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I can't think of an actor more mimicked for comic effect than William Shatner, except maybe DeNiro. His 1960s album "The Transformed Man"has been widely mocked, or else beloved as a camp classic. For years upon years, "Shatner" was synonymous with hammy, overwrought acting, and the man got no respect. And the Shatner-directed Star Trek V was a total disaster. But then in recent years something funny began to happen. The former T.J. Hooker seems to have developed a rather good sense of humor about himself and perhaps realized that his particular brand of goofy gravitas was perfectly suited for comedy. There was the famous "get a life" speech on Saturday Night Live, then the appearances as alien overlord "the Big Giant Head" on 3rd Rock from the Sun, and then the self-parodying Priceline commercials. With his recent Emmy win and new prime-time series, Shatner has pulled off a complete career rennaissance.
I first started hearing buzzings about this album a couple of years ago. We love us some Ben Folds, so when we heard that he was collaborating with Shatner, we were beyond curious. I guess maybe Bill and Ben hit it off on the set of that one Priceline ad where Shatner is backed by all the alterna-rock stars. The result is a unique collaboration, with Ben writing and producing varied musical backdrops to Shatner's spoken-word musings and rants. Folds has corralled a whole slew of other alterna-rock stars to contribute to these recordings, including Aimee Mann, Joe Jackson, some dude from Soul Coughing, and local boy Jon Auer (who we saw open for Ben), among others.
The album kicks off with Shatner's over-the-top reading (and Folds' over-the-top musical production) of Pulp's "Common People", which seems to be becoming something of a novelty hit. "It Hasn't Happened Yet", a rather candid rumination on success, is more subtle, though there are some creepy whispered bits. "You'll Have Time" is a humorous "carpe diem"-messaged gospel number in which Shatner, listing people who died, amusingly rhymes "that guy in the Stones" with "Joey Ramone", and then the gospel choir repeats Joey Ramone's name, which is marvelous. Shatner does a delightful job with the Nick Hornby-penned "That's Me Trying", which is about a pathetic but sweet dad reaching out in his own way to his grown kids. "Together" is a touching poem Shatner wrote to his late wife, set to a pretty electronica background by Lemon Jelly. "Familiar Love" and "Ideal Woman" are sweet and tongue-in-cheek takes on love, respectively. Shatner takes the piss out of his critics to a spaghetti-western soundtrack in "Has Been", and rants and raves with Henry Rollins about their pet peeves in "I Can't Get Behind That". The only song I really dislike is the album closer, "Real", which was written by Brad Paisley, who I guess is some country dude? I don't know, but it's pretty lame.
So what do I like about this album? I mean, despite the presence of a bunch of musicians I like, it really isn't something I might typically go in for. I don't know, Shatner's just become so likable in recent years. He's taken a lot of crap, but he just does what he does and is who he is. This album could be seen as a big risk for him, but I have a feeling he doesn't even look at it that way. Despite the tongue-in-cheek and occasionally cornball elements, this is definitely not a novelty album, and though it's not a masterpiece either, I found it by turns mostly genuinely funny, touching, and enjoyable. There's something honest and pure about Shatner, and I think that's really reflected in the authentic, eccentric self-expression of these recordings. (mike.10.04)
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