It was forty-odd years ago that William Shatner played Captain Kirk on Star Trek. But it was the show’s afterlife, in reruns during the seventies and on, that turned Shatner into a cult figure and a representative of America’s love of science fiction.
Today a new cohort of fans who never knew him as Kirk adores Shatner as Denny Crane, the blustery, ridiculous senior partner on Boston Legal. Several critics think Crane is some of the best acting of his career.
Now, at 80 years old, William Shatner is busier than ever. He has a new book out: Shatner Rules and a new album called Seeking Major Tom, which imagines (in Shatner’s signature spoken-word performance) what happened to the tragic astronaut hero of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”
Shatner tells Kurt how he continues to go about life at warp speed: "You've got to be interested in something. Whether it’s for keeping the front of your shirt clean, if you’re 80 and dribbling ... or the squirrel that is your love life, or the gray-haired old lady who’s nodding off beside you — whatever it is, care. And that will keep you alive."
Major Tom
Artist: William ShatnerAlbum: Seeking Major TomLabel: Cleopatra RecordsPurchase: AmazonSpace Oddity
Artist: William ShatnerAlbum: Seeking Major TomLabel: Cleopatra RecordsPurchase: AmazonBohemian Rhapsody
Artist: William ShatnerAlbum: Seeking Major TomLabel: Cleopatra RecordsPurchase: AmazonTheme from Star Trek
Artist: Alexander CourageAlbum: Where No Man Has Gone BeforeLabel: GNP Crescendo Record Co., Inc.Purchase: AmazonLucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Artist: William ShatnerAlbum: The Transformed ManLabel: GeffenPurchase: AmazonLearning to Fly
Artist: William ShatnerAlbum: Seeking Major TomLabel: Cleopatra RecordsPurchase: AmazonGuests:
William Shatner





Comments [3]
Just listened to this podcast (seems I am always behind), and I wanted to note that Shatner does't cover "Space Oddity" on this new record, as Kurt says in the show, but rather, "Major Tom (Coming Home)," which was a mid-80s hit first in German and then in English by Peter Schilling. Shilling's song, of course, draws on Bowie's Major Tom character, but the two are not otherwise related.
His album with Ben Folds ("Has Been") is alternately hilarious and moving. The opening cut "Common People" outdoes the original. If you haven't heard it give it a listen. It will blow your mind.
His new book is great. The CD is hit or miss but enjoyable. I enjoyed the interview and found the question of his pronunciation of Esperanto amusing considering the "sabotage" controversy.
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