Talking Bay 94: A Star Wars Podcast

LIVE from Star Wars Celebration, this is my conversation with Matthew Reinhart, author and creator of A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, as well as the upcoming THE ULTIMATE POP-UP GALAXY, from Insight Editions. You’ll be able to tell very quickly, but he was an absolute joy to talk to and I enjoyed it very, very much.

This is my conversation with the legendary Paul Hirsch, Academy Award-winner for his editing work on the original Star Wars. From working with Brian De Palma and John Hughes, to his time in the editing bay for both A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, side-by-side with Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew (and George), we go through as much as we can of his storied career. Even more stories can be found in his upcoming memoir, A long time ago in a cutting room far, far away, which is coming out his November

"The shield will be down in moments, you may start your landing." Julian Glover is an incredible actor, who has appeared in numerous movies, including The Empire Strikes Back as everyone's favorite AT-AT commander, General Veers. From being next door neighbors with producer Robert Watts to working with Irvin Kershner and Steven Spielberg, we cover a lot of ground in this short episode from Star Wars Celebration. We also touch on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Harry Potter and Game of Throne

This is an actual dream come true: today we're talking to Lorne Peterson, visual effects artist and modeler for Industrial Light & Magic. Working on the first six Star Wars films, Lorne goes through his experience building escape pods out of paint cans, manning Guatemalan outpost towers made out of trash cans and sourcing Tauntaun fur (which you have to hear to believe). And I am legitimately giggling the entire time, which is very embarrassing.

SVP, Executive Creative Director and Head of ILM, Rob Bredow was also the co-producer of SOLO: A Star Wars Story, working side-by-side with Ron Howard to bring the story (and its visual effects to life).  We go through it all: L3-37, working with Tippett Studios with the new Dejarik pieces and, of course, the breath-taking in-camera work for hyperspace and more. We discuss his previous work with ILMxLab, as well as his vision for the future of the legendary company.

Marc Thorpe was an ILM Model Maker for movies like The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and the Indiana Jones Trilogy. We go through a quick deep dive of his career, including his work on Lucas Toys and the creation of Robot Wars. He was a true delight to talk to and such a gracious teller of stories and experiences. I really enjoyed my conversation with him, especially learning what exactly an “Ewok Wrangler” is.

Christian Alzmann's unique art style and incredible design work has influenced the looks of The Force Awakens, Rogue One and even Star Wars: Rebels. From BB-8 to Maz Kanata, we explore the path to the big screen, including the stories behind the "evil" Luke imagery and "The Jedi Killer". Bust open your copy of The Art of The Force Awakens by Phil Szostak, because we went through nearly every page of concept art, from Han Solo's beard to Vader's castle.

Welcome to a very special TB94 bonus episode, this time paying homage to another Lucasfilm franchise: Indiana Jones. Joining us on our first episode of Bad Dates is the utterly charming Paul Freeman, who portrayed Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark. No need to speak Hovitos, Mr. Freeman gave some incredible insight into filming the greatest adventure movie of all time: Raiders of the Lost Ark, as well as his time on set for Young Indiana Jones and Hot Fuzz. 

These aren't the droids we're looking for ... move along.  Anthony Forrest played two different key roles in the original Star Wars: as the Sandtrooper on Mos Eisley, he was the first on-screen recipient of a Jedi mind trick. And, in the legendary Anchorhead deleted scenes, he stood out next to Biggs and Luke as Fixer to look to a potential space battle. We talk about a lot, including his music, as well as relationship with the fandom and conventions.

"Die wanna wanga?" Michael Carter portrayed the Major Domo of Jabba the Hutt ... the creepy, great and wonderful Twi'lek: Bib Fortuna. Live from Madness Comics in Plano, TX, we got to talk to him all about working with Richard Marquand on the set of Return of the Jedi. In addition to his work on Star Wars, I couldn't help but ask him about his iconic scene in John Landis' American Werewolf in London.

Craig Miller was the Director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977-1980. As you might be able to guess, there was a lot going on in the early Star Wars fandom during that time, from churning rumors in Starlog to creating the Fan Club and Bantha Tracks to crashing Illinois 800 numbers. Mr. Miller has some great stories about what it was like to market this brand new sci fi movie called … Star Wars.

Howie Weed was a model maker and effects artist on both the Star Wars Special Editions and the Prequels, as well as designing and performing as the Wampa and various Cantina aliens. We hear his incredible stories from working on Captain EO, Ghostbusters 2, The Ewok Adventure. And with stories about being on set with Steven Spielberg and getting directed by George Lucas, himself, you really don't want to miss this season premiere.

Setting the record straight, we're speaking with Laurie Goode, who played numerous roles in the original Star Wars. From falling asleep on the Cantina set as Saurin, to bumping his head on the Death Star as the infamous Stormtrooper, Mr. Goode is full of great stories and great insight into the filming at Elstree Studios. 

Today is a very rare, very wonderful interview with Miki Herman, initially assistant to George Lucas, then serving as production coordinator on The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, going on to become the executive producer for the Ewoks and Droids animated series. We go through her entire time working for the early days of Lucasfilm, including being on set for the Holiday Special (celebrating its 40th anniversary) and scouting the West Coast for the forest moon of Endor.

Kevin Rubio is the father of the Star Wars Fan Film and director of TROOPS, creator of Tag and Bink, as well as writer for The Clone Wars. He's really done it all. Diving into his long career, we discuss the inspiration behind TROOPS, just how involved George Lucas was in The Clone Wars and, of course, his reaction to Tag and Bink becoming canon in Solo.