Dawson Rollinger – People Tell Me I Look Like Ben Affleck

This week I had the opportunity to join the clinking, clanking, and loud noises going on in the service garage as I interviewed Dawson Rollinger, service mechanic, here at Runde’s.

(Loud thuds and noises in the background)

HEY DAWSON, I THOUGHT I’D TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW YOU BETT… (Loud noises stop and the only thing loud in the room is my voice)

You don’t have to yell…

Oh, my bad – so Dawson, is that your first name?

Yeah it is, I get that all the time, whenever I go to car shows or similar events and I tell them my name is Dawson Rollinger they always reply “well what’s your first name”

What do you do here at Rundes’?

How long have you been a mechanic?

I always liked tinkering around with cars but I first started getting paid for it in 2001.

How are you liking your job?

Oh I like it, all the people are great and it’s pretty laid back.

Are you from the area?

Actually I’m from Apple River, IL  …  it’s about 30 minutes away.

Oh, so you commute to work every day?

Yea, my house doesn’t have wheels so it’s hard to transport it where I want it to go (laughs). But driving down isn’t that bad of a trip.

What’s your best experience at Rundes’?

Hmm… I dunno, it’s hard to pick when I think about a “best” experience here… The best car I worked on here was a ’94 Camaro that a customer wanted souped up.

You love working on cars, eh?

Yea, that’s pretty much all I do. I love it because I got into fixing and tweaking cars and now I’m doing it as a career but it’s not like I’m even working because I love it so much.

Do you have any family?

Yea, I have a girlfriend and a 5-year-old son. He’ll be going to elementary school this coming fall.

What does Dawson Rollinger do for fun?

Work on cars… haha…

Well outside of that…

I like to go to movies and eat out and all the usual stuff. I don’t get to do it much though. I also like going to the Earlville, IA drag strip on the weekends.

Do you like cars or trucks better?

Umm… well that’s a toss up. If you want to pull something then you need a truck. If you want to race then you get a car… Actually we modded a truck in high school to run really fast…

Have any pets?

Yea, two dogs (a PittBull and a Mutt mixed with about everything, and two cats – both are Cornish Rex’s which are hairless cats. I swear they are on meds; they are always really hyper.

Do you like cats or dogs better?

Eh, that’s a toss-up… I think I’d side a bit more with dogs because they listen better

What is your most memorable experience in a vehicle?

Oh man, there are tons of ‘em.  Hmm… I once drove through a golf course with some buddies in a 78’ Camaro. The part up until the cops got involved was really fun.

When I first started driving, around the age of 15 or so, I ran my first car into the neighbors’ porch.

You were pretty ornery, huh?

When you live in a small town like I do everyone does a bunch of fun and  stupid stuff they probably shouldn’t be doing in the first place.

You have a favorite movie?

Probably Gone in 60 Seconds. Not the old one, the new one.

What kind of music do you like?

I grew up with country music so I like that a lot.  Once I started to get out more on my own I started to like rock more and more. Now, pretty much anything is good except rap.

Is the glass half empty or half full?

Depends on how you look at it… It also depends on what you are drinking …

Have you ever been told that you look like Ben Affleck?

Ha ha, yeah, actually I have been told that on more than one occasion. When I was eating with some buddies at a restaurant, an older woman came up and said to me, “You know, you look a lot like Ben Affleck”. My buddies thought that it was really funny that an older woman tried to hook up with me.

If Dawson Rollinger were to win the lottery, where would he go and what would he do with it?

Well I’d definitely keep on working no matter how much money I have.

Beyond that I’d like to visit the West Coast – California and all that. I could, though, spend all that money on cars — no problem.  I’d definitely buy a ’69 Boss 429 Mustang – one of the rarest and best cars. I’d also buy a big shop for working on the cars.

Most people wouldn’t work after getting that money.  That’s pretty admirable! Thank you very much for taking time out to do this interview. I’ll let you get back to producing loud noises.

Haha, no problem, thanks.