Manolo’s Shoe Blog

Manolo says, daily readings from Don’t Hassel the Hoff. Today, pages 198-199.

Rod Steiger was a solitary figure; he would take his lines and go off on his own. Eventually, the director would get fed up with waiting for him to reappear. He’d say, ‘There’s only one person who can control him and it’s you.’

So I would find Steiger and say, ‘Are you ready, Mr Steiger?’

He would scream, ‘Who the f— are you to f—— come in here and f—— tell me what to f—— do!’

I’d say, ‘Are you finished, Mr Steiger? I’m going to give you my line and then we want one line from you.’

He didn’t give a hoot about the director, but he was fond of me and always complied. He was on a short fuse and found it hard to take the noise in Manila. ‘I can’t concentrate, it’s so f—— loud. Hasselhoff, you’re an f—— hero – stop the traffic!’ But although representations were made to the city authorities, the traffic would not stop, even for Rod Steiger. Nevertheless, he stole every scene he was in.

The last time I saw him I was on a pedestrian crossing in Malibu. He alsmost knocked me down in his car. I shouted at him to be more careful and he shouted back and drove off. He hadn’t even recognized me.

The Word of the Hoff!

Manolo says, daily readings from Don’t Hassel the Hoff. Today, page 214.

My character, Mungo Prentice, is the bearded pony-tailed captain of the slave ship Defiance, a man who has given up on the world until he meets Karen Allen’s Miss Farewell while transporting her to Africa to find her father, Captain Francis Farewell (James Fox). Joshua Sinclair had based Prentice on John Newton, composer of the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ and the self-proclaimed ‘wretch’ of the lyrics. Newton was the captain of a slave ship who, on a homeward voyage on 10 May 1748, experienced a ‘great deliverance’ when his ship was saved from a violent storm as though by divine intervention. Newton became a clergyman, who wrote the Olney Hymns with William Cowper and campaigned against slavery.

The Word of the Hoff!

Manolo says, daily readings from Don’t Hassel the Hoff. Today, page 171.

The glittering room at the Savoy was packed with chattering people when the decibel level suddenly dropped and all eyes turned to the tall woman who had just entered. She spotted us and walked over. I remember thinking ‘God, she’s tall.’ She had high heels on and was almost as tall as me. She was strikingly beautiful, with the face of an angel. We shook hands.

‘You look good with your clothes on,’ she said to me.

‘And so do you,’ I replied.

Diana laughed, blushed, and then looked coy. It wasn’t my imagination–she was flirting with me. Pamela elbowed me. She and Diana were both wearing almost identical Escarda dresses, so perhaps that had something to do with it.

On television, Diana always seemed humble and shy, averting her eyes and keeping her head bowed; that was the image I had of her – ‘Shy Di’. I knew she was separated from Prince Charles but I didn’t know anything about her private life or her attitude towards men.

Diana said, ‘What were we talking about?’

‘I have no idea’

‘Good – because neither do I.’

The word of the Hoff!

Manolo says, daily readings from Don’t Hassel the Hoff. Today, page 210.

Someone handed me a koala bear and I was supposed to cuddle it for a few minutes and say how cute it was. I should have known better. The little monster sunk its claws into my arm and refused to let go.

Peter Allen, the Boy from Oz, was one of the acts and, while he was performing, people tried to prise the bear free but its claws were embedded under my skin. It took forty minutes to restore the power supply and longer than that during the commercial breaks to get rid of the bear. The whole thing was something of an ordeal and I was relieved when the show wrapped and it was party time.

The word of the Hoff!

Manolo says, daily readings from Don’t Hassel the Hoff. Today, page 186.

My whole family were extremely proud when I was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Professionally, however, I felt as though I would be running down the beach in slow motion for the rest of my life. My music career hadn’t taken off in the USA as I had hoped. My fourth album, Is Everybody Happy?, had been released in Europe to big sales, but the American market was still out of reach. My movie career had stalled. i said to Jan McCormack, ‘The only way I’m going to get good reviews is if I play a bad guy.’ She found me a role as a murderer in Avalanche, a TV thriller filmed in Canada. I had internalized all of the bad reviews of Baywatch and used them in my character. It felt so good to let it out in a positive way.

The word of the Hoff!

Manolo says, daily affirmation from Don’t Hassel the Hoff. Today’s reading is from page 81.

I had been in South Africa for only twenty-four hours when I noticed that black South Africans would always shake my hand in such a way as to show they had no weapons up their sleeve. I walked onto a segregated bus, even though people warned me not to. I said to myself, “Hasselhoff can’t board that bus, but Michael Knight can!” To the consternation of the security guards, I boarded the bus. Every passenger was black and they began hugging and kissing me; everyone wanted to shake my hand.

The word of the Hoff!

Manolo says, while obsessively reading and rereading the David Hasselhoff’s masterful autobiography, Don’t Hassel the Hoff, the Manolo came to the realization that one could open the book to any random page and find the incredibly entertaining anecdote.

Here then, in proof of this, is the first in what will become the on-going feature, “Readings from the Book of Hasselhoff.”

This created difficulties because we still had to work together. The day after the break-up I had to film a love scene with her in which Casey tries to seduce Snapper, even though she knows he’s married and faithful to his wife. It was very disconcerting. I was waiting for the ultimate slap – I knew it was coming and I knew I deserved it. When I rejected her advances in the scene, she let rip with an almighty whack that rattled my brains. Then she stormed off the set.

The director came up, concerned. “That wasn’t in the script”

“It’s okay—don’t ask.”

I was lucky to get out of it with a slap.

The word of the Hoff!

Manolo says, ayyyyyyy! Finally, the Manolo may now die the happy man, for the kind peoples at the St. Martin’s Press, publishers of that work of literary genius, Don’t Hassel the Hoff, have finally recognized what the fans of the Manolo have known all along, that the Manolo the Shoeblogger is the #1 Hoffster, the greatest internet fan of the magnificent David Hasselhoff!!!

Here is the comment left in the previous posts about the Manolo’s veneration of all that is Hasselhoffian.

Manolo, we are truly, truly sincere in our apology to you about the delay to post your #1 Hoffster status. Please allow us to redeem ourselves.

See here : www.stmartins.com/dhhweek.html

I’d be glad to send over an autographed copy of the Don’t Hassel the Hoff autobiography…

The autographed copy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyy! The Manolo feels faint.

Here is another comment left by the St. Martin’s peoples,

Wow, Manolo - you must be so proud to be so loved! Extremely jealous here. Anyway, just wanted to a drop a note to your supporters that Manolo is now an HOFFicial Hoffster.

Proud?

Indeed, pride in the knowledge that one has such staunch and tireless supporters, but much more than pride the Manolo is humbled by the affection shown for him by his internet friends, for it is truly the divine blessing to have such wonderful people upon whom one may rely, and for this reason the Manolo expresses his deep and abiding gratitude.

The internet friends of the Manolo are most Super Fantastic indeed!!!

Manolo says, the Manolo’ s campaign to be named the #1 Hoffster has not borne the fruit, and although the peoples at the St. Martins Press have undoubtedly received many, many letters from the internet friends of the Manolo, they have not bothered to update the Don’t Haselhoff the Hoff Week webpage to reflect this.

Indeed, they have not changed the webpage at all since first posting it, leading the Manolo to believe that the Don’t Hassle the Hoff Week is not the true expression of the Hasselhoffian-based joy, but the mere cynical marketing ploy designed to sell the books!

Have these public relations peoples no shame? Do they not know that there are those of us whose affection and good will toward the magnificent Hasselhoff must not be toyed with?

For shame, St. Martin’s Press, for shame!