Interview

Today May 21, 2020 is the 40th anniversary of the best movies (and one of my favorite movies) of all time: The Empire Strikes Back.

With the two year anniversary of this podcast happening this week, as well, I thought it would be fun for me to go back through the past 65 or so episodes of this show and pull some of my favorite moments from some of my favorite guests, as they talk about what it was like, firsthand, to work on the sequel to Star Wars.

If you know me at all, this look back focuses mostly on the special effects: Industrial Light and Magic’s move from Van Nuys to San Rafael, the Hoth sequences, the Tauntauns, the walkers, and go motion.

I’ll be introducing the previous guests who are talking throughout, but just know that it is a combination of ILM wizards, legendary editors and unsung heroes. I’m talking about a total of 16 Academy Awards won in this 25 minute episode.

So let’s all just buckle up and take a trip back even before that 1980 release, before we knew who Luke’s father was and before anyone of us had ever even seen The Empire Strikes Back.

If you’ve ever read an issue of the Star Wars Insider or attended Star Wars Celebration, you’ve got today’s guest, Dan Madsen, to thank.

Founder of the Lucasfilm Fan Club, Mr. Madsen got his start as the president of the Star Trek Fan Club, eventually coming to LFL in a time when there were no new Star Wars movies being made.

Whether talking about those early days of the magazine, his cameo in The Phantom Menace, or the rainy start of Star Wars Celebration Denver, Mr. Madsen’s love of the fan community and his passion for projects like Her Universe is evident in every answer.

It really is an honor to have Mr. Madsen on the show, if only to thank him profusely for the Insider articles that are still some of the best, most comprehensive resources out there, for Star Wars fans.

Make sure to check out his newest venture, Svaha, filled with some incredibly cool clothes and apparel, focused on STEAM, at: svahausa.com

What hasn’t Ken Ralston done? Whether talking through his early days working on the Original Trilogy, Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock and a host of Bob Zemeckis classics (including the Back to the Future trilogy), Mr. Ralston is full of incredible, historic stories, a living legend.

Strap in for visual effects conversations about working with the Dykstraflex, Videomatics, motion capture, and Ceti Eels.

This May is the two year anniversary of TALKING BAY 94, so, as a special bonus episode, I have invited on my very first guest, Corey Dee Williams, as well as his manager, Derek Maki from Coolwaters Productions, who made those first interview even possible.

Check out some new stories from the both of them, and thank you all so much for two years of support!

And, to sign up for Coolwaters’ upcoming In-House Con, just go to their website: https://inhouse-con.com/

This weekend is the first installment, featuring Corey, Dave Barclay from Episode 16, as well as Deep Roy and Julius LeFlore.

Thank you all again for a great year!

Duwayne Dunham is an editor, a director …. and he is the original, original Boba Fett.

Whether working with Marcia Lucas, watching Eraserhead with Stanley Kubrick or his multiple decade working relationship with David Lynch, I was blown away by the talent and enthusiasm that Mr. Dunham has for his art, during this interview. And, yes, we talk about The Clone Wars episodes he directed, too.

And, if you haven’t watched Twin Peaks: The Return yet … buckle up and get ready to have your life changed.

Next week, gearing up for the end of the Siege of Mandalore, is a Star Wars 101 deep dive with the legendary Sam Witwer. You won’t want to miss it.

Roger Guyett is a Visual Effects Supervisor and Second Unit Director at Industrial Light and Magic.

From the early Harry Potter films to the models of Revenge of the Sith to his relationship with JJ Abrams over 5 films, we go through his journey to The Force Awakens, The Rise of Skywalker and so, so much more.

Listen for discussions on sand snakes, Maz Kanata, Millennium Falcon chases and filming on location. It is a great companion piece to the recently released documentary on the TROS Blu-ray.

Chairman and President of Rancho Obi-Wan and former Fan Relations advisor for Lucasfilm, Steve Sansweet is a Star Wars legend in any sense of the word.

From the writing of the Star Wars Encyclopedia to QVC shows to columns in the Star Wars Insider to the setting up the famous Rose Parade, we dive deep into Mr. Sansweet’s incredible history with the galaxy far, far away.

For more information on how to become a member of Rancho Obi-Wan and how to support it, head to RanchoObiWan.org, or follow them on Facebook: facebook.com/RanchoObiWan

And to hear about the very start of Star Wars Celebration 1 and Mr. Sansweet, head on over to the good guys at Blast Points, Episode 164: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/blast-points/e/59788814

Admiral Garrick Versio himself is on the show today … Mr. Anthony Skordi, best known from Star Wars Battlefront II.

This is a quick conversation about his work on the game, his experience in the mo-cap suit, and his latest project. It’s a good one! (And, yeah, let’s get this Mandalorian Season 2 rumor going, huh?)

For more information about his one-man show Onassis, check out the IndieGogo campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/an-evening-with-aristotle-onassis#/

Follow Anthony on Twitter and Instagram for some great BTS content from Battlefront, and so much more: https://twitter.com/AnthonySkordi

As a creature concept designer, Jake Lunt Davies has his exceptionally creative fingerprints all over the most recent Star Wars movies.

From helping to design BB-8 and the Luggabeast in THE FORCE AWAKENS, the Porgs and Thala Sirens in THE LAST JEDI, Pao in ROGUE ONE, collaborating with his daughter for SOLO and, of course, working on D-0, Space Horses and the Aki Aki for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, we go through so much.

(And, stay until the very end to hear the story of how Snaggletooth made his way into Episode IX.)

The signing and sketch opportunity that we mentioned is closing orders very soon: http://www.eliteautographs.co.uk/product-category/jake-lunt-davies-private-signing/

Follow Jake on Instagram for an even closer look at his designs: https://www.instagram.com/jakeluntdavies/

And, of course, check out Phil Szostak’s incredible “Art of” Books from Abrams for more, with The Art of The Rise of Skywalker hitting shelves on March 31: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/art-of-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker_9781419740381/