On the Road Not Taken: A memoir about the power of music

by Paul Dodgson

On the Road Not Taken is a memoir about the transformational power of music. It begins with a boy growing up in a small town on the Kent coast in the 1970s, who learns to play the guitar and dreams of heading out on the open road with a head full of songs. But when the moment comes to make the choice he is not brave enough to try and do it for a living. Time passes but the desire to explain the world through music never goes away. And as the years go by it gets harder and harder to risk looking like a fool, of doing the very thing he would most like to do, of actually being himself. Eventually, thirty-five years later, when it feels like time is running out, he walks out onto a stage in front of 500 people and begins to sing again. What follows is an extraordinary period of self-discovery as he plays pubs, clubs, theatres and festivals, overcoming anxiety to experience the joy of performance.

Genres: Music, Biography

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 2019

Reviews

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free electronic copy of this memoir from Netgalley, Paul Dodgson, and Unbound publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read On the Road Not Taken of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

Paul Dodgson was a child who loved music and envisioned himself as a musician, dreamed of making music and sharing his art with the world - except for that massive, unfaceable stage fright that he couldn't seem to get past. We travel with him, from his youth in the tiny community of Hythe, Kent, England in the 1960's, through his breakthrough in the 2010's when he actually starts finishing some of the songs he started as a youth, learning to complete those songs of his youth on the guitar, and found 'the' guitar - the instrument he was meant to have. He did make a career around music, writing plays and music for BBC Radio, for the stage, for television. He was even a 'Voice' in demand on the radio. And then in 2015 after attending a concert by Frank Turner, he knows he has to get out there, to at least TRY to share his music with the world the way he had always wanted to do. Maybe just a little world, but share he must. It would not be easy. But he would do it...

I found it interesting that Paul Dodgson is a southpaw but was taught to play conventional guitar. Some of the best guitarists from the US were left-handed but played conventionally. Jimi Hendrix. Stevie Ray Vaughn. Hendrix's unique sound is created as he plucked up, rather than strummed down on the strings. It will be interesting to watch Paul Dodgson as he matures as an artist. Our boys died much too young. Will be nice to see an older southpaw rocker...
Pub date changed to Sept 5, 2019
pub date August 22, 2019
Unbound publishers
Reviewed on August 26 at Goodreads, Netgalley.

CHANGE TO DIGITAL

[Claire (c.isfor.claire_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir about the power of music seen through Dodgson's eyes. Paul is a voice actor and his voice in the telling of this memoir really made this a great listen for me.
Each chapter is relatively short in length, and ingeniously each one takes the name of a song. The memoir is split into two storylines that run parallel with each other - Dodgson as a boy, then adolescent, discovering music and dreaming big of being a rockstar and then later, a adult, and the quest to be a singer songwriter. The narrative moves forwards and backwards between the two storylines and decades.

A memoir all about adolescent dreams and aspirations, abandoned dreams as other priorities take over adult life, regrets, anxiety, those feelings of am I good enough, the realisation that comes with age that you are, and perhaps never too old to fulfil those big dreams.

I found this a insightful fascinating listen, full of integrity.

[Alfred Nobile · Rating 4 out of 5]

One man's journey through music. More on the blog tour

[Alan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many music fans I’ve imagined myself as a musician – the 3rd guitar Thin Lizzy never knew they needed. Trouble is, I don’t so much play the guitar as interfere with them. I can only play sitting down and under no circumstances if anyone else is watching. Or listening. Paul’s tale of how he overcame his stage fright to become a travelling troubadour therefore appealed to me, if only to relate how he managed to do something I know I never will.

Paul’s tale is not a simple “How To Get Over Yourself And Get On Stage”. It’s a tale of redemption as well as a gentle reflection on his parents, friendship, his children and most importantly himself. The book alternates chapters between his formative years and his gradual steps towards playing songs in public.

The twist in the plot – and I’m giving nothing away as it’s revealed at the start of the book - is that Paul didn’t acquire the performance bug late in life. In his youth he fronted The Entangled Network, one of Hythe’s foremost rock and roll bands (indeed quite possibly their only rock and roll band) who successful promoted their own gigs and recorded a number of songs. The chapters alternate between the young Dodgson finding and then losing his mojo, and how as an adult made his way back on stage.

If the book has a weakness, it’s the relative lack of light and shade in the adult years. The gradual steps from practice in his kitchen to playing to paying punters don’t quite have the same zest and pace as his childhood revelations. He documents extensively (and with a very droll, dry humour) his childhood pretentions and misjudgements in a way that were sadly all too easy to identify with, and manages to convey very effectively why anyone thought it a good idea to pay money to see The Enid. If their parents would let them. And run them there and back.

If you are after a self-help book this isn’t it. If you enjoy a trip down memory lane that mixes a smile with a few cringes, with some touching reflections from adult life on friendships, children and relationships, I’d heartily recommend it.

[Kathryn Aalto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the memoir genre. Unlike autobiographies that look back on the entirety of one's life, a memoir explores a particular chapter. On the Road Not Taken by Paul Dodgson cleverly juxtaposes snapshots and scenes from his hilariously rock star-aspirational early teen years -- when he performed in a band with friends -- with returning to the stage, to singing, and to guitar 34 years later. I laughed out loud at his descriptions of those dreamy early years before adult expectations, demands, and responsibilities can elbow out personal expression.

With chapters alternating between childhood and adulthood, each cleverly named after songs, the structure of the book made me feel like I was lifting a needle between songs or flipping a record. I love it when the structure of the memoir reflects a theme like this. Dodgson is also brilliantly adept at vivid scene creation. I was moved by scenes as he struggles to find his voice after a divorce and decades of creating content for the BBC. He captured the posturing and platform shoes and desire for attention from girls in his young days as well. There were times when he cites other authors who have written on music and stage that I did not feel were necessary, but this is minor. In creative nonfiction, writers vacillate between conveying information and creating scenes, but I personally preferred existing solely in Dodgon's own charming and insightful thoughts.

On the Road Not Taken is definitely a book for anyone who feels an ache to return to a part of themselves that they left behind. Dodgson does not preach or tell readers overt lessons, but the takeaway of this music memoir: it is never too late to pick up that guitar, find your voice, or set your foot back on that road you left off as a child -- even if decades separate you from those years -- and no matter the dream. After reading the book, I acted in a small stage production at a writing conference and later signed up for singing lessons in my hometown. Dodgson's well-crafted book is quietly inspirational in this way.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely loved this book. Having met Paul and had the privilege of seeing him perform, I can say that this is authentically his voice. I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it just as much though if I'd never met him. Music fans (like me) will love this book, particularly the way he writes about discovering music as a child. He also writes brilliantly about that painfully difficult experience of trying to be cool when he was young and eventually finding comfort in his own skin as an adult.
Some of my favourite artists were referenced throughout his story which reminded me how music can connect us. There are also lots of new songs for me to discover having read it. There are no huge twists in this memoir, no huge dramas but it shows how subtle and life changing journeys of self discovery can be. I'd encourage you to read this book and I'm proud to be one of the initial funders.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this book had a lot of potential that wasn't realized. It is completely the kind of title I would pick up and purchase in a bookstore, but I am 3/4 of the way through it and there seems to be no story arc, just a series of gigs. I like the two time frames, but the flip-flop every couple of pages is disconcerting and the story could have been better developed if each part had been given a bit more space. At this point I'm flipping through the pages to see if anything of interest happens but I am guessing I will abandon it.

[Carole Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

i Hadn’t heard of Paul prior to this book, I found it a very interesting journey from his early years of discovering music, playing in a group with a couple of friends, going to gigs and his parents collecting him, getting first guitar, his relationship with his parents, his career, each chapter is a song title, I really enjoyed this journey.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!
Fun, emotional and inspiring...

[Tina Ambury · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptionally intimate and moving story.
I love the Unbound concept and am so glad I've become a Reading Club member.

[Rosemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an audiobook to review for the blog tour.

Full review on blog 6th May 2020