The Dark Tower Q&A - Ask a question, get an answer! *spoilers*

[skoldpadda]

I've heard that Stephen King was friends with Warren Zevon. Does anyone know if there's a connection or influence between King's gunslinger and the Zevon song, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner"?

[jayson]

i like to think there's one when i listen to WZ's song, but i've never heard of an actual connection. great song though.

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

No connection, but that was the last song he ever performed in front of an audience.

[Bev Vincent]

I believe that King's friendship with Zevon started after both Roland's were created.

[sarah]

hmm good to know that the friendship started after. It helps put it into perspective.

[wildfire1290]

Why there was a giant statue of him in the train station and an ice sculpture of him in Blaine's car?

[Letti]

I don't think it was of him it was a statue of a gunslinger.
I might be wrong.

[wildfire1290]

Didn't he say something along the lines of I'll tell you about it later or something though?

[Letti]

I don't remember anything like that let's see how the others think..

[wildfire1290]

Oh goodie...now we wait.

[ManOfWesternesse]

I'm pretty sure the statue on the station was a 'generic' Gunslinger.

The Ice-sculpture in the carriage WAS Roland, but was made specifically by Blaine for the occasion.(Including the detail of the missing fingers etc...). I don't think there's any further explaination needed for that one?

On the "Didn't he say something along the lines of I'll tell you about it later or something though?" question - I don't recall it, sorry.

[Mark]

I seem to recall Eddie being mistaken at first by the gold gunslinger statue in lud thinking it's Roland but it wasn't. The ice sculpture, as MoW said, was for the occassion.

[wildfire1290]

alright. I'll take you guys word for it. Let me know if you guys reread the third book and see anything about him telling them that the statue story would be for another time or something, 'cause it seems familiar for me for some reason. I don't know, I think I may just as well be crazy.

[The Lady of Shadows]

Why there was a giant statue of him in the train station and an ice sculpture of him in Blaine's car?

the statue was actually on the peak of the roof of blaine's cradle. the guardians of the beam were going around the roof in pairs (most likely, the same pairs as they were in on the paths of the beam, i.e. bear and turtle), and on each corner of the roof was something susannah could only describe as a dragon (probably a gargoyle).

roland wasn't with eddie and susannah when they first came to blaine's cradle. he was still pursuing the kidnapped jake. when eddie and susannah first see the statue, susannah thinks it's roland and then thinks "no, it's not him but in another way, it is. That man was a gunslinger, and the resemblance between him, who's probably been dead a thousand years or more, and Roland is all the truth of ka-tet you'll ever need to know."

[LadyHitchhiker]

There were statues because this all was a dream....

[The Lady of Shadows]

. . . as the result of too much beer.

[LadyHitchhiker]

too much Gilead Grog...

[The Lady of Shadows]

do they have grog in gilead? or is it mead??

[LadyHitchhiker]

There's Mead in Maejis..

They have drinking competitions annually.

[LadyHitchhiker]

And Tequila in Tull.. well until it was destroyed...

[The Lady of Shadows]

yet another reason not to vote for tull.

[Ves'Ka Gan]

I just finished my re-read of book 3. As the quotefrom the book already explained, it was "just" a gunslinger (if there is such a thing...) and Blaine made the ice scuplture for them.

I don't recall him evr saying he would explain anything, I just read this part about 3 days ago, so I *think* I would remember...but I've been surprised before.

[metalmachine]

Hello all.

Im just starting to read the Dark Tower series. Its something I have planned on reading for a while and now finally starting. I have read through the second book before but I am just starting to reread it now.

But there is something I noticed that I need to get cleared up. I read the revised version of The gunslinger and at the end of the book; from what I understand, is that the man in black tells Roland that he is Walter. Then he also reveals that he was marten. At this point, I am led to believe that they are the same person: The man in black/Walter/Marten

I ask this because in the argument of The Drawing of the Three, King says that Walter was an ally of Marten and that Marten was a a greater sorcerer than Walter. This makes it sound as if they are 2 separate people.

Without giving away and spoilers...which is correct?

Thanks all!!

[sarah]

Hello Metalmachine and welcome to the site. Without spoiling you too much I will tell you that that answer will be answered in better detail later in the series.

Be sure to stay out of all threads marked SPOILER as to not mess up this wonderful series for you.

Happy reading!

~maerlyn

[The Lady of Shadows]

greetings and welcome to the site.

have patience and keep reading. all will be revealed in the fullness of time (and many, many, many, many pages! )

seriously, if we told we'd ruin it for you. but you will get your answer. just keep reading. and take maerlyn's advice - stay out of spoiler threads.

happy reading!

{oh gan, to be where you are. reading it all for the first time. }