“A drop more Sauvignon John, I have something that may interest you.” And that is the way it has been for nigh on 25 years.
Usually it has been Simmo, as I fondly call him, gently leading me out of my depth into the world of Dark Angels, 26 and all stations south. Same table, same location. Once called Caffe Vergnano, now Cote Brasserie, always the South Bank by Waterloo Bridge.
John Dodds (left) and John Simmons (right)
This time it was me who was doing the leading astray. We have so much history together. John radically changed the brand thinking of the company where I worked for over 20 years, Air Products. He created a more engaging tone of voice as well as coming up with a company tagline tell me more which reflected the deeper understanding that the company had with its customers.
But time moves on and I found myself wanting to unearth the uniqueness of the people and their craft that have had a powerful influence on my life.
And so it was me who topped up John’s glass and asked him to be a guest on my new podcast Cafe W.O.W.
Two episodes had already been released but my conversation with John was special. He had encouraged me to write a poem for the Dark Angels book And So We Grow. I took the road less travelled, not for the first time, and came up with a series of single lines about my life. I added the word Grow at the end of each line.
They were happy, sad, and significant moments. Along with others I read my poem at the Bloomsbury Festival. people liked it; two audience members told me they were going home to write their own Growing a life lines.
So it was time for the leaping to be reversed. John agreed to have the podcast conversation and write his own Grow a life lines.
The resulting discussion was richer than either of us could have imagined. John has led a fascinating life and his life lines guided us on the journey. Early days growing up near Covent Garden. Being blessed by Robert Maxwell and surviving. Remembering with fondness the period as a writer and Verbal Identity expert at leading design agencies Newell and Sorrell, and Interbrand. And finally focusing on his real joy – writing. With the formation of Dark Angels and 26; as well as a discussion of his four novels and recent forays into poetry.
The feedback from the conversation has been universally positive. John tells his story with a gentle and humble touch on the tiller. He has quietly achieved so much and I suspect there is still much more to come. He has helped me and many others fall back in love with words or discover their elegance and beauty for the first time.
John’s favorite quote from E.M Forster’s Howard’s End is “Only Connect”. John has managed to connect with so many people on so many levels. It was the greatest pleasure to connect with him, his life, and his work on the podcast. I hope you’ll feel the same. There are more stories to be uncorked.
You can listen to the Café W.O.W podcast at www.cafewowpodcast.com or leading podcast platforms.