Brandon Wainerdi

Today on the show is my conversation with the absolutely incredible Claudia Gray, who is a fantastic author. She is responsible for so many Star Wars books, as well as so many others: Lost Stars, Bloodline, Leia: Princess of Alderaan. She also was one of the architects of The High Republic (aka “Project Luminous”), with Into the Dark being her first book in the series.

From her experiences with the saga growing up to how the relationship between her and Lucasfilm begin, as well as diving into to each of her Star Wars books, I had so much fun getting to finally talk to her!

Howard Kazanjian needs no introduction for listeners of this show.

He was the producer of Return of the Jedi and executive producer on Raiders of the Lost Ark (as well as uncredited producer on The Empire Strikes Back.) He is a legend in both the world of Star Wars and the world of movie-making, in general.

It is a true honor to get to talk with him about his career, from USC and Alfred Hitchcock to the Yuma Desert and forests of Endor.

We are also joined by Consulting Editor of Mr. Kazanjian’s biography, the great Brandon Alinger, who offers some behind-the-scenes tidbits about the making of the book, alongside the late J.W. Rinzler.

To purchase the incredible book, Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life  please go to the following link: https://amzn.to/3oWgDhB

And to see what Brandon and Prop Store are up to (right now, an incredible poster auction), head to: https://propstore.com/

Prolific Star Wars author, Alexander Freed has done so much, recently completing his Alphabet Squadron trilogy of novels.

I really loved this conversation, tracing his journey from Bioware’s The Old Republic to Dark Horse Comics to Star Wars Insider Short Stories to then, of course, full-length Star Wars novels.

And, whether it is his Rogue One novelization or his most recent book, Victory’s Price, an Alexander Freed Star Wars story is always one to be celebrated.

If this episode does not convince you to check out the Alphabet Squadron trilogy, I really don’t know what else would.

Thank you as well to Lauren and the PR team at Del Rey for helping set all of this up.

Head to AlexanderFreed.com for more updates on what is coming up.

Today is our 100th episode of Talking Bay 94, and I’m talking to the legendary Tony McVey: model maker, sculptor and character designer, who has worked on three generations of Star Wars.

The designer of Salacious Crumb and sculptor of Sy Snootles, the Rancor and Gamorrean Guards for Return of the Jedi, Mr. McVey returned to bring Jar Jar, Geonosians, and Yoda to three dimensions for the prequels, and then once more to The Mandalorian, to help design already-iconic creatures like The Child and Kuiil.

I can think of no better person to be our 100th interview.

For a more in-depth look at his process and creations, definitely go to his Facebook page, which is jam packed with incredible models and sculptures: https://www.facebook.com/tony.mcvey.777

And so yeah, that is our 100th episode. I cannot believe that we’ve gotten to this point and to this milestone.

I want to take this time to thank so many people: our guests, who have been so generous and gracious, our partners, who have helped make a lot of these interviews possible, and, of course, all of you, our fans, for supporting the show, listening every week, telling friends, reviewing us on Apple, and buying the merch.

I, Brandon, want to especially thank Jason, the producer of this show, who tirelessly works behind the scenes with recordings and video call set ups and all the incredible graphics you see every week. He was the first person I texted with this idea, way back in 2017, and I am so grateful that he’s been on this journey with me ever since.

It has meant much to hear from you all and to be welcomed into the Star Wars community with such open arms, over the past 3 years. And really, I just can’t wait to see what happens next.

Dave Carson is an extremely talented man of many different roles thorughout the Star Wars saga: whether working as a storyboard artist, a Creature Shop sculptor, or visual effects supervisor, his work left a lasting mark on so many of the movies we love.

From his start on The Empire Strikes Back to bringing the Gamorrean Guards to life in Return of the Jedi, he also has some incredible stories from his work on Star Tours and the Special Editions.

Of course, we also dive in to his monumental non-Star Wars work, including Young Sherlock Holmes (the stained glass man), Willow (and his idea for the morphing technology) and Jurassic Park. Incredible.

In this lead up to Episode #100 (which is crazy to even say) I would really appreciate some new reviews on Apple. If you can leave a 5-star review of the show right here on your favorite podcast app, or on Podchaser: podchaser.com/TalkingBay94

Don Bies came on this podcast way back on Episode #5 (!). If you haven’t listened to our previous conversation, definitely give it a download first, to hear all about his incredible career … because this episode is me asking all the questions I wish I had asked him 3 years ago.

Japanese Panasonic commercials (and adventures with Peter Mayhew + previous guest Niki Botelho)… the 1988 Marin County Fair … the Special Editions … and so, so much more.

I think I broke my mic (sorry) from laughing so hard.

It truly means the world that Mr. Bies came back on the show, and that he took a chance on this podcast 3 years ago … and, of course, his stories are just the best, if you can’t tell by my reactions.

Keep the Gaslight Burning is now streaming on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Gaslight-Burning-Markie-Post/dp/B07K1FQ9C5

For donations and Information about The Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation: https://grantimaharafoundation.org/

Next week, Episode #99 (!), is with ILM legend David Carson, who was mentioned several times in this episode. It’s a great one … he designed the Gamorrean Guards!

Paul Davids co-wrote the Jedi Prince series of books, best known for The Glove of Darth Vader, as well as characters like Trioculus, Zorba the Hutt … and, of course, the grandchild of Emperor Palpatine. And that was 30 years ago!

I grew up reading these books and so getting to talk about their creation was such a blast. (Mr. Davids sure knows how to tell a story.)

It’s such a fun interview. And, as mentioned, if you’re interested in checking out any of his latest projects you can visit the following links:

• http://www.pauldavids.com/
• https://www.pauldavids-artist.com/
• https://www.amazon.com/The-Grand-Kingdom-of-Cookieland/dp/B08H82BY83

The prequel renaissance continues! Richard Stride played Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, as well as numerous other roles, including Clone Troopers and … Obi-Wan Kenobi (in more scenes than you would believe).

It’s a great, quick inside look at what it was like to be on set while they were filming the prequels, and I hope you all enjoy it!

As mentioned, you can check out his website, richardstride.co.uk, for more information, as well as upcoming roles and appearances.

Next week is my long-awaited interview with the author of the Glove of Darth Vader series, Paul Davids. It’s a wild one, so hang on.

Paul Duncan is a writer, historian, and the author of the two volumes of Taschen‘s Star Wars Archives.

Mr. Duncan’s research, insights, and his exclusive multi-day interviews with George Lucas, himself, make these books a must-have for any Star Wars fan … and this interview, if I do say so myself, a must-listen.

Listening back on this interview while editing, I was again just so impressed (and obviously so inspired) by Mr. Duncan, and I hope to one day be half the interviewer, researcher and writer that he is.

To buy Mr. Duncan’s Star Wars books from Taschen: https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/film/all/01170/facts.the_star_wars_archives_19771983.htm

And to buy his other equally incredible works, directly from his Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Duncan/e/B002QY4OOG

Today is Talking Bay 94 … Episode 94.

So I wanted to do something special, especially after the announcement of The Book of Boba Fett series, as well as the very sad news of Jeremy Bulloch’s passing last week.

Over the past few years of this show, we’ve been able to interview a lot of cast and crew members, who have put on the Mandalorian armor, who have helped design it, or who have brought it to life in other ways. What follows is a brief, chronological look at bringing Boba Fett to the screen for the Original Trilogy, from 1978 to the 1997 Special Editions, using clips from our past 94 episodes to do so.

I’ll be introducing the people who will be talking beforehand, and there will also be some select archival clips from people we may not have been able to interview. If any of these seem interesting, definitely go back through our episode library to hear these full stories.

Let’s all just buckle up, then, and listen to these talented people talk about their experience with everyone’s favorite Bucket Head.

It is always so appreciated if you can leave a 5-star review of the show right here on your favorite podcast app, or on Podchaser: podchaser.com/TalkingBay94