A NOTE FROM PHIL
Jeff Dowdder
Jeff Dowdder is a the standard California Surf Dude character with a few twists, one of which is he’s a drummer in a death metal band called Darque Hors. Another is that, at times, he’s a “part time professor” of “mechanical physics” at Cal Tech university. Many of his characteristics, including his speech pattern and authoritative style, are based on my late, beloved friend Paul Compton. Jeff has an oddly intellectual and methodical approach to things. He makes the vague references to weed and such but he’s mostly into surfing, music, left wing politics, personal freedom and the occasional bad drum lessons he gives.
Jeff is an amalgam of so many people I grew up with in the San Gabriel Valley and spent summers with at Newport Beach. He has the ever present friend he talks about who we rarely if ever see, Toby Beau. He has a girlfriend who is in the background as well. He talks about crazy ideas that are possible only in a weed marinated mind like getting Jesus DNA from the Shroud of Turin and cloning him. Jeff is the guy who brings that weird stuff up when the hour is late and the marijuana haze hangs heavy in the air.
Jeff for me is a character to use when you want a total know-it-all who doesn’t know all that much, especially when the topic is something esoteric


- The X Factor. Stoner/surfer/drummer from Temple City, CA
- Death Metal. Jeff drums for a band called Darque Hors (Dark Horse) and has even demonstrated his “skill” on air for Phil using two pencils and a trash can (he’s terrible).
- Side Gigs. Jeff is also a part time professor of “mechanical physics” at Cal Tech and also claims to drive a snow plough for the city of Huntington Beach.
- BFF 4 Life. His best friend is a fellow weird ass named Toby Beau and the two for a while shared a home of sorts in “Mint Canyon,” up near Santa Clarita.
- Introducing Jesus Lettermen. Jeff’s big money making idea (that he says he ‘copyrighted’) was to get DNA from the Shroud of Turin (a relic supposedly used to wipe the face of Jesus Christ), clone Jesus and then take him on the late night circuit.
- Family Tree. Jeff is also Chris Norton’s cousin.