About “Craig Hodgkins”
Visiting an Amish farm with my oldest daughter Emily
I’m a writer and ruminator, meeting facilitator, conference and event speaker, reader and movie buff (they’re not mutually exclusive), satirist and musician, outdoorsman, former athlete and native Californian.
As you may have gleaned from this blog’s subtitle, I enjoy writing about music, movies, television & literature, as well as whatever else strikes my fancy. Since I began blogging in July 2007, my MO has largely been to identify gaps in the historical record in my areas of interest, and then attempt to fill them (with varying degrees of success).
There’s so much info available online that I try to avoid rehashing what’s already out there in a million places. That’s why you’ll find me posting about under-appreciated or forgotten writers (such as Frank Fenton, Van Reid, Walter Brooks, Palmer Brown and George Stewart), and gifted and influential artists, musicians and performers of bygone eras (Such as Bud Dashiell and Travis Edmonson, aka Bud & Travis, MFQ, The Chad Mitchell Trio & John Stewart).
I also write about events I’ve hosted which may be of interest to others (such as some of my work with The Walt Disney Company).
Need an alarming level of detail? Well, since you asked, I’m the Craig Hodgkins who attended Tahoe Lake Elementary, Parkview Elementary (Chico, CA), Hemlock and Pope Avenue Elementary (Sacramento, CA), Kerry Hills Elementary (Pinole, CA), Browns Valley Elementary and Ridgeview Junior High (Napa, CA), Napa High School, Pepperdine University, BIOLA University, Cal State Fullerton and USC…who lived/lives in Napa, California; Aspen, Colorado; Nashua, New Hampshire and — for the past several years — all over Southern California…who worked/works at Disneyland, The Walt Disney Studios, The Disney Store, Disney Art Editions, Walt Disney Art Classics, HBRA, Flashcom, Mariners, Saddleback and Beckett Media, and — perhaps most importantly — who is the husband of Diane and father of Emily, Erin and Eric.
If you know any of the Craig Hodgkins‘ listed above, I’d love to hear from you.
You can email me at craig@craighodgkins.com
Here’s the whole Hodgkins brood in 2007 at Mammoth Mountain: Emily, Erin, Craig, Diane and Eric
Here’s the old photo above. Nothing wrong with hanging out in the library, especially if you don’t have to leave home to do it.
Craig
Get It? Got It. Good. 
Craig – you are crazy, bright and inspiring. I look forward to another opportunity to do something outrageous (in a orderly way) at our event in November.
Len. I have so much respect for the Open Doors organization, and for you. Thanks for the steady gig, and for stopping by!
37 yr O.P. specialist..3 buildings of hard cover bks…just found that BOOKFINDER (who I have known since they operated from their bedroom) had interesting blogs to read on the right of page. So I wonder what on earth of the 40-50s (unless printed in ##s of 100) took you a tale to find? regards, N.bridgeman
Craig, you are a writer and certainly a good one! When I grow up (I am 17) I want to be an actor or a writer but it will be kinda difficult for me because I live in Guatemala, a third-world country with not much opportunities for people seeking fame.
Anyway, it’s great to see the work of and being able to write to other writers. You rock dude! Also, (I know I’m kinda old to be watching it) but I totally LOVE iCarly!!! I think its incredibly amazing that you know Jennette McCurdy! I love the way she acts and I bet she is a great person when offstage. It would be the best thing ever to meet her in real life (maybe something that I will never achieve, sadly.)
Anyway Craig, nice talking to you. Please reply when you or if you can, it will be great knowing anything from an experienced writer like you.
Your Guatemalan friend,
Jose Anleu
Among everything on this wonderfully meticulous site, I think my favorite thing I’ve found as yet is “Being Left-Handed.” The only thing that could possibly trump that would be “Allergic To Poultry.”
Also, I believe you left out a college in your list above. Hint: It starts with a “C,” just like all your siblings’ names. (No, not Cal.)
:->
Wow. Two “C’s,” actually…Cypress College. I lost that semester along the way somewhere. As a reward for finding it, I’ll work up a “poisonous poultry” post just for you.
Mr. Hodgkins,
I wondered if you had available any recodings of Bud Dashiell and the Kinssmen, I think they made three albums, and also sny recordings of Bud’s vocals as done on the Skip Weshner show.
Thank you for any information you may have.
Tim Conn
Hi, Tim. I don’t know if you’ve seen the three-part series I did elsewhere on this blog about Bud’s solo work, but there is a mention in Parts 1&3 that 2 of the recordings (“Bud and the Kinsmen” and “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today”) are available for download on both iTunes and Amazon. The live LP is not currently commercially available, as far as I know.
Regarding the Skip Weshner material, the only place I’ve heard those is on Tom Straw’s B&T website, although I can’t seem to get the link to that site to work at the moment.
Contact me for those shows. I have all of the Skip tapes. You can find the list at http://www.skipweshner.com
Frank Blau
blaus@ix.netcom.com
Old westerns sported fair play and deliberative movement and action by actors – they got into the craft and the subtleties of the scene – that many actors today dismiss as unimportant. Since few actors see the films they are creating, they have little or no input into how well or poorly their efforts are “in context” and have little opportunity to get better, thereby being forced to rely upon marketing alone to make them stars.
That trend in Hollywood is now entrenched and difficult to change, but most would agree that films today are more thematic than substance for that reason. It’s rather sad that acting has lost its craft and its verve where actors did not have to depend upon graphics to be the action in a film. Humans still relate to humans but the industry has essentially written out the actors in favor of graphics that sell.
Craig: A few other words that sound like their meanings:
pusillanimous
obsequious
spit
slug
grumble
fleet-footed
lugubrious
unctuous
spud
whiffle
All for now! Chris
Driving north on Hwy 99 to our Fresno and wondered what you’re up to–now we know a little about you and your family. We always think of you at Christmas when our favorite songs are playing away and then we hear the New Christy Minstrels singing Hosanna Alleluia, the song you dug out of somewhere for us!
Good to know you’re all OK and God bless you!
Del and Linda
Hello my Friend, I haven’t seen you for almost 40 years. I was just enjoying reading your blog. I hope to catch up to you one of these days. Until then, all the best from San Jose. Jeff