Thursday, August 8, 2013

Shore Leave: William Shatner

Shatner was the reason Saturday at the con sold out. Since he’s a nerd god, I paid the extra $20 to hear him talk. I liked every other talk I attended better and they came with the price of admission.

Shatner opened with how he barely made his flight. The security line was insane and his “Captain Kirk” routine didn’t work. He then spent the next 10 or so minutes plugging his new album, book, recording of his one man show, and a documentary. I started to wonder when the shameless plugs would stop and it would actually get interesting.

He playfully ribbed the ASL interpreter about doing questions. “You don’t know. You’re just talking with your hands.” During the fan questions he announced “Once I’m done here, I’m going for crabs!” He spent a minute talking crabs with the fan who was asking him a question.

When asked if he would change anything about his career: “I've got thighs of steel. I'm in great health and I'm old. People my age are like "Are you my son or my daughter?" How dare I challenge my mistakes?” He flexed his arms and said “I’ve got a muscle.” This became a running gag for the rest of the hour. Shatner also made an excellent point about how quickly fame is eclipsed by life. The number of people who’d heard of Gene Kelly were limited.

I want to say at least a third of the show was spent on plugs and horses. His passion for horses started when he was a kid in Montreal near a rental stable. He’d muck out stalls in exchange for rides. Once he had some success as an adult, he bought land and went to a horse auction. By gesticulating at the wrong time, he bought his first horse. “Horses are like potato chips.” He kept falling in love with different breeds, including one he discovered at an equine center while filming TJ Hooker.

Shatner now works to support his horses. He met his wife of 14 years because she was a horse trainer. A horse race in Kentucky was actually why he almost missed his flight, that an airport security really doesn’t care when you’re flight leaves. On a segway to planes, Shatner became friends with Brad Paisley. They met on a country western radio show.

Shatner was offered an appearance at the CMAs. Lots of country stars have their own planes which is how they can get from Nashville to New York or Hollywood. Shatner calls up Paisley and asks to borrow his plane. His plane is down for repairs and he’s got to fly commercial. Back when he was filming Captains, he asked a Canadian manufacturer to borrow a plane since flying commercial would have decimated the budget.

The owner of the air company started as an engineer. He became an engineer because of Captain Kirk. Of course he’s happy to lend Shatner a plane. So when he was trying to make the CMAs and Shatner couldn’t hitch a ride with Paisley, he calls him back and asks if he wants to ride on Shatner’s plane instead. The story took a while and wasn’t always told in the best order. Then came the part that really made the audience unhappy.

He talked about Kate Mulgrew and when they were first debating the idea of a woman captain. In the Captains documentary, Mulgrew admits to regrets for what she had to give up with her children and family for her career. Then Shatner made a really bad joke (I hope it was a joke) about hot flashes, hormones, and a woman’s ability to be a Star Trek Captain. “What if you’re in a bad moon and have a gun or phaser in your hand? Can an individual master those hormones?”

I get he’s from another era. I get he’s 82. I get he’s a nerd god and doesn’t really have to care what anyone thinks anymore. It was still such a wrong thing to say. So many face palms. He fell in my opinion for that statement. Overall it’s cool to say you heard Shatner talk but I’m glad I didn’t pay for an autograph or picture since he ended up being disappointing.

Other Quotes:

“On a TV series, directors are mostly traffic cops"


 "Nonverbal language is the most powerful of all."

"In your twenties you're the dreamer. In your thirties you want those dreams to be concrete. You're thinking "Do I want to get married? How am I gonna pay the rent?" You face the working reality before you. When are you gonna wait for the big moment too long?"

Music: Be a Man – Mulan cast

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