Bill’s new book :-)
Han Solo, a jerk? Nope, Han is just Han.
The blue ray release of yet another edited version of these great films have fan boys freaking out over a deleted scene where Han is (supposedly) being a jerk? Maye we should ask Jenny, ha ha! What you are seeing is Han being just Han :-) “I love you!” “I know” indeed! :-)
On page 10-14 of my paperback of TESB (that I read 31 years ago) you will find the text of the complete scene as originally written.
“General, I…” Han hesitated. “I think it’s time for me to move on.”
Han’s attention was drawn from General Rieekan to a steadily approaching
figure. Her walk was both graceful and determined, and somehow the young
woman’s feminine features seemed incongruous with her white combat uniform.
Even at this distance, Han could tell Princess Leia was upset.
“You’re good in a fight,” the general remarked to Han, adding, “I hate to lose
you.”
“Thank you, General. But there’s a price on my head. If I don’t pay off Jabba
the Hut, I’m a walking dead man.”
“A death mark is not an easy thing to live with—” the officer began as Han
turned to Princess Leia. Solo was not a sentimental sort, but he was aware that he was very emotional now. “I guess this is it, Your Highness.” He paused, not
knowing what response to expect from the princess.
“That’s right,” Leia replied coldly. Her sudden aloofness was quickly evolving
into genuine anger.
Han shook his head. Long ago he had told himself that females—mammalian,
reptilian, or some biological class yet to be discovered—were beyond his meager
powers of comprehension. Better leave them to mystery, he’d often advised himself.
But for a while, at least, Han had begun to believe that there was at least one
female in all the cosmos that he was beginning to understand. And yet, he had been wrong before.
“Well,” Han said, “don’t go all mushy on me. So long, Princess.”
Abruptly turning his back to her, Han strode into the quiet corridor that
connected with the command center. His destination was the hangar deck, where a giant Wookiee and a smuggler’s freighter—two realities he did understand—were
waiting for him. He was not about to stop walking.
“Han!” Leia was rushing after him, slightly out of breath.
Coolly, he stopped and turned toward her. “Yes, Your Highness?”
“I thought you had decided to stay.”
There seemed to be real concern in Leia’s voice, but Han could not be certain.
“That bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind.”
“Does Luke know?” she asked.
“He’ll know when he gets back,” Han replied gruffly.
Princess Leia’s eyes narrowed, her gaze judging him with a look he knew well.
For a moment Han felt like one of the icicles on the surface of the planet.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said sternly. “Every day more bounty hunters are
searching for me. I’m going to pay off Jabba before he sends any more of his
remotes, Gank killers, and who know what else. I’ve got to get this price off my
head while I still have a head.”
Leia was obviously affected by his words, and Han could see that she was
concerned for him as well as, perhaps, feeling something more.
“But we still need you,” she said.
“We?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“What about you?” Han was careful to emphasize the last word, but really wasn’t certain why. Maybe it was something he had for some time wanted to say but had lacked the courage—no, he amended, the stupidity—to expose his feelings. At the moment there seemed to be little to lose, and he was ready for whatever she might say.
“Me?” she said bluntly. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Incredulous, Han Solo shook his head. “No, you probably don’t.”
“And what precisely am I supposed to know?” Anger was growing in her voice
again, probably because, Han thought, she was finally beginning to understand.
He smiled. “You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me.”
Again the princess mellowed. “Well, yes, you’ve been a great help,” she said,
pausing before going on, “…to us. You’re a natural leader—”
But Han refused to let her finish, cutting her off in midsentence. “No, your
worship. That’s not it.”
Suddenly Leia was staring directly into Han’s face with eyes that were, at last,
fully understanding. She started to laugh. “You’re imagining things.”
“Am I? I think you were afraid I was going to leave you without even a …”
Han’s eyes focused on her lips, “…kiss.”
She began to laugh harder now. “I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.”
“I can arrange that.” He moved closer to her, and she looked radiant even in the cold light of the ice chamber. “Believe me, you could use a good kiss. You’ve
been so busy giving orders, you’ve forgotten how to be a woman. If you’d have let
go for a moment, I could have helped you. But it’s too late now, sweetheart. Your
big opportunity is flying out of here.”
“I think I can survive,” she said, obviously irked.
“Good luck!”
“You don’t even care if the—”
He knew what she was going to say and didn’t let her finish. “Spare me,
please!” he interrupted. “Don’t tell me about the Rebellion again. It’s all you think
about. You’re as cold as this planet.”
“And you think you’re the one to apply some heat?”
“Sure, if I were interested. But I don’t think it’d be much fun.” With that,
Han stepped back and looked at her again, appraising her coolly. “We’ll meet
again,” he said. “Maybe by then you’ll have warmed up a little.” Her expression
had changed again. Han had seen killers with kinder eyes.
“You have all the breeding of a Bantha,” she snarled, “but not as much class.
Enjoy your trip, hot shot!” Princess Leia quickly turned away from Han and hurried
down the corridor.
I just uploaded “Sunday Disco Action April 1st, 1979 (Hour 1)” to www.mixcloud.com - listen now!
School’s out for summer!
Today is Andy and Owen’s last day of school and then it’s summer vacation! This ends their 5th year of school :-) They started pre-school right before their 3rd birthday, and now they will be starting 2nd grade and turning 8… Am I getting old? I thought I was old already haha. Time flies when you’re having fun :-)
Found this the other day! Check out the King Crimson shirt :-)
TOTO Live at the Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival - May 1st, ‘99
It had been 17 years since I last saw Toto. It was May ‘82 in Holland during the TOTO IV tour. Bobby had twisted his ankle and was singing from behind a keyboard the whole show. I was lucky enough to get a stick from Jeff at the end. I remember Child’s Anthem that night, gave me goosebumps.
On to 1999! My wife Laurel and I live in Hemet, which is about 25 miles away from Temecula. We found out from TOTO99.COM about the Temecula date! Laurel called in to Mark & Brian when Toto was in the studio, and cracked up the band by saying “we’re looking forward to seeing the Uncle Fester of Rock ‘n Roll in action” :-)
We were at the Balloon & Wine Festival with our friend Shannon who always liked Toto, but after the show was speechless :-) The show started a little after 5 PM in front of a festival crowd (a lot of lawn chairs, coolers and blankets) and of course the die-hards at the front of the stage (incl. Scott who had flown in from Minneapolis and Ryan who is 10 years old; he eventually got the setlist). I have a pic of the setlist but it’s still in the camera, so I’ll do this from memory (so excuse any ommissions):
The show opener “Caught In The Balance” was overwhelming! To see the guys that close, from basically the same spot 17 years ago was awesome. We had held off on buying the (import) CD because they were supposed to be sold at the gig. However there was no merchandise to be found after the show :-( (Hopefully they sold out). Next up “Rosanna “, a classic, with some sweet work on the bass by Mike Pocaro. Bobby was on fire! His voice was as good as ever, if not better, as proven in “A Million Miles Away “. Luke said they were happy to be back playing in the U.S. for the first time in 9 years, because “here they get all the jokes!” Then he asked if there were any musicians there, because you can’t really dance to “Dave’s Gone Skiing”, a song for the musicians. Unbelievable to see such a collection of musical talent on stage! I can still feel Simon’s double bass drums pounding my chest.
Then followed the acoustic set including “Georgy Porgy”, “99”, “You Are The Flower”, “The Road Goes On” and “I’ll Be Over You”. It was more of a medley, and I can only imagine what it would have been like if they had played all songs in their entirety, especially “Flower”. Next up “I Won’t Hold You Back” where Luke pulled off a really sweet and tasty, wailing solo. Bobby sang his heart out during “Mama” and came up with some really cool rock poses :-) (remember the only time I saw Toto with Bobby, he was sitting down the whole show). Luke having swapped guitars several times by now, and also being very generous with his picks, then talked about the new album and said they were going to play another new song “Cruel”, in which Simon wore headphones (sequenced backing vocals? :-)) It sounded massive. Next up “Africa”. By this point in the show, if you looked back at the crowd, everybody was standing and dancing. David Paich did a solo with some “Hydra” in it, a song they played that night in ‘82. During “White Sister”, Luke made eye contact with Laurel who had been singing every word, and looked really surprised “You KNOW this song???”
The encore (of course) was “Hold The Line”, which brought the house down (even more!) We had a blast, and it was great to see the crowd so fired up! I think the band was even a bit overwhelmed by the response :-) Well, GOOD!
Thanks guys, it was a privilege…
Carl & Laurel Mueller
June 6th is the birthday of a very old friend of mine, Harry Pol. We met back in the days when I lived in Holland and had just moved to Nieuwegein in ‘80. We went to see Kiss together (Oct 5th, 1980), watched Sci-Fi movies (The Empire Strikes Back, Alien, Raiders Of The Last Ark, Poltergeist, Blade Runner, E.T.), collected comic books, went to see George Thorogood, J. Geils Band the Rolling Stones in ‘82 and related nerdly things both in Holland and the U.S after I moved to California in ‘84.
Now, we are both married, we are both fathers, we are much older, but we are still friends/nerds. Love you, man! Happy Birthday in Australia! Have a wonderful day with friends and family!
This picture was taken on June 20th, 1982 during the 2nd annual 3-day “Fietstocht” (and it was raining, can you tell?).
From left to right: Andre van den Engel, Harry Pol (with vintage Coca Cola can), Richard Schasfoort, Carl Mueller (with portable tape deck), Ron Rolink and Onno Petersen.
Reading the Lord Of The Rings
An old friend of mine once told me that J.R.R. Tolkien thought the preferred way to experience The Lord Of The Rings was to have the text read to you. In the months prior to the release of the first film (2001) I read the books to Laurel. I always thought the preferred way to experience the Lord Of The Rings films was to have read the books first :-) The excerpt from Chapter 5 is riveting, don’t you agree?
Legolas turned and set an arrow to the string, though it was a long shot for his small bow. He drew, but his hand fell, and the arrow slipped to the ground. He gave a cry of dismay and fear. Two great trolls appeared; they bore great slabs of stone, and flung them down to serve as gangways over the fire. But it was not the trolls that had filled the Elf with terror. The ranks of the orcs had opened, and they crowded away, as if they themselves were afraid. Something was coming up behind them. What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and to go before it.
It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs.
‘Ai! ai! ’ wailed Legolas. ‘A Balrog! A Balrog is come! ‘
Gimli stared with wide eyes. `Durin’s Bane! ’ he cried, and letting his axe fall he covered his face.
‘A Balrog,’ muttered Gandalf. `Now I understand.’ He faltered and leaned heavily on his staff. `What an evil fortune! And I am already weary.’
The dark figure streaming with fire raced towards them. The orcs yelled and poured over the stone gangways. Then Boromir raised his horn and blew. Loud the challenge rang and bellowed, like the shout of many throats under the cavernous roof. For a moment the orcs quailed and the fiery shadow halted. Then the echoes died as suddenly as a flame blown out by a dark wind, and the enemy advanced again.
‘Over the bridge!’ cried Gandalf, recalling his strength. `Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly! ’ Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side, behind Gandalf at the far end of the bridge. The others halted just within the doorway at the hall’s end, and turned, unable to leave their leader to face the enemy alone.
The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm.
`You cannot pass,’ he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. `I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.’
The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm.
From out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming.
Glamdring glittered white in answer.
There was a ringing clash and a stab of white fire. The Balrog fell back and its sword flew up in molten fragments. The wizard swayed on the bridge, stepped back a pace, and then again stood still.
‘You cannot pass! ’ he said.
With a bound the Balrog leaped full upon the bridge. Its whip whirled and hissed.
‘He cannot stand alone! ’ cried Aragorn suddenly and ran back along the bridge. ‘“Elendil!”’ he shouted. ‘I am with you, Gandalf! ‘
`Gondor! ’ cried Boromir and leaped after him.
At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog’s feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.
With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard’s knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. ‘Fly, you fools! ’ he cried, and was gone.
“
| — |
J.R.R. Tolkien - Fellowship Of The Ring Book II - Chapter 5 - The Bridge of Khazad-dum |
Mark King’s bass solo at Veronica’s Rocknight 1984 #level42 Too good not to share (again) Sade, Level 42 and Talk Talk simulcast on tv/radio, but way more fun actually being there, at the Ahoy Hal in Rotterdam.
