Hogwarts Express

The small town I grew up in was once known as Slag Heap Village (now Trussville) named for the waste matter from coal mining.  The town of Bessemer, Alabama is named for the English inventor Sir Henry Bessemer who invented the Bessemer process for the manufacture of steel.

After the Civil War the railroad service came, opening up industrial development in the 1880′s.  There once was a train depot and the tracks ran through Irondale which were inspiration while we collaborated on ideas for the book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café attributed to Alabama native Fannie Flagg, which was adapted into the 1991 movie Fried Green Tomatoes.  The book being named after I met my future in-law’s for the first time in 1987 and my mother-in-law cooking a typical southern fare of turnip greens, fried okra, cornbread and fried green tomatoes.

I knew boys of all ages, such as my nephews, usually love trains.  While working on ideas for the spec script one of my nephews had also become fascinated with Thomas the Tank Engine and we also went on an excursion to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum located in Calera, Alabama.  This is why I knew it was important for a train to be used in my Harry Potter book to films.

Professor Pomona Sprout

In 1973, the character “Sprout” or Little Green Sprout was introduced into the Jolly Green Giant commercials.  He was the apprentice who helped tend the crops within the valley.  By 1989, Sprout had been excluded from the commercials.

I missed the character and decided use the name for the Head of Hufflepuff House and Head of the Herbology department at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The name Pomona came from the goddess of fruit trees, garden, and orchards in Roman religion and myth.  Her name comes from the Latin word pomum, “fruit,” specifically orchard fruit.

The idea also has it’s origins dating back to 1983 when the Broccoli family, James Bond film producer Albert R. Broccoli, came into my life.  It was during this time Michael Hutchence and Tim Farriss decided to write the song “We are the Vegetables”.  Kurt Cobain and Joe Elliott named the band “The Red Hot Chili Peppers” and I continued this trend by naming bands using food, such as Bananarama, The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, The Cranberries, The Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, The Blackeyed Peas, Buckcherry, Blind Melon, and Salt-n-Pepa.

The British born Australian actress Miriam Margolyes would portray my character.  In 1980, Margolyes appeared in the horror film The Awakening opposite Stephanie Zimbalist who I chose to star opposite Pierce Brosnan in my television show Remington Steele.

Gillyweed

I came up with the idea for Gillyweed many years after Joe Elliott took me to Mickey Gilley’s honky tonk in Texas as a teen.  I was even put on the mechanical bull.

The idea for the Gillyweed to be used during the Second Task of the 1994 Triwizard Tournament came from a The Alan Parson’s Project music video for the song “Turn It Up”.  The music video had been inspiration for scenes used in the film “City of Angels” and The Alan Parson’s Project 1977 album title “I, Robot” had also been inspiration to me over the years.

I wrote the song “Turn It Up” and did have some input on the music video.

Platform 9 3/4

Soon after Joe Elliott first showed up at my front door after the May 15, 1983 concert, I told him about watching MTV being launched on August 1, 1981.  This is when Joe decided to say his public birthday was the same day of MTV’s launch.

Unwittingly I was contributing to movie scripts without even realizing it on occasion.  One happened when Kurt Cobain decided that I would feed him from the refrigerator and the pantry.  I played along and wrapped a kitchen towel around his eyes to make it more interesting.  Others were there and one man I didn’t recognize asked Kurt the age difference between Joe Elliott and myself.  Kurt responded…”about nine and a half.”

Actually, since Joe chose the month of August 1st (in 1959) and mine is on January 12, 1968 put us closer to being 9 3/4 years apart.

Narcissa Malfoy

I pictured Lucius Malfoy’s wife that I named Narcissa as the lead singer of the group I named Berlin,  Terri Nunn.

Berlin recorded several songs I wrote which included ”The Metro“, “Sex (I’m A…)“, “No More Words” and the chart-topping single “Take My Breath Away” for the 1986 film Top Gun which I worked on script ideas with Tom Cruise.

Actress Helen McCrory portrayed my character Narcissa in the final three Harry Potter films.  She went on to appear in the James Bond film, Skyfall which I also worked on script ideas and wrote the theme song.

Lucius Malfoy

The character Lucius Malfoy was named for my great grandfather’s brother “Lucius M. Denham” who is buried in Griffin, Georgia.

Lucius is registered as a Private on the roster for The Rainbow Division (fourty-second) 151st Machine Gun Battalion (2nd Georgia Infantry) Company B, under Major General William Abram Mann, US Army.  “Mann” being the surname used for the director of my Miami Vice television show and using Michael Jackson and Michael Hutchence’s first name.  Later, I would use the surname for the singer I gave the stage name “Aimee Mann”.  The director named his daughter Ami.

The English actor Jason Isaacs had starred opposite Australian actor Mel Gibson in The Patriot.  I often worked on ideas with Mel Gibson after giving Michael Hutchence the nickname “Max” for Gibson’s character Mad Max.  This inspired the title to Michael’s solo project “Max Q”.

Malfoy is an anagram for  “of AMY L”

Azkaban

In December of 1983, my first year in High School, the principle retired.  We returned to school after the Christmas break to a new building and a new principle named “Kenneth Abbott”.

Mr. Abbott was not well liked among the students and many started calling the school ”Abbott’s Alcatraz”.  What was worrisome is that Mr. Abbott did not mind the reference and was even pictured with the student council who made a t-shirt with “Warden” on the back for him.

It was this that inspired the prison named Azkaban in the Harry Potter books.  It was also Mr. Abbott’s name that was used when I came up with the character names of the Abbott family, including Hannah Abbott and Giffard Abbott.

Hannah usually hung around with the character I named Ernie Macmillan for a former Junior High boyfriend, Ernie Potts.

 

Albus Dumbledore

During collaboration on ideas for the Harry Potter books someone brought in an idea and I said, “That’s dumb!”  This inspired the name “Dumbledore”.

According to sources, ”dumbledor” is an early colloquialism which was used for a ”bumblebee“.  This is a reference to Joe Elliott and Kurt Cobain giving me the nickname “Bee Girl” after I gave the lead singer of “The Police” his stage name of “Sting”.

True or not, I have never seen any solid proof of “dumbledor” existing before working on the book except on the Wikipedia website that maintains many fictitious and rumored accounts.  The addition of “dore” came from the artist Charlie Dore who was signed by Island Records owner Chris Blackwell.

I had wanted to use my great grandfather’s first name of “Alva” for the character, but this was changed to Albus, meaning white in Latin.  This continued a trend of me being overruled on ideas during collaboration.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

“No comprende, it’s a riddle”

I knew that I wanted to use the surname “Riddle” for a friend from school.  I had used her name at times in lyrics such as “Mexican Radio” recorded by Wall of Voodoo.

Oh no, gave up on the riddle
I cry just a little
When he plays piano in the dark

I also used it in the lyrics of the song Piano in the Dark recorded by Brenda Russell.  The title of which was inspired by Billy Squier’s “In the Dark” and I would use again when naming Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 album “Dancing in the Dark”.

Riddler

When working on ideas for Batman Forever we decided to use the DC Comic character ”Riddler” portrayed by Jim Carrey.  Drew Barrymore would portray the character Sugar, a reference to me writing the songs “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Sugar Walls”.  Michael Hutchence would record a cover of Iggy Pop’s ”The Passenger.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

The first name was not only for my Uncle Tom, but also for Tom Cruise who I worked with, as well as, Tommy Lee of Motley Crue using my nickname and middle name for his stage name.

The middle name of “Marvolo” came from me playing around with ”Marco Polo”.

Anagrams & Pseudonyms: ”I am Lord Voldemort“

Someone else who was working on ideas for the book to film decided to scramble the letters of the name.  It was inspired by Jim Morrison who used an anagram of his name in The Doors song L.A. Woman, calling himself “Mr. Mojo Risin’.  Someone came up with Tom Cruise’s, “So I’m cuter”.

Barrymore

My work on ideas for films about “aliens” did have a connection to me being abducted by Joe Elliott and members of the Def Leppard road crew.  Joe, Kurt, and another man showed up at my home with the intent of taking me to the Sheraton by the Civic Center in downtown Birmingham, Alabama.  Instead of letting them into my home this time, I went outside to talk to them.

Kurt Cobain tried to get me voluntarily into the van they borrowed, but I refused.  He quickly stabbed me in the arm with a syringe before I could stop him.  The drug slowly took effect and I ran back toward the front door.  He tackled me in the front yard and held me down.  Joe and the other man came to help, picked me up, and carried me inside.  They held me down on the floor while Kurt disappeared into the basement.  I screamed and kicked Joe in the face several times.  Kurt returned with duct tape.  Joe held my legs up for him to wrap my ankles and then my wrists were taped together behind my back.

The drug started working as they carried me out and I fought back less and less before losing conscientiousness.  The only thing I know about the drug is it was similar to date rape drugs.  It could and did cause some permanent and temporary memory loss, as well as, causing my stomach to cramp violently if I had recently eaten or even smelled food.  Someone did tell me that one day I would have “Total Recall” of the events.

While working with Michael Jackson we came up with the idea for the kid friendly film about aliens, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.  Despite the gag order by the studios on signed entertainers in the industry, I did get away with naming the character “Elliott” portrayed by Henry Thomas.  This was my way of drawing a connection to Joe Elliott.

The child actor Drew Barrymore would portray the character we named Gertie.  Drew would go on to appear in many more films I worked on.  This includes when I worked on ideas for the film Firestarter which was inspired by Def Leppard’s 1983 Mutt Lange produced album Pyromania.

An adult Drew talked to me and MJ about the drugs used on me, finding out it was an amnesiac, decided to come up with ideas for the comedy 50 First Dates about a girl who suffered from Goldfield’s Syndrome, similar to short term memory loss and Anterograde amnesia.  It also spawned many other films about amnesia which includes “Total Recall” (1990) which I worked on script ideas, ”The Long Kiss Goodnight” (1996), “Dark City” (1998), “Memento” (2000), and  ”The Bourne Trilogy” (2002-2007).

Drew also knew we were making connections to her relative Lionel Barrymore portraying “Henry F. Potter” or “Mister Potter” in Frank Capra‘s 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life.  This is what inspired the character name Harry Potter.  The full name of the character Harry James Potter which of course the middle name is for James Bond.

The problems with retaining memories about what was happening to me also became a theme while working on ideas for Harry Potter.  This includes the  Pensieve, also known as The Memory Pool, is an object used to review memories, Veritaserum works based on the memories, Memory Charm or False Memory Charm, can suppress certain memories or create fake ones.

The drugs that it is claimed Michael Jackson used, propofol  is a short-acting, intravenously administered hypnotic/amnestic, and benzodiazepine is also a hypnotic (sleep-inducing) drug.