Merrick Tells You About The Gargantuan KNIGHT RIDER COMPANION Book!!

Merrick here...
…with a very long overdue heads-up about a KNIGHT RIDER book that's now making the rounds. Before I go any further, I'd like to offer a sincere apology to this book's author…Nick Nugent. Quite a while back, he graciously provided a copy of this title for me to peruse. I looked through it and fully intended to write about it here on the site at that time, but a subsequent cacophony of delays and obstacles conspired to prevent this from happening until now. This write-up has been far too long in coming…ridiculously so. But Nick's been great and patient and understanding…and I'm deeply sorry it's taken so long to get to this online. Without further ado… THE KNIGHT RIDER COMPANION is a self published by Nugent (sites HERE, HERE, Twitter HERE). The book is, quite simply, an act of love - an unbridled exploration of KNIGHT RIDER from one of its most impassioned followers. It's the culmination of many years of research and effort.
What's in it? ** A Foreward by KNIGHT RIDER creator Glen A. Larson discussing the series' inspiration (THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO and THE LONE RANGER) as well as the show's initial development... ** An Introduction by series Executive Producer Robert Foster discussing how he came to the show reluctantly but ultimately fell in love with it… ** An extensive Prologue by writer/producer Tom Green about working with Hasselhoff on the show (saying wonderful things about him) and trying to help the show "break out"… ** A lengthy Q&A with Larson, touching on interesting details like The Hoff's costume design (intended to suggest his connection to/being an extension of K.I.T.T.) and more. ** A 30 page Q&A with series Production Designer Michael Scheffe, designer of K.I.T.T. (illustrated)... ** A Q&A with Foster (the EP mentioned above)... ** An 18 page interview with Tom Green (the writer/producer mentioned above)… **A Q&A with Hasselhoff… ** A brief Q&A with William Daniels (the voice of K.I.T.T.)… **A Q&A with actress Patricia McPherson (who played Bonnie, K.I.T.T.'s mechanic)… **A Q&A with Rebecca Holden (who played April on the series)… ** A remembrance of Edward Mulhare (Foundation for Law And Government contact Devon Miles on the show)… ** Q&As with composers Stu Phillips and Don Peake...
** A Q&A with stunt driver Jack Gill… ** A Q&A with Larry Anderson, who played Michael Long on the series' pilot (Long gets smoked, and is resurrected as Michael Knight/Hasselhoff)... …and more.
The mid-section of the book is devoted to an onslaught of schematics /graphics (gadgets, vehicles, etc.) - including a number of background details (a truck featured on the show, for example, was also seen in SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE). KNIGHT RIDER COMPANION also includes the show's 1984 "bible", an illustrated episode guide (a few were written by Stephen E. de Souza - who would later write the first two DIE HARD films), and more. Many might dismiss KNIGHT RIDER as being unworthy of the level of attention afforded by this book. I'd argue that point - not only because I loved watching the series back in the day, but because I think projects like this Companion are critically important in preserving a broader historical perspective. So much "making of" material…about so many TV series, TV movies, and theatrical films…has been lost to the ages because no one had the foresight or ability to chronicle these productions when the shows were being made. In retrospect, we frequently ask questions about such shows - and our questions often remain unanswered. This is a shame, because such answers would help us to clarify not only our understanding of a particular title, but to better contextualize the era in which the shows were generated. I.e. I see this a meaningful historical exercise, regardless of whatever affection (or lack thereof) we may have for Michael, K.I.T.T., and the gang. There's a lot of insight here - not only about KNIGHT RIDER, but how television shows are created, managed, and more. THE KNIGHT RIDER COMPANION can be purchased via the book's official site (HERE), or via THIS Amazon listing (NOTE: orders of this title through Amazon can only ship domestically at the moment. Nick says his book tends to play particularly well overseas, hopefully this exposure will earn him more Stateside love). Recommended for KNIGHT RIDER fans, for casual enthusiasts who might simply have fun learning more about the series (at 654 pages, there are many details here), or to followers of 80s television in general, THE KNIGHT RIDER COMPANION is probably the most exhaustive memorialization this series has ever received…or will ever receive. It's also one of the more thorough looks at a TV series I can recall. Maybe Nick will go on to do the same for, say, KR creator Glen A. Larson's original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA series. Wouldn't that be something? They'll be a KNIGHT RIDER Festival in Vegas the weekend of March 19 & 20, which'll feature many of the people interviewed in this book, and more (details HERE). You can find Nick at a book signing there - stop by and say "Hi".
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