one-of-a-kind look at 1970s music, from "clouds in my coffee" and "pompitous of love" to that "corner in Winslow, Arizona" and the "prophet of Sir Galahad."

85 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2013

About the author

A pop culture (and baseball) 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 14 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, Images of America – the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Roadside Baseball, The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain: The Locations of America's Pop Culture Artifacts and Led Zeppelin Crashed Here.

As an extension of his efforts to chronicle the unique, Epting joins Hampton Hotels for a fourth 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-Landmark™” campaign (the program recently won the President’s award). He was also recently national spokesman for the launch of Microsoft Windows Live Local travel web site and is the current spokesman for EMusic.com, an online music download company.

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 international programs in Australia, Japan and the U.K.

He has contributed articles for such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Westways, Travel + Leisure and Preservation magazine, and was the Travel Editor for Chicken Soup for the Soul Magazine. He also writes and voices a series for Major League Baseball Radio, and writes a weekly column for the Huntington Beach Independent newspaper and a monthly feature in Orange Coast magazine. Chris hosts The Pop Culture Road Trip radio show on webtalkradio.net and his 14th book, “The Birthplace Book,” comes out in Spring ‘09.

Chris lives in Huntington Beach, CA with his wife and their two children.

Reviews

[Jessi Zeidler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Certainly an entertaining read, but not at all what I expected. Not so much a commentary on the times and how these lyrics defined/shaped them as it is Epting's personal memories about how these lyrics made him feel, with the occasional comment on the general aura of the 70s.

If you enjoy personal memoirs or ideas, it's definitely worth a read. If you're looking for an almost-academic study on how music shaped a culture, take a gander, but don't expect too much.