William Shatner's musical career
Encyclopedia
Actor William Shatner
has yielded a unique, much-criticized, and much-parodied body of work during his musical career. Shatner typically merely speaks the lyrics
instead of singing them, often as an exaggerated interpretive reading.
. Shatner used the album to compare contemporary pop songs of the period to the works of William Shakespeare
by providing dramatic readings of Shakespeare interspersed with dramatic readings of the lyrics of songs such as "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
" and "Mr. Tambourine Man
". However, this first release was widely mocked and parodied for its unusual style; at the end of "Mr. Tambourine Man", for example, Shatner suddenly shouts the song's title in a tortured voice. The album would later be panned on the Internet, with the "Captain James T. Kirk Singalong Page" serving clips as early as 1993.
Shatner has defended his "stylings", refusing to acknowledge it as an experiment that went wrong, and insisting instead that it was an acting performance from the perspective of an LSD
user; the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds has often been abbreviated to LSD. This piece of music has been singled out by both Dave Barry
and Mad magazine as being, in Mads words, "truly unfortunate". George Clooney
, for instance, chose this as one of the Desert Island Discs
he would bring along if marooned – as an incentive to leave the island. He said, "If you listen to [this song], you will hollow out your own leg and make a canoe out of it to get off this island." In a 2003 Music Choice
poll, it was voted as the worst Beatles cover of all time.
double album titled William Shatner Live was released. Recorded on a live tour shortly before, it features Shatner performing excerpts from The War of the Worlds
and Cyrano de Bergerac
, among other things.
In 1978, Shatner hosted The Science Fiction Film Awards where he performed Elton John
's "Rocket Man" (again, in a spoken voice). This performance has been parodied by the TV show Family Guy
and musician Beck
, to name a few. Another live double album by Shatner, Captain of the Starship, was also released in 1978. In this era he also did a handful of other spoken word renditions of other pop songs, such as Harry Chapin
's "Taxi
" (which he performed on Dinah Shore
's television talk show Dinah!
).
Shatner has occasionally spoofed his earlier musical career. At the 1992 MTV Movie Awards
he performed all five of the Best Song From a Movie nominees. More recently, he performed in the same style for a series of Priceline.com
television commercials. One such commercial featured Shatner with frequent collaborator Ben Folds
performing an irony-laden version of the Diana Ross
hit, "Do You Know Where You're Going To?". Shatner also appeared on Ben Folds's "In Love" (on the album Fear of Pop: Volume 1
).
In the 1998 film Free Enterprise
, Shatner performed "No Tears For Caesar" in the movie's closing scene with rap artist The Rated R, with Shatner performing Mark Antony
's speech from Julius Caesar
over Rated R's rap. In the 2000 film Miss Congeniality, Shatner performs the song "Miss United States". This song is included in the soundtrack album for the film.
On June 28, 2002, Shatner performed together with Brian Evans at the San Carlos Institute Theatre in Key West
, Florida. He performed the songs "What Kind of Fool Am I" and "The Lady Is a Tramp
". The concert was later released on the album Brian Evans Live with Special Guest: William Shatner.
In his appearance on the "Where No Fan Has Gone Before
" episode of the animated science-fiction TV series Futurama
, aired on April 21, 2002, Shatner recited Eminem
's hit "The Real Slim Shady
" during a feast, both raising and answering the question of how one can perform a spoken word rendition of a rap
song. His performance style was also spoofed in an earlier episode, "Amazon Women in the Mood
", where Zapp Brannigan
(himself an extended parody of Shatner's role on Star Trek) performed a spoken-word version of The Kinks
' "Lola
".
Shatner's spoken-word style was also parodied on The Simpsons
, with a spoken-word version of Homer's Christmas carol, "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders" playing on the radio in the episode "Dude, Where's My Ranch?
" (2003). In the episode "Treehouse of Horror X
" (1999), the Comic Book Guy (as the super-villain "The Collector") uses "the only working phaser ever built" which "was fired only once to keep William Shatner from making another album."
, produced and arranged by Ben Folds
and with songs composed by Shatner and Folds. The LP has been critically acclaimed for its unique "pop-driven" style. Its sole cover, a version of Pulp
's "Common People" performed with Joe Jackson
, has received good notices, often to the surprise of the reviewers.
On June 9, 2005, Shatner performed a reworked rendition of "My Way
" at the presentation of George Lucas
's AFI Life Achievement Award, backed by a chorus line of dancers in Imperial Stormtrooper
costumes who ultimately picked up Shatner and carried him offstage. On December 11, 2005, Shatner opened up Comedy Central
's Last Laugh 2005 by performing as Lucifer
, singing a song about how 2005 was a good year for him as the devil.
On March 29, 2006, TV Land
aired an episode of their Living In TV Land series centered on Shatner and subtitled "William Shatner in Concert". The episode features footage of Shatner working with Ben Folds on Has Been, plus live footage of Shatner performing with Folds' band and Joe Jackson, ending with a defiant rendition of The Transformed Man' s "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" that is punctuated by Shatner giving the finger
.
He also appears on the piece "'64 - Go" by Lemon Jelly
, featured on their 2005 album '64 - '95
.
Brad Paisley
's music videos for "Celebrity
" and "Online
" both feature Shatner as well. Shatner also appears as a studio producer in the music video for "Landed" by Ben Folds.
Also in 2007, a ballet called Common People, set to Has Been, was created by Margo Sappington
(of Oh! Calcutta!
fame) and performed by the Milwaukee Ballet
. Shatner attended the premiere and had the event filmed. The filmed footage eventually turned into a feature film called William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet
, which had a very well-received World Premiere at the Nashville Film Festival
on April 17, 2009.
On July 27, 2009, Shatner gave a "poetry slam"-style interpretation of Sarah Palin's farewell address
on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
. He returned to the Tonight Show on July 29, 2009 and performed a few of Palin's Twitter "tweets". Shatner went on the Tonight Show again on December 11, 2009 to read excerpts from Palin's Going Rogue: An American Life
, but this was followed by an appearance from Palin herself reading excerpts from Shatner's autobiography, Up Till Now
.
To promote his Biography Channel
talk show Shatner's Raw Nerve
, Shatner guest hosted World Wrestling Entertainment
's flagship show WWE Raw
on February 1, 2010 and performed a few WWE superstar entrance theme songs.
On the fourth episode of sitcom $h*! My Dad Says, where Shatner has a lead role, his character Ed Goodson makes a Karaoke
performance of Right Said Fred
's "I'm Too Sexy
", also in spoken-word. On the same scene, "Rocket Man" (performed by Shatner in the 1978 Saturn Awards) is mentioned as a waitress asks Ed if he wants to sing it and he answers "Not tonight!".
On November 4, during a television appearance on the Lopez Tonight
show, Shatner performed a cover of Cee Lo Green's song "Fuck You".
as Seeking Major Tom and later modified it to Searching for Major Tom, but ultimately chose to use the original title. Confirmed to be working on the album with Shatner are Zakk Wylde
of Black Label Society
, Peter Frampton
, Brian May
of Queen
, Steve Howe
from Yes
, John Wetton
from King Crimson
and Asia
, Ritchie Blackmore
from Deep Purple
, Alan Parsons
, Bootsy Collins
of Parliament-Funkadelic
, country
star Brad Paisley
, and other famous popular musicians. The album is reported to have a space odyssey theme, and to be centred around the genre of heavy metal
. The Washington Post
also claims the album to feature covers of songs such as Pink Floyd
's "Learning to Fly", David Bowie
's "Space Oddity
" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody
".
, Shatner was asked "Doesn't it bother you that your version of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' is a camp
classic?" He replied,
star to record music. Leonard Nimoy
's versions of "If I Had a Hammer
" and the children's song "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins
" are widely considered to be comparably camp recordings. Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols
, who sang on some episodes of the show and also in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
, also recorded two musical albums, and Brent Spiner
of Star Trek: The Next Generation
has recorded two. Tim Russ
(Star Trek: Voyager
) released four albums.
In 1996, MCA Records
released a single-CD compilation of Shatner and Nimoy's collected music output, under the title Spaced Out: The Very Best of Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner. It included the above songs, plus other contributions.
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
has yielded a unique, much-criticized, and much-parodied body of work during his musical career. Shatner typically merely speaks the lyrics
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
instead of singing them, often as an exaggerated interpretive reading.
The Transformed Man
Shatner's musical career began in 1968 with the release of his first album, The Transformed ManThe Transformed Man
The Transformed Man is actor William Shatner's debut album. It was released in 1968, while Shatner was still starring in the original Star Trek series, and began his musical career. The concept of the album was to juxtapose famous pieces of poetry with their modern counterparts, pop lyrics...
. Shatner used the album to compare contemporary pop songs of the period to the works of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
by providing dramatic readings of Shakespeare interspersed with dramatic readings of the lyrics of songs such as "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, for The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band...
" and "Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
". However, this first release was widely mocked and parodied for its unusual style; at the end of "Mr. Tambourine Man", for example, Shatner suddenly shouts the song's title in a tortured voice. The album would later be panned on the Internet, with the "Captain James T. Kirk Singalong Page" serving clips as early as 1993.
Shatner has defended his "stylings", refusing to acknowledge it as an experiment that went wrong, and insisting instead that it was an acting performance from the perspective of an LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
user; the song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds has often been abbreviated to LSD. This piece of music has been singled out by both Dave Barry
Dave Barry
David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
and Mad magazine as being, in Mads words, "truly unfortunate". George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
, for instance, chose this as one of the Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
he would bring along if marooned – as an incentive to leave the island. He said, "If you listen to [this song], you will hollow out your own leg and make a canoe out of it to get off this island." In a 2003 Music Choice
Music Choice
Music Choice is a United States company that programs music and produces music-related content for digital cable, cell phones, and cable modem subscribers in the US. Music Choice programs dozens of audio music channels for digital cable subscribers, as well as programs and produces music-related...
poll, it was voted as the worst Beatles cover of all time.
After The Transformed Man
In 1977 a liveLive album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
double album titled William Shatner Live was released. Recorded on a live tour shortly before, it features Shatner performing excerpts from The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
and Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand...
, among other things.
In 1978, Shatner hosted The Science Fiction Film Awards where he performed Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Rocket Man" (again, in a spoken voice). This performance has been parodied by the TV show Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
and musician Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, to name a few. Another live double album by Shatner, Captain of the Starship, was also released in 1978. In this era he also did a handful of other spoken word renditions of other pop songs, such as Harry Chapin
Harry Chapin
Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...
's "Taxi
Taxi (song)
"Taxi" is a song written and performed by Harry Chapin from his 1972 album Heads and Tales. Chapin debuted the song on NBC's The Tonight Show in 1972 which was followed by many calls and telegrams sent from viewers to NBC demanding that Chapin return to the show...
" (which he performed on Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
's television talk show Dinah!
Dinah!
Dinah! is a daytime talk show hosted by singer and actress Dinah Shore, which aired in American syndication markets through 20th Century Fox Television from its premiere on September 9, 1974 until the summer of 1980...
).
Shatner has occasionally spoofed his earlier musical career. At the 1992 MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Awards 1992
-Performers:*En Vogue — "My Lovin' "*Ugly Kid Joe — "Everything About You"*Arrested Development — "Tennessee"*Vince Neil — "Your Invited "-Best Movie:Terminator 2: Judgment Day*Backdraft...
he performed all five of the Best Song From a Movie nominees. More recently, he performed in the same style for a series of Priceline.com
Priceline.com
Priceline.com is a company and a commercial website that helps users obtain discount rates for travel-related purchases such as airline tickets and hotel stays. The company is not a direct supplier of these services; instead it facilitates the provision of travel services by its suppliers to its...
television commercials. One such commercial featured Shatner with frequent collaborator Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
performing an irony-laden version of the Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
hit, "Do You Know Where You're Going To?". Shatner also appeared on Ben Folds's "In Love" (on the album Fear of Pop: Volume 1
Fear of Pop: Volume 1
Volume 1 is the name of the first album by the experimental band Fear of Pop. The album was a project of Ben Folds, John Mark Painter, Fleming McWilliams, and others...
).
In the 1998 film Free Enterprise
Free Enterprise (film)
Free Enterprise is a 1999 romantic comedy film starring Eric McCormack and Rafer Weigel, and featuring William Shatner, directed by Robert Meyer Burnett and written by Mark A...
, Shatner performed "No Tears For Caesar" in the movie's closing scene with rap artist The Rated R, with Shatner performing Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
's speech from Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (play)
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
over Rated R's rap. In the 2000 film Miss Congeniality, Shatner performs the song "Miss United States". This song is included in the soundtrack album for the film.
On June 28, 2002, Shatner performed together with Brian Evans at the San Carlos Institute Theatre in Key West
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, Florida. He performed the songs "What Kind of Fool Am I" and "The Lady Is a Tramp
The Lady Is a Tramp
"The Lady Is a Tramp" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes In Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. This song is a spoof of New York high society and its strict etiquette...
". The concert was later released on the album Brian Evans Live with Special Guest: William Shatner.
In his appearance on the "Where No Fan Has Gone Before
Where No Fan Has Gone Before
"Where No Fan Has Gone Before" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the animated series Futurama. It originally aired in the United States on April 21, 2002...
" episode of the animated science-fiction TV series Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, aired on April 21, 2002, Shatner recited Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's hit "The Real Slim Shady
The Real Slim Shady
"The Real Slim Shady" is a hip hop song written by Eminem for his third studio album The Marshall Mathers LP . It was released as the lead single a week before the album's release...
" during a feast, both raising and answering the question of how one can perform a spoken word rendition of a rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
song. His performance style was also spoofed in an earlier episode, "Amazon Women in the Mood
Amazon Women in the Mood
"Amazon Women in the Mood" is the first episode in season three of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on February 4, 2001.-Plot:...
", where Zapp Brannigan
Zapp Brannigan
Captain Zapp Brannigan is a fictional character in the animated sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West, but was originally intended to be voiced by Phil Hartman, with West taking over the role after Hartman's death. Brannigan is a 25-Star General in the Democratic Order of Planets, and captain...
(himself an extended parody of Shatner's role on Star Trek) performed a spoken-word version of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' "Lola
Lola (song)
"Lola" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks which details a romantic encounter between a young man and a transvestite he meets in a club in Soho, London....
".
Shatner's spoken-word style was also parodied on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, with a spoken-word version of Homer's Christmas carol, "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders" playing on the radio in the episode "Dude, Where's My Ranch?
Dude, Where's My Ranch?
"Dude, Where's My Ranch?" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode aired on April 27, 2003. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and was the first episode directed by Chris Clements.-Plot:...
" (2003). In the episode "Treehouse of Horror X
Treehouse of Horror X
"Treehouse of Horror X" is the fourth episode of The Simpsons eleventh season, and the tenth annual Treehouse of Horror episode, consisting of three self-contained segments. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on Halloween 1999. In "I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did", the...
" (1999), the Comic Book Guy (as the super-villain "The Collector") uses "the only working phaser ever built" which "was fired only once to keep William Shatner from making another album."
Has Been to present day
In October 2004, Shatner released a new album entitled Has BeenHas Been
Has Been is William Shatner's second musical album after 1968's The Transformed Man.The album was produced and arranged by Ben Folds and most of the songs are co-written by Folds and Shatner, with Folds creating arrangements for Shatner's prose-poems, and feature guest appearances from Joe Jackson...
, produced and arranged by Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
and with songs composed by Shatner and Folds. The LP has been critically acclaimed for its unique "pop-driven" style. Its sole cover, a version of Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
's "Common People" performed with Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson (musician)
Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter now living in Berlin, whose five Grammy Award nominations span from 1979 to 2001...
, has received good notices, often to the surprise of the reviewers.
On June 9, 2005, Shatner performed a reworked rendition of "My Way
My Way (song)
"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the...
" at the presentation of George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
's AFI Life Achievement Award, backed by a chorus line of dancers in Imperial Stormtrooper
Imperial stormtrooper
The Imperial Stormtroopers are fictional soldiers from George Lucas' Star Wars universe. Stormtroopers are the soldiers of the imperial army under the leadership of the evil Sith Lord and Emperor Palpatine and his commanders, most notably Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin.They are shown in...
costumes who ultimately picked up Shatner and carried him offstage. On December 11, 2005, Shatner opened up Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's Last Laugh 2005 by performing as Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
, singing a song about how 2005 was a good year for him as the devil.
On March 29, 2006, TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
aired an episode of their Living In TV Land series centered on Shatner and subtitled "William Shatner in Concert". The episode features footage of Shatner working with Ben Folds on Has Been, plus live footage of Shatner performing with Folds' band and Joe Jackson, ending with a defiant rendition of The Transformed Man
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
.
He also appears on the piece "'64 - Go" by Lemon Jelly
Lemon Jelly
Lemon Jelly is a British electronic music duo from London, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen. Lemon Jelly has been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and BRIT Awards....
, featured on their 2005 album '64 - '95
'64 - '95
64–'95 is the second studio album by Lemon Jelly. The concept album contains tracks that take samples from songs recorded between the years 1964 and 1995...
.
Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
's music videos for "Celebrity
Celebrity (Brad Paisley song)
"Celebrity" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Brad Paisley. It was released in March 2003 as the lead single from his album, Mud on the Tires. The song reached the top five of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number three. It also peaked at number 31...
" and "Online
Online (song)
"Online" is a single by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It is the second single from his 2007 album 5th Gear. The single is Brad's ninth overall Number One single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, as well as his fifth consecutive Number One...
" both feature Shatner as well. Shatner also appears as a studio producer in the music video for "Landed" by Ben Folds.
Also in 2007, a ballet called Common People, set to Has Been, was created by Margo Sappington
Margo Sappington
Margo Sappington is an American choreographer and dancer born July 30, 1947 in Baytown, Texas. She was nominated in 1975 for both a Tony Award as Best Choreographer and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for her work on the play Where's Charley?. In 1988, her ballet Virgin Forest was...
(of Oh! Calcutta!
Oh! Calcutta!
Oh! Calcutta! is an avant-garde theatrical revue, created by British drama critic Kenneth Tynan. The show, consisting of sketches on sex-related topics, debuted Off-Broadway in 1969 and then in London in 1970. It ran in London for over 3,900 performances, and in New York initially for 1,314...
fame) and performed by the Milwaukee Ballet
Milwaukee Ballet
The Milwaukee Ballet is a professional ballet company located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1969 by Roberta Boorse and held its first performance on April 24, 1970. It is currently ranked among the top twelve ballet companies in the United States...
. Shatner attended the premiere and had the event filmed. The filmed footage eventually turned into a feature film called William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet
William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet
William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet is a feature-length documentary film about a ballet by Margo Sappington called "Common People", which was set to the music of William Shatner and Ben Folds from their album Has Been...
, which had a very well-received World Premiere at the Nashville Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival
The Nashville Film Festival , held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2009, Nashville Film Festival received close to 2000 submissions from 86 countries, programmed nearly 260 films and had an attendance...
on April 17, 2009.
On July 27, 2009, Shatner gave a "poetry slam"-style interpretation of Sarah Palin's farewell address
Resignation of Sarah Palin
The resignation of Sarah Palin as Governor of Alaska was announced on July 3, 2009 and became effective on July 26. Sean Parnell, the lieutenant governor, took Palin's place as governor.-Reasons for the resignation:...
on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
. He returned to the Tonight Show on July 29, 2009 and performed a few of Palin's Twitter "tweets". Shatner went on the Tonight Show again on December 11, 2009 to read excerpts from Palin's Going Rogue: An American Life
Going Rogue: An American Life
Going Rogue: An American Life is a personal and political memoir of Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican candidate for U.S. Vice President. The book became a New York Times #1 bestseller in its first week of release, and remained there for six weeks...
, but this was followed by an appearance from Palin herself reading excerpts from Shatner's autobiography, Up Till Now
Up Till Now
Up Till Now: The Autobiography is a 2008 autobiography by actor William Shatner with David Fisher. In the book Shatner discusses several aspects of his life including his childhood, early career struggles, time starring on Star Trek, his career after Star Trek and his marriages.-References in pop...
.
To promote his Biography Channel
The Biography Channel
The Biography Channel is an American digital cable television channel owned by A&E and based on the television series of the same name. A version of the channel also airs on ONO and Telefónica in Spain and on Sky Digital and cable television in the United Kingdom, a version of the channel also...
talk show Shatner's Raw Nerve
Shatner's Raw Nerve
Shatner's Raw Nerve is a TV program on The Biography Channel. In it, William Shatner sits down with various celebrities and conducts offbeat interviews with them. Some celebrities who have appeared are Tim Allen, Judith Sheindlin, Kelsey Grammer, Rush Limbaugh, Drew Carey, "Weird Al" Yankovic,...
, Shatner guest hosted World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's flagship show WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
on February 1, 2010 and performed a few WWE superstar entrance theme songs.
On the fourth episode of sitcom $h*! My Dad Says, where Shatner has a lead role, his character Ed Goodson makes a Karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
performance of Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred
Right Said Fred is an English pop band, formed in 1989 by brothers Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass, later joined by their friend Rob Manzoli. The group is named after a song of the same name which was a hit for Bernard Cribbins in 1962...
's "I'm Too Sexy
I'm Too Sexy
"I'm Too Sexy" is a song by English trio Right Said Fred from their album Up. The single topped the American charts for three weeks in early 1992, after having peaked at number two in Britain less than six months earlier....
", also in spoken-word. On the same scene, "Rocket Man" (performed by Shatner in the 1978 Saturn Awards) is mentioned as a waitress asks Ed if he wants to sing it and he answers "Not tonight!".
On November 4, during a television appearance on the Lopez Tonight
Lopez Tonight
Lopez Tonight was an American late-night television talk show hosted by comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican American to host a late-night talk show on an English-language network in the United States. The...
show, Shatner performed a cover of Cee Lo Green's song "Fuck You".
Seeking Major Tom
Shatner has announced that he plans to release a new album in 2011. He initially announced the title on TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
as Seeking Major Tom and later modified it to Searching for Major Tom, but ultimately chose to use the original title. Confirmed to be working on the album with Shatner are Zakk Wylde
Zakk Wylde
Zachary Phillip Wylde , best known by the stage name Zakk Wylde, is an American musician, songwriter, and occasional actor who is best known as the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. He was the lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory,...
of Black Label Society
Black Label Society
Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...
, Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Steve Howe
Steve Howe (guitarist)
Stephen James "Steve" Howe is an English guitarist, known for his work with the progressive rock group Yes...
from Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, John Wetton
John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
from King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
and Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
, Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
from Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
, Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
of Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic is a funk, soul and rock music collective headed by George Clinton. Their style has been dubbed P-Funk. Collectively the group has existed under various names since the 1960s and has been known for top-notch musicianship, politically charged lyrics, outlandish concept albums...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
star Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
, and other famous popular musicians. The album is reported to have a space odyssey theme, and to be centred around the genre of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
also claims the album to feature covers of songs such as Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's "Learning to Fly", David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's "Space Oddity
Space Oddity
"Space Oddity" is a song written and performed by David Bowie and released as a music single in 1969. It is about the launch of Major Tom, a fictional astronaut; its title alludes to the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, released the previous year. The lyrics have also been seen to lampoon the failed...
" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
".
Shatner on Shatner
In an interview in the September 21, 2004 issue of NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Shatner was asked "Doesn't it bother you that your version of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' is a camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
classic?" He replied,
Music by other Star Trek actors
Shatner was not the only Star TrekStar Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
star to record music. Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
's versions of "If I Had a Hammer
If I Had a Hammer
"If I Had a Hammer " is a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the progressive movement, and was first recorded by The Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman, and then by Peter, Paul and Mary.- Early...
" and the children's song "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins
The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins
"The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" is a song composed by Charles Randolph Grean and performed by Leonard Nimoy, telling the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit. The recording originally appeared on Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy, the second of Nimoy's albums on...
" are widely considered to be comparably camp recordings. Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting...
, who sang on some episodes of the show and also in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series...
, also recorded two musical albums, and Brent Spiner
Brent Spiner
Brent Jay Spiner is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and four subsequent films. His portrayal of Data in Star Trek: First Contact and of Dr...
of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
has recorded two. Tim Russ
Tim Russ
Timothy Darrell "Tim" Russ is an American actor, film director, screenwriter and musician. He is known for his roles on Star Trek: Voyager, as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Samantha Who?, as Frank, and on the Nickelodeon live-action teen sitcom iCarly, as Principal Franklin, a recurring...
(Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
) released four albums.
In 1996, MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
released a single-CD compilation of Shatner and Nimoy's collected music output, under the title Spaced Out: The Very Best of Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner. It included the above songs, plus other contributions.
Discography
- The Transformed ManThe Transformed ManThe Transformed Man is actor William Shatner's debut album. It was released in 1968, while Shatner was still starring in the original Star Trek series, and began his musical career. The concept of the album was to juxtapose famous pieces of poetry with their modern counterparts, pop lyrics...
(1968) - William Shatner Live (1977) – live double album
- Captain of the Starship (1978) – live double album (This is the "William Shatner Live" album rereleased under a different title with different cover artwork).
- Spaced Out: The Very Best of Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner (1996) – compilationCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
- Has BeenHas BeenHas Been is William Shatner's second musical album after 1968's The Transformed Man.The album was produced and arranged by Ben Folds and most of the songs are co-written by Folds and Shatner, with Folds creating arrangements for Shatner's prose-poems, and feature guest appearances from Joe Jackson...
(2004) - Exodus: An Oratorio in Three Parts (2007)
- Seeking Major Tom (October 11, 2011)
See also
- Works by William ShatnerWorks by William ShatnerThe following is a list of works by William Shatner, a Canadian actor, recording artist, and author.-Film:-Television:-Other work:*Star Trek: 25th Anniversary *Star Trek: Judgment Rites...
- "The Ballad of Bilbo BagginsThe Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" is a song composed by Charles Randolph Grean and performed by Leonard Nimoy, telling the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit. The recording originally appeared on Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy, the second of Nimoy's albums on...
" - Golden ThroatsGolden ThroatsGolden Throats is Rhino Records' series of humorous compilations of critically lambasted cover versions of songs, performed mostly either by celebrities known for something other than musical talent or musicians not known for the genre from which the song they are covering comes...
, a compilation of celebrity singers including William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
External links
- Shatner Animation Contest Finals Voting Page, one entry has an homage to the tux clad lounge singer
- Shatner in the Sky with Diamonds, a modern remix of a modern classic