Interview

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

Kirk Thatcher started his career as the youngest person in the Return of the Jedi Creature Shop.

Come for the stories of working with Phil Tippett, Jim Henson, David Fincher, and then stay for the very insightful discussion on the future of the Muppets and Star Wars.

Head to his website, www.kirkrthatcher.com, for autographs and sketches of your favorite characters.

Dan Perri is an iconic title designer, who, well, created the opening crawl of the original Star Wars.

You know, the crawl.

His work spans decades and directors, and I try to tackle as many as I can: from William Friedkin (The Exorcist) and Martin Scorcese (Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York) to Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters) and, of course, George Lucas.

We dive deep into his process and his experiences, from his early years being inspired by Saul Bass to designing the titles for the Suspiria remake. To be the first to find out when his book is coming out, head to www.danperri.com.

David Dozoretz spearheaded the pre-visualization work on the Special Editions and the first two Star Wars prequels, as pre-vis effects supervisor. He is such an immense talent and has such incredible passion for his work, so it was a real honor.

This is such a fun episode, a deep dive into what it was like to be working at Skywalker Ranch … while they were literally changing how movies we being made forever. (Also stick around for a John Knoll egg toss picnic story.)

To see more of his work (including the effects reel from The Phantom Menace we were talking about), head to his website: https://www.daviddozoretz.com/

Chris Bartlett is not only is the official “Media C-3PO”, but also has had numerous roles in these first two seasons of The Mandalorian, including bounty hunter Q9-0 and the flute-playing Kubaz from the very first episode.

His story of turning his cosplaying and costume-building hobby into a profession is super inspiring, and his stories of working with people like Anthony Daniels, Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog …and Barack Obama, are such a delight. You’re going to love this one.