Andrew Martin Dodson
Bio
Author, music snob, husband, parent, amateur neck cracker. A quintuple threat, if you will. This is a space for personal essays, life stories (and lessons learned), as well as unfinished/belongs-nowhere-else fiction. Enjoy!
Stories (15/0)
The Time I Was Just A Big Joke To Old Friends
North Hollywood, 2015 I sat there in the ticketing booth, playing both House Manager, Stage Manager, Writer and Director for my first-ever produced play, Clarence Wakefield is Falling Apart. In our little 42 seat theatre, maybe half of the tickets had sold for the night, culled from foot traffic and an aggressively annoying online marketing campaign to get people to show up.
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Humans
My Drug Addicted Boss Once Tried to Teach Me Acting
I am not a particularly cocky person... At least, not anymore. Admittedly, I used to be a very cocky person. In my first summer away from college, having studied "the art of acting" for two whole semesters, I re-joined a summer stock program for the second year in a row. And let me tell you, I thought I was the shit. Turns out, I was just a piece of shit.
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Confessions
My Security Blanket of Brutalism: This Will Destroy You's "Tunnel Blanket" at 10
It was a warm day in Glendale, California. The sun shined rays of light and positivity down on me as I made my way home from the World Gym on Colorado Street. I took in the greenery of the quiet neighborhoods around me and let the silent comfort of solitude and vitamin D wash over me. My mind began to wander.
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Beat
Reconsidering Weezer: A Definitive Album Ranking
The Mandalay Bay Events Center bustled with eager 30 and 40-somethings ready to relive a better time in their lives. As my wife and I approached the doors, we could hear the erratic sounds of the opening act, Pixies. We entered as they powered through their cover of my favorite Jesus & Mary Chain song, "Head On."
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Beat
Graveyard Sounds & Sam Shepard: Explosions in the Sky's "Take Care, Take Care, Take Care" at 10
Want to know when my next personal essay is going to drop? Want to get weekly, curated recommendations? Want exclusive short fiction? Want to do other cool things like writing exercises and just have fun?
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Beat
What Moneyball Taught Me: 7 Lessons from 7 Quotes
Want to know when my next personal essay is going to drop? Want to get weekly, curated recommendations? Want exclusive short fiction? Want to do other cool things like writing exercises and just have fun?
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Unbalanced
So, This is What Triumph Feels (Sounds) Like
When I was about 10... I used to wander around the playground at lunch. I would abandon my friends and take my unwieldy, oversized body to the grassy sprawl that was the school yard. Headphones on, Walkman in hand, a small case of CDs in my backpack.
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Beat
The Mall That Made Me Shit My Pants
Once, ages ago... There was a time when malls mattered, believe it or not. A time before ecommerce and Amazon's manifest destiny over retail. It was a time of actual music and movie stores where you could buy CDs and DVDs. Suncoast Video, Sam Goody, The Wherehouse. And not Blu-rays, not 4k UHD, just regular DVDs -- the ones with the cardboard case and flimsy plastic lock that held it together.
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Humans
I Was Once Heckled by a Vietnam Vet in High School
Let's start with the obvious... War is hell, I think we can all agree on that. Whether you support nation-on-nation violence or not, it's clear that war is not a fun thing. Well, maybe to some. And no, I have never, nor will I ever (hopefully) fight in a war. Psychological warfare, maybe, but that's neither here or there.
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Humans
THE BIG RESET
December 22nd, 1954: $20,000. Christ almighty. When my Lloyd passed away, bless his soul, he kept his mouth shut tight. He already did not talk very much, always tired, but he kept things moving along. Work kept us afloat. We made love when we made love and it was always good. He was daring, he was quite daring… He never mentioned any life insurance because I think he never thought he had to. It’s a nice surprise, but who am I going to thank? Sorry. Why am I apologizing? He never wanted me to see a therapist but I started to see one recently. His idea to keep this journal.
By Andrew Martin Dodson2 years ago in Humans
