Obit: Marshall Dodge (1935 - 1982)

Subject: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: kendall
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 07:35 AM

25 years ago today, my friend, Marshall Dodge,(Bert & I) was run down and killed by a drunk driver in Hawaii. Gone but not forgotten.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 11:34 AM

Thanks for posting this, Kendall. Has it really been 25 years?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 11:41 AM

Yup. Time flies when you're getting old.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 11:58 AM

I loved Marshall's work -- his was the first voice I ever heard intone the priceless line, "You can't get theah frum heah". I can still hear him twanging.

A

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 12:17 PM

Yep, a fine tale teller. There is a photo I took of Marshall Dodge with Joe Hickerson in Lacrosse, Wisconsin (the Great River Folk Festival) at my folk scene photos website:

http://rudegnu.com/art_thieme.html

Art

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 12:30 PM

Here's a Direct Link to that page.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: SINSULL
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 12:30 PM

I saw a video of Kendall's Stories Told In The Kitchen with Marshall Dodge answering the question "Was there a frost last night?" Brilliantly funny. He was a real treasure.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: Amos
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 12:56 PM

By the way, Art Thieme's photo collection is just priceless, a second national treasure after Art his own self.

A

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: karen k
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 02:26 PM

I was fortunate to know Marshall a bit as he played at the Sounding Board Coffeehouse in Hartford, CT a couple of times and he would stay at my home. He was a wonderful person and in fact he was the first person who told me that I should hear this friend of his sometime - Kendall Morse! I was a teacher 25 years ago and was reading the Hartford Courant before class and happened to notice a very small article buried on the bottom of a page telling of the death of Marshall Dodge. It was a terrible shock and a sad day.

Thanks Kendall for drawing attention to this day. I hadn't thought of it. It's nice to remember Marshall. Will have to dig out his LP's and give them a play.

karen

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge
From: kendall
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 04:51 PM

One of the many great things about Marshall, he was always promoting others. Very little ego in this man.I still miss him very much.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: DADGBE
Date: 28 Jan 07 - 10:57 PM

I remember one time at the Foxhollow festival Marshall started one of his carnival raps (Hurry, hurry, step right up, ladies and gentlemen...) and gathered a large crowd in about 15 seconds or so.

He was a remarkable story teller and is missed greatly.


Are the Bert and I recordings still available?

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: Anglo
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 12:12 AM

My friend, too. I've missed him for a long time. I remember driving from the lodgings to the western NY Geneseo Folk Festival years ago (maybe 30) with Tony B, Marshall, Grant Rogers, and I think Dan Smith - all packed into our old Volvo. Marshall screaming from the middle of the back seat when he thought Tony (driving) wasn't paying enough attention when a car stopped in front of us. (We didn't hit it :-)

John

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 12:50 AM

The Bert and I stuff is still available:
http://www.bertandi.net/

I remember Marshall Dodge. I first saw him live at the Fox Hollow Folk Festival, but most vividly I remember after the Great Boston Blizzard of 1978: The entire city was shut down for a week. Marshall Dodge was living in Cambridge at the time, and was scheduled to give a talk on humor in one of the Harvard College house common rooms. Since he lived just a few blocks away, it was one of the few events not cancelled, and I walked all the way to Harvard from my home in Brookline to hear him. He expounded on big places having humor of expansion and small places having humor of contraction, all profusely illustrated with stories that had us in stitches. It was worth the long boot-clad trek through snow-blocked streets. My journey gave the lie to "you can't there from here."

These days, I commute to work in downtown Washington, DC, where there a lot of tourists, and when they ask me for directions, there are a whole batch of Marshall Dodge lines I get to use on them.

--Charlie Baum

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: Nancy King
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 01:13 AM

A very long time ago the Folklore Society of Greater Washington presented a program dubbed as a "Liars' Bench," in which there were three or four tellers of tall tales and stories. It says a lot about Marshall Dodge that I can't even remember who the other participants were. He blew 'em all away!

Assorted phrases from the Bert and I recordings creep into the speech of just about everybody who's ever heard them. And if you HAVEN'T heard them, you really should -- they are simply wonderful. One of my favorite sound-effect phrases is "whang-ety-tong!" from the story about the iron lung rolling out of the back of the truck... And then there's the sound of the boat's motor starting up... Ya gotta hear it, folks!

Thanks for reminding us, Kendall.

Nancy

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: kendall
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 09:16 AM

Whangity tong...whangity tong tong... Nancy, I agree, but he got to where he was very cautious about telling that one in public. The last thing he would want to do is offend someone.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: Mark Ross
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 10:23 AM

One thing I regret never getting to see was Utah Phillps, Glenn Ohrlin, Gamble Rodgers, and Marshall Dodge trading stories. All of these fine storytellers have been friends and teachers, and I really regret not getting to see them all together.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: kendall
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 12:42 PM

I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Glenn Ohrlin at the El Paso National Folk Festival, I think it was 1988.

I know what you mean, Mark. Those three would be a critical mass!

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: GUEST,SJ
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 12:50 PM

Hi
My dad's mate he knew from school days died recently. He didn't have much family and we'dve been asked for suggestions re music for the funeral. My dad knows the guy liked folk music but has never had an interest in that genre himself. He didn't have CDs for us to go by, or get out to a folk club. I wonder if you could give some suggestions of music for the funeral?
Many thanks

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 01:27 PM

GUEST. Here is a place to start.
thread.cfm?threadid=21554&messages=93

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: GUEST,SJ
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 02:23 PM

Thanks for that.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: kendall
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 04:21 PM

I agree with Sandy. Turning toward the morning by Gordon Bok.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: oldhippie
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 05:37 PM

SJ, try "One Small Star" by Eric Bogle.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 05:45 PM

The Parting Glass makes for a tearful farewell with dignity.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: Hollowfox
Date: 29 Jan 07 - 06:55 PM

God, I miss him.

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 09:00 PM

I remember first moving to Maine and working with someone who had a Marshall Dodge (it must have been a tape as she was playing it at work......). I sat there absolutely unaware of what was going on and asked this woman what the hell she was laughing at. She said - you have to be from Maine to get it. Well, many years later, I venture to disagree ..... it might take a while but you can find him funny and not be from Maine.

My favorite lines?

Which way is Vassalboro?
Don't you move a goddamn inch!!!!

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: GUEST,GUEST: georgeward
Date: 30 Jan 07 - 11:20 PM

Thanks for remembering, Kendall.

Marshall wasn't even present for one of my favorite memories of him (and he was a dear friend, as to many). My parents were vacationing at Bar Harbor many years ago, and Vaughn and I went off to meet up with them. We set off for some sort of tour with them on what was either an oversize lobster boat or and undersize tour boat. The day being calm and the tourists unruffled, the two Mount Desert Island guys who were the crew set about entertaining each other with word-for-word renditions of Marshall's and Bob Bryan's (Bert and I)
stories. They'd been recycled right back into the oral tradition! We did get to share that with him.

The faux-risque moment at old Eighth Step Coffehouse involving the steam pipes and Mike's tall Indian hat with the even-taller feather really had to be seen, although Vaughn could and did make a small epic tale of it ever after. Hollowfox may remember.

Yeah, Mary. God I miss him too.

george(someone done et my cookie agin)ward

Subject: RE: Obit: Marshall Dodge (28 Jan 1982)
From: kendall
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 07:45 AM

Back around 1978 or so, Marshall and I did a performance at the Joy of Movement Center in Boston. At the home of a friend we listened to something called the Head Tape by Fred Gallicar (not sure of the spelling). This guy did a whole routine around vomiting, and Marshall was on the floor! I never saw him laugh so hard before or since.
I've often wondered what happened to Fred Gallicar.