Grumbler Andy Dawson has turned an anger-induced catchphrase into a witty book for his legions of social media followers and is set to appear in Sunderland to treat Wearsiders to snippets from his new publication.
Mr Dawson, from Sunderland, is responsible for the popular Twitter profile Get In The Sea, an account that boasts 128,000 followers which, according to its bio, highlights ‘people and things that need to get in the f****** sea’.
He told SR News about the idea behind the account and how surprised he was at its overnight success.
“I’ve always been quite ‘opinionated’ on my personal Twitter account but I realised that I’d started becoming more aggressive than usual and decided that a separate account for my venting might be a good idea. I originally wanted to call it @getinthebin, but that had been taken so I opted for the sea instead.
“With hindsight, it’s worked out better – the harsh, murky depths of the sea are far more emotive than a bin.
“It spread like wildfire, which I was amazed at. I think it reached 30,000 followers in about two weeks. There’s obviously lots of people out there who are as exasperated by certain aspects of modern life as I am.
“The book deal was a lovely bonus – a friend of mine had just been published by Penguin and he introduced me to his editor. The commission was signed and sealed within 72 hours of that introduction – the writer’s ultimate dream,” Mr Dawson said.
So far Sunderland author has cast many people and items seaward with his victims, including beard baubles, the Department for Work and Pensions and plenty in between, but Mr Dawson admitted there is no strict criteria to meet to become sea-bound. However, it is normally people of an upper-class background who find themselves tied to one of his verbal anchors.
“It’s usually anything that gives me a gut reaction of ‘oh, f*** off!’ It can be anything from a new government policy to someone in London selling a log with a bit of paint on it for a tenner. There’s no hard and fast rules but I always try to punch up rather than punch down – I’m not into snobbery or getting laughs from people who are suffering.
“It’s always someone in power, someone who is actively seeking attention, or someone who has done or is trying to flog something that is mind-numbingly stupid.”
Looking ahead to his reading in Sunderland, Andy revealed exactly what he had planned for his followers on the evening, and hinted that he is hoping for a party full of embittered guests.
“It’ll be an odyssey of reading, swearing, boozing and handwriting. I’m aiming to read some extracts from the book for about 25-30 minutes and then sign copies of it. There’ll be a bar on, so hopefully it’ll turn out like some kind of weird, slightly angry party. Come along!”
Mr Dawson will be reading extracts from his book on Monday, February 29, at Pop Recs and details of the event can be found HERE.