Slashdot Mirror
William Shatner Answers, in 826 Words
You asked William Shatner questions, and Shatner replied. It's not the first time he's answered questions for Slashdot (that was in 2002), but Shatner's given a bit more insight this time into what makes an 80-year-old actor-author-sportsman-father-filmmaker tick as fast as ever. Did he mention that he's got a one-man show about to open? And a new album? Note: Typically Shatner, he's also chosen to ignore (or transcend) the usual Slashdot interview structure, and written his answers in his own style, which is why the format looks a little different from most of our interviews. Thanks, Bill. (Read on for his answers.)
How has technology changed acting for you?
by wired_parrot
TV and movie productions have become more technically elaborate over the years, evolving from what were essentially filmed theatrical productions, to elaborate and technically demanding productions that require a large industry of people to support it. In your view, how has technology changed the role and experience of acting since you started?
Do you think young actors today have it easier?
by elrous0
In your early days, there were only a few major television networks, and it was much more difficult to move back and forth between television and movies. Today, with so many cable shows, the internet, and with actors moving much more freely between movies and television, do you think young actors have it easier? Or do you think that the proliferation of reality television and the "noise" of so many channels/series has actually made things harder for scripted actors?
The cerebral characters you've played vs. pure action heroes?
by jd
Are there times you wish you'd had a quieter, more sedate career like, say, Roger Moore or Bruce Lee, or is there a part of you that craves the geekier, more cerebral hero roles you've played?
Uniforms
by milbournosphere
Mr. Shatner: I recently watched my way through The Original Series and you were constantly pulling your uniform shirt down. I've also heard that the red uniforms from the movies were quite cumbersome to design and wear. Which was more uncomfortable to you, the uniforms from the original television episodes or the red command uniforms from the movies?
Favorite non-Star Trek roles?
by loftwyr
Outside of the Star Trek series, you've had a large number of regular, one-off and recurring roles. What would be your favorite role prior to the beginnings of Star Trek and after the original ST series run? If different, what was your favourite one-off?
Boston Legal
by gurps_npc
You seemed to have a great relationship with Mr. Spader - was that all fantastic acting, or did you become friends - as in you still see/speak with him even after the show ended?
Do you still practice archery?
by WillAdams
(Back in 1995 or so you were still noted as an archer and had been for quite a while.)
If so, how often, using what equipment? Still using a compound or have you gone back to using a recurve or longbow? If you do still shoot, do you travel w/ your archery gear? Any issues in doing so? Or amusing anecdotes?
Tek and a vision of the future
by The Bastard
Mr. Shatner, it's been 22 years since TekWar was first published; seventeen since the television series gave us a "common" visualization of Tek itself. Since those two milestones, I've found it intriguing how our technological advancement seems to be aiming towards the development of Tek. And not just advancement with computers and the Internet, but within the neuroscience and brain-computer interface fields also. It is within the realm of possibility that Tek--or similar digital drug--will exist within a couple of decades.
Could you talk about how the concept of Tek came about? Was it just a "crazy idea" that hit you while riding one of your horses, or did you sit down by yourself or others to develop a vision of the future and build a story around that? Also, looking around at people addicted to using smartphones everywhere, what are your thoughts regarding a form of Tek coming into existence in the next decade or two?
The Captains
by doramjan
Do you have any insights from your interviews with the other Captions from the documentary The Captains that didn't make the cut? Please share, if so. I found that documentary fascinating and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Henry Rollins
by mrmud
Henry Rollins tells a great and funny story about working with you on a musical project. What is your perspective on the story?
Commodore VIC-20
by GIL_Dude
When I was a kid, your commercial for the Commodore VIC-20 convinced me that I had to have one (because Captain Kirk was advertising it!). I used it to learn some programming (both BASIC and assembler) and it was the early foundation for what I do today. The question: Did you actually use one of them day to day or was it just something they hired you to advertise and they gave you one and it sat in the corner?
Canadian politics?
by kabrakan
You've jested about this in the past, but do you have any thoughts on running for a political seat in the Canadian government? We'd love to have you (but hey, anyone can do better than the current guy in the top seat).
Inspiring the next generation?
by techmuse
Growing up, Star Trek was one of the things that got me interested in engineering and the sciences. It made me want to see the future, or create it myself. What do you think should be done to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers?
The growing "anti-smart" person culture
by PotatoHead
There is a growing "anti-smart" person culture out there now. When you were playing Kirk, kids could get a real chemistry set, for example. Now it's a lot different, and that desire to "boldly go where no man has gone before" seems blunted, constrained and discouraged. Much better to play in the sand box with the other kids.
When you were playing Kirk, I was a free range kid doing all manner of things, and yes that includes blowing stuff up. Now free range kids are increasingly rare as we consider that bad parenting, or they are "at risk," or some other fear based thing. Have you noticed these changes? What do you think about them?
Mortality?
by optimism
Mr. Shatner: Recently I saw you in the Raymond Kurzweil documentary Transcendant Man, where you emphatically said that you do not want to die. This year, you have exceeded the average life expectancy of a male for ANY country in the world. Iceland is highest at 80.2 years; you are now 80.5 years.
So my question(s): Are you still fighting the battle for physical/mental immortality? If so, how? If not, can you describe the process you have gone through to accept your mortality and ultimately death?
Cxu vi ankoraux estas Esperantisto?
by Yekrats
Bill, you're well known in the Esperanto world as the star of the pre-Star Trek thriller Incubus, written and performed in Esperanto.
Cxu vi ankoraux regas vian Esperanto-kapablon de tiu filmo? (Have you still retained your Esperanto ability from that movie?)
Cxu vi uzis gxin iel ajn poste? (Have you used it an any way afterwards?)
Shuttle Enterprise
by wideBlueSkies
Mr Shatner, can you share what your thoughts were when you found out that NASA decided to name the 1st shuttle as The Enterprise? Can you offer any insights into the general thoughts of the rest of the cast or Gene himself? How was it for you, knowing that part of the show had such an influence on that segment of the world, meaning the fans and the space community, that they actually honored the show by naming a real spacecraft after it?
Also, how the hell did you get mixed up with the Charlie Sheen roast? You're the last guy I expected to see... but your "who's the warlock now? Bitch" was indeed the highlight of the night.
Will you ever tour?
by buanzo
Mr Shatner, It's an honor to at least have the chance of asking you something. Thank you for your time. And for everything. Have you considered touring, as a stand-up comedian or whatever, specially outside U.S. and Canada? You know, you have a gigantic fanbase in, ehem, Argentina.
William Shatner replies:
Performing a role is always the same. You take a deep breath, you speak words, you hit marks, and you listen to what other people say. What has changed is the amount of light that is necessary to get your image on film — which by now is candlelight. So that it’s not any harder and certainly not any easier to be an actor. Yes, there is more need for content, but so much of that content doesn't require experience, talent, the ability to speak English or in fact, the ability to stand upright (e.g. The Jersey Shore). There is a great deal of fun in doing stunts. It makes for a lot of physical activity. You have to remember to do your pushups but sitting in a chair and talking about how you feel is also entertainment, at least for the actor. Now if you have a thinking man’s action hero, that would be ideal.
Wardrobe is certainly a consideration in many instances. It is possible to be beautifully dressed and to be your character especially if you get to keep the expensive wardrobe. The Star Trek wardrobes were made of stretch material so if your lunch was more than bread and water, you had to keep pulling those shirts down because they tended to ride up.
I don't think of favorite roles like 'This was my favorite thing to do, and that isn’t.' I just wish they hadn't cancelled Shit My Dad Says because I could bicycle to work.
It’s best to be friendly with the people you are working with and that goes for everything including acting. If you dislike a person and you have to say 'I love you,' it certainly makes things difficult. I have remained friends with most of the people I have worked with through the years.
Right now I am working on my new album, Seeking Major Tom, my new book, Shatner Rules, a new DVD of the documentary The Captains, and I want all you people in Canada to come to my one man show that starts on October 19th in Vancouver and goes through to Montreal a couple of weeks later, in between, visiting all the major cities.
I am involved in many sports. I think of myself as an athlete. But instead of archery these days I am competing on horseback and I am having just as much fun.
When I wrote Tek Wars, there was a strike that prevented us from working on a movie so I built a detective story of the future. I love to watch TV and it seemed to me that was the drug of the future and low and behold, you can't tell the color of peoples' eyes anymore because they are looking down fixated on their texting.
I enjoyed making The Captains tremendously. The insights garnered from the various actors and my own epiphany I thought made an interesting film. It can seen October 20th on Movie Central in Canada at 9pm MT/8PT and the DVD can be purchased on the United States only right now (as of October 18th).
I have a new album out called Seeking Major Tom and to my great disappointment, Henry Rollins is not on it, otherwise [would] have had another funny story to tell about working with me.
I used to try to assemble computers way back when and they came out looking like a skateboard. I soon gave it up.
There's a large group of people who want me to be the Governor General but other than throwing a party for the king and queen, I don't know what else he does.
Star Trek helped inspire a whole generation of scientists and engineers with the magic of today's electronics I would think people of all kinds would try to find ways of working with around about computers and I also think that with the NASA program put on hold, it is a shame that we can't inspire the younger generation that way.
Death is increasingly fascinating to me the closer I get to it and if I could reach Kurzweil's Singularity, I would don the Iron Man's suit although come to think of it, how do you sleep? Do you sleep on your back? But since that is not possible, I live in a balancing act of terror and acceptance every day.
If anyone asks you to star in a movie shot entirely in Esperanto, say 'Kiam Kaj Kiel Multa?'
In the documentary The Captains, I meet all the actors and share heartfelt thoughts about what it took to do the series. How proud we all are of being in the show and Star Trek’s place in our culture. By the way, did I mention how you can get a DVD of The Captains? Amazon.com.
I had the best time at the Charlie Sheen Roast which I incorporate into my one man show which opens October 19th. Did I mention that earlier?
How has technology changed acting for you?
by wired_parrot
TV and movie productions have become more technically elaborate over the years, evolving from what were essentially filmed theatrical productions, to elaborate and technically demanding productions that require a large industry of people to support it. In your view, how has technology changed the role and experience of acting since you started?
Do you think young actors today have it easier?
by elrous0
In your early days, there were only a few major television networks, and it was much more difficult to move back and forth between television and movies. Today, with so many cable shows, the internet, and with actors moving much more freely between movies and television, do you think young actors have it easier? Or do you think that the proliferation of reality television and the "noise" of so many channels/series has actually made things harder for scripted actors?
The cerebral characters you've played vs. pure action heroes?
by jd
Are there times you wish you'd had a quieter, more sedate career like, say, Roger Moore or Bruce Lee, or is there a part of you that craves the geekier, more cerebral hero roles you've played?
Uniforms
by milbournosphere
Mr. Shatner: I recently watched my way through The Original Series and you were constantly pulling your uniform shirt down. I've also heard that the red uniforms from the movies were quite cumbersome to design and wear. Which was more uncomfortable to you, the uniforms from the original television episodes or the red command uniforms from the movies?
Favorite non-Star Trek roles?
by loftwyr
Outside of the Star Trek series, you've had a large number of regular, one-off and recurring roles. What would be your favorite role prior to the beginnings of Star Trek and after the original ST series run? If different, what was your favourite one-off?
Boston Legal
by gurps_npc
You seemed to have a great relationship with Mr. Spader - was that all fantastic acting, or did you become friends - as in you still see/speak with him even after the show ended?
Do you still practice archery?
by WillAdams
(Back in 1995 or so you were still noted as an archer and had been for quite a while.)
If so, how often, using what equipment? Still using a compound or have you gone back to using a recurve or longbow? If you do still shoot, do you travel w/ your archery gear? Any issues in doing so? Or amusing anecdotes?
Tek and a vision of the future
by The Bastard
Mr. Shatner, it's been 22 years since TekWar was first published; seventeen since the television series gave us a "common" visualization of Tek itself. Since those two milestones, I've found it intriguing how our technological advancement seems to be aiming towards the development of Tek. And not just advancement with computers and the Internet, but within the neuroscience and brain-computer interface fields also. It is within the realm of possibility that Tek--or similar digital drug--will exist within a couple of decades.
Could you talk about how the concept of Tek came about? Was it just a "crazy idea" that hit you while riding one of your horses, or did you sit down by yourself or others to develop a vision of the future and build a story around that? Also, looking around at people addicted to using smartphones everywhere, what are your thoughts regarding a form of Tek coming into existence in the next decade or two?
The Captains
by doramjan
Do you have any insights from your interviews with the other Captions from the documentary The Captains that didn't make the cut? Please share, if so. I found that documentary fascinating and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Henry Rollins
by mrmud
Henry Rollins tells a great and funny story about working with you on a musical project. What is your perspective on the story?
Commodore VIC-20
by GIL_Dude
When I was a kid, your commercial for the Commodore VIC-20 convinced me that I had to have one (because Captain Kirk was advertising it!). I used it to learn some programming (both BASIC and assembler) and it was the early foundation for what I do today. The question: Did you actually use one of them day to day or was it just something they hired you to advertise and they gave you one and it sat in the corner?
Canadian politics?
by kabrakan
You've jested about this in the past, but do you have any thoughts on running for a political seat in the Canadian government? We'd love to have you (but hey, anyone can do better than the current guy in the top seat).
Inspiring the next generation?
by techmuse
Growing up, Star Trek was one of the things that got me interested in engineering and the sciences. It made me want to see the future, or create it myself. What do you think should be done to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers?
The growing "anti-smart" person culture
by PotatoHead
There is a growing "anti-smart" person culture out there now. When you were playing Kirk, kids could get a real chemistry set, for example. Now it's a lot different, and that desire to "boldly go where no man has gone before" seems blunted, constrained and discouraged. Much better to play in the sand box with the other kids.
When you were playing Kirk, I was a free range kid doing all manner of things, and yes that includes blowing stuff up. Now free range kids are increasingly rare as we consider that bad parenting, or they are "at risk," or some other fear based thing. Have you noticed these changes? What do you think about them?
Mortality?
by optimism
Mr. Shatner: Recently I saw you in the Raymond Kurzweil documentary Transcendant Man, where you emphatically said that you do not want to die. This year, you have exceeded the average life expectancy of a male for ANY country in the world. Iceland is highest at 80.2 years; you are now 80.5 years.
So my question(s): Are you still fighting the battle for physical/mental immortality? If so, how? If not, can you describe the process you have gone through to accept your mortality and ultimately death?
Cxu vi ankoraux estas Esperantisto?
by Yekrats
Bill, you're well known in the Esperanto world as the star of the pre-Star Trek thriller Incubus, written and performed in Esperanto.
Cxu vi ankoraux regas vian Esperanto-kapablon de tiu filmo? (Have you still retained your Esperanto ability from that movie?)
Cxu vi uzis gxin iel ajn poste? (Have you used it an any way afterwards?)
Shuttle Enterprise
by wideBlueSkies
Mr Shatner, can you share what your thoughts were when you found out that NASA decided to name the 1st shuttle as The Enterprise? Can you offer any insights into the general thoughts of the rest of the cast or Gene himself? How was it for you, knowing that part of the show had such an influence on that segment of the world, meaning the fans and the space community, that they actually honored the show by naming a real spacecraft after it?
Also, how the hell did you get mixed up with the Charlie Sheen roast? You're the last guy I expected to see... but your "who's the warlock now? Bitch" was indeed the highlight of the night.
Will you ever tour?
by buanzo
Mr Shatner, It's an honor to at least have the chance of asking you something. Thank you for your time. And for everything. Have you considered touring, as a stand-up comedian or whatever, specially outside U.S. and Canada? You know, you have a gigantic fanbase in, ehem, Argentina.
William Shatner replies:
Performing a role is always the same. You take a deep breath, you speak words, you hit marks, and you listen to what other people say. What has changed is the amount of light that is necessary to get your image on film — which by now is candlelight. So that it’s not any harder and certainly not any easier to be an actor. Yes, there is more need for content, but so much of that content doesn't require experience, talent, the ability to speak English or in fact, the ability to stand upright (e.g. The Jersey Shore). There is a great deal of fun in doing stunts. It makes for a lot of physical activity. You have to remember to do your pushups but sitting in a chair and talking about how you feel is also entertainment, at least for the actor. Now if you have a thinking man’s action hero, that would be ideal.
Wardrobe is certainly a consideration in many instances. It is possible to be beautifully dressed and to be your character especially if you get to keep the expensive wardrobe. The Star Trek wardrobes were made of stretch material so if your lunch was more than bread and water, you had to keep pulling those shirts down because they tended to ride up.
I don't think of favorite roles like 'This was my favorite thing to do, and that isn’t.' I just wish they hadn't cancelled Shit My Dad Says because I could bicycle to work.
It’s best to be friendly with the people you are working with and that goes for everything including acting. If you dislike a person and you have to say 'I love you,' it certainly makes things difficult. I have remained friends with most of the people I have worked with through the years.
Right now I am working on my new album, Seeking Major Tom, my new book, Shatner Rules, a new DVD of the documentary The Captains, and I want all you people in Canada to come to my one man show that starts on October 19th in Vancouver and goes through to Montreal a couple of weeks later, in between, visiting all the major cities.
I am involved in many sports. I think of myself as an athlete. But instead of archery these days I am competing on horseback and I am having just as much fun.
When I wrote Tek Wars, there was a strike that prevented us from working on a movie so I built a detective story of the future. I love to watch TV and it seemed to me that was the drug of the future and low and behold, you can't tell the color of peoples' eyes anymore because they are looking down fixated on their texting.
I enjoyed making The Captains tremendously. The insights garnered from the various actors and my own epiphany I thought made an interesting film. It can seen October 20th on Movie Central in Canada at 9pm MT/8PT and the DVD can be purchased on the United States only right now (as of October 18th).
I have a new album out called Seeking Major Tom and to my great disappointment, Henry Rollins is not on it, otherwise [would] have had another funny story to tell about working with me.
I used to try to assemble computers way back when and they came out looking like a skateboard. I soon gave it up.
There's a large group of people who want me to be the Governor General but other than throwing a party for the king and queen, I don't know what else he does.
Star Trek helped inspire a whole generation of scientists and engineers with the magic of today's electronics I would think people of all kinds would try to find ways of working with around about computers and I also think that with the NASA program put on hold, it is a shame that we can't inspire the younger generation that way.
Death is increasingly fascinating to me the closer I get to it and if I could reach Kurzweil's Singularity, I would don the Iron Man's suit although come to think of it, how do you sleep? Do you sleep on your back? But since that is not possible, I live in a balancing act of terror and acceptance every day.
If anyone asks you to star in a movie shot entirely in Esperanto, say 'Kiam Kaj Kiel Multa?'
In the documentary The Captains, I meet all the actors and share heartfelt thoughts about what it took to do the series. How proud we all are of being in the show and Star Trek’s place in our culture. By the way, did I mention how you can get a DVD of The Captains? Amazon.com.
I had the best time at the Charlie Sheen Roast which I incorporate into my one man show which opens October 19th. Did I mention that earlier?
For those weak on Esperanto, "Kiam Kaj Kiel Multa" means When and how much!
When the foot seeks the place of the head, the line is crossed. Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe.
I, no the other hand, respect him for having the balls to speak his mind, instead of living inside the artificial PR bubble. He's one of the few who's a genuine person instead of a teleprompted bobblehead.
With a dramatic pause after every 2nd or 3rd word.
Given what I've seen of many hardcore fans, it's not terrible advice. You can be a fan *and* still a semi-normal person, but some of the fans take things to extremes and/or seem to have lost track of reality along the way.
Never assume that people who obsess over a show are really "the biggest fans". Think, for example, of the recent show Lost where the fans that the network really depended on were fairly casual TV viewers (and thus the increasing emphasis on the love triangle over more substantial plot elements), not the comparatively smaller group of people who discussed the show's mythology on internet fora and spent every waking hour trying to solve its mysteries.
One can see Star Trek in the same light. True, those embarrassing nerds who play dress up might have kept the franchise on life support during the years between the first two series, but ultimately the success of Star Trek was due to masses of relatively normal people, not the overweight slobs with no social skills that Shatner was addressing.
Those fans could have "gotten a life" and continued watching the show. They just didn't have to continue their bizarre behaviour.
Lionizing William Shatner as a hero is dumb. You deserve what you get - and indeed, Trekkies were huge losers, at least when I hung out with them. William Shatner is an actor, and actors aren't exactly known for shining intellects. Look how many of them fall for cults like Scientology or various scientific frauds. Acting is all about feeling, which is pretty much the polar opposite of thinking.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
I thought... There'd be... A lot more periods. In this reply?
Somebody already translated the Esperanto. Now translate this please:
I used to try to assemble computers way back when and they came out looking like a skateboard.
If its a noob thing, then its a pre-1981 noob thing because that's when I got started in computing... Some kind of weird S-100 CPM reference to 8 inch disks? I never got Amiga disease so it might be an Amiga thing?
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Wasn't the "get a life" comment on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - as PART OF A SKIT??
So have you ... I don't know, *read* that review? (Or dare I ask -- the book?) Seems to me what he did was kind of the complete opposite of your interpretation of a single remark.
You know, of course, that name-calling was on Saturday Night Live, a comedy show. It was a comedy sketch, and while I'm sure there was more than a grain of truth in the sentiment, it was also quite funny, as it was meant to be. Best line? "You! Have you ever kissed a girl?"
The CB App. What's your 20?
Always love to hear him talk, just be himself. So many imaginings of him have been going around for years, yet he's still a pretty cool, regular guy. I hope I can do as well and look back upon a pretty good life when I'm 80.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
semi-normal
Sounds like a great idea for a new reality series.
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
I feel like this whole thing was just a huge self promotion for his new upcoming stuff.
...a thinking man's action hero, but surely the role of The Doctor is already taken. :)
Seriously, that would be a wonderful blend of traits for Hollywood to experiment with. They've not done anything like that, leaving it mostly to the Brits - and even then the UK has produced exceedingly few such characters overall. I've never really thought much about how such characters would work in the US because there haven't been any, but if Shatner thinks that it would work well for actors and audience alike, then maybe it's time for someone to write a script for it.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Get a life, man.
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
It is possible to be beautifully dressed and to be your character especially if you get to keep the expensive wardrobe
Coincidentally, strutting around in Star Trek uniforms is Shatner's preferred disguise for a night on the town in Vegas.
Or is it Slashdot policy to present as received for interviews?
I'm not sure (because for the life of me, I can't figure out what you are trying to say), but it's Slashdot policy to have completely grammar-neglected sentences throughout the website.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
I took his advice, and got a life. (Well as much of a life as any geek can hope to have.)
:)
I still think I enjoyed Star Trek more.
If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
You are right, my sentence construction as atrocious.
"Or is it Slashdot policy to present an interview exactly as they receive it?"
Dark Reflection
I actually found "Has Been" a rather enjoyable listen. Very funny in many places and he had some good musicians working with him. See:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Has_Been/ for details. Doesn't really matter in the end though, cause we're all gonna die :)
Speaking as a Trekkie with a few hundred Star Trek books and who considered the characters from the original series to be personal role models, let me be the first to say he was right, and any person who cannot find the humor in his perspective is not socialized nor actualized enough to be wholly functional.
And, really? Picking on him for his weight, or taking a bad role to pay his bills? Let me break it to you, most old men get fat. You try exercising on top of decades old joints in pain. And as bad as Shit My Dad Says was, it wasn't the Shat's fault. The producers watered that whole concept way down to the point where anybody in that role would have failed. I don't blame him for getting paid, it would have been either him or somebody else taking money to participate in that shit series. Old men are also practical, and life isn't free.
Grow a thicker skin, learn to laugh at yourself, and don't pretend everything has to be perfect serious art in order to consider an artist a success. I still admire William Shatner because he lives his life honestly. He doesn't make excuses or hide behind false pleasantries and political niceties (which would have made him great for Shit My Dad Says if the writing wasn't nauseatingly stupid horrible). He's not a great actor, he's an evocative person, and he's himself in his roles, so you feel a human connection with his characterizations, limited though they are.
He's no messiah, but I maintain he's still a cool guy.
I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
Yeah. Shame on him for speaking the cold hard truth to his best friends. A real friend always kowtows and panders.
Is it really his fault that his comment hit so close to home?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
I remember seeing that. It seems that /. is filled with ankle-biters these days.
Slashdot's policy is to show ads during the nitpick submission process.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
What's bizzarre about loving something too much?
I can understand if you're an idiot going overboard by visiting some actors house, stalking them and stuff...then you're a freaking nutcase, granted!
But people, gathering together...to enjoy their series? What's nuts about that? HOW exactly do you need to spit at your fanbase by calling them a bunch of geeks that ought to get a life?
From a business point of view, that has got to be the dumbest thing you could ever do to your customer base.
What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
...he called his fanbase a bunch of geeks who ought to get a life, live on TV.
Saturday Night Live is a scripted comedy show. You understand that, right?
I saw that episode. It was funny. Shatner didn't insult his fans. He was playing a role, making fun of himself more than anyone else.
(And besides, as he clearly explains in the episode, those hurtful comments were made by the evil captain kirk from "the enemy within.")
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x930vt_william-shatner-snl-skit-get-a-life_fun
Shatner will be in Edmonton on October 23rd at the Shaw Conference Centre.
I know I'll be there
crazy dynamite monkey
You do realise that "Shit by Dad Says" has absolutely 0 to do with Shatner's life, right? That it's based entirely on the book by the same name? And that the book is semi-auto-biographical, as the author actually lives with his dad, and those are the things that his dad said to him?
You do also realise that at a later Trek convention, Shatner recanted, and has come to approve of his Trek fans way-of-life, and to even revel in all the wonders of Trek conventions? If not, maybe you should read his books.
The fact you would judge a man based on one single act, and then never look into it further (especially considering that even took place some 30-odd years ago), says a lot more about you than about him.
Yeah, and it was hilarious. But don't worry, that part where he made fun of his fan base, that was just a recreation of the Evil Captain Kirk, from episode 37, the Enemy Within. Don't be tricked! You were clearly overcome by his good acting.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Never assume that people who obsess over a show are really "the biggest fans". Think, for example, of the recent show Lost where the fans that the network really depended on were fairly casual TV viewers (and thus the increasing emphasis on the love triangle over more substantial plot elements), not the comparatively smaller group of people who discussed the show's mythology on internet fora and spent every waking hour trying to solve its mysteries.
I believe you're mixing "biggest" and "most numerous". The casual Joes and Janes who said "WTF is up with this weird unexplained stuff?" wouldn't be the "biggest" fans. They were numerous, and were the biggest grouping, but were not the most interested fans (they're not the type to buy the DVDs later; water it down too much, and no one buys the DVDs).
Wasn't the "get a life" comment on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - as PART OF A SKIT??
Are you saying that Sarah Palin can't see Romulus from her house?
> do you need to spit at your fanbase by calling them a
> bunch of geeks that ought to get a life?
Most people that heard that just nodded their head or laughed and went on with their life.
Probably few were offended much besides the ones for whom it rang true. Shatner apparently thought they could find a more meaningful life in reality.
So sue him, at the United Federation of Planets. I'd go with a klingon judge - any power trekkie speaks klingon.
Yeah, Has Been's on my regular rotation on iPod. It's a really good album. Reminds me of Warren Zevon, with some of the personal depth it has, as well as the humor. Will be interesting to see how new album stacks up.
Thought his comment on death was very interesting: Death is increasingly fascinating to me the closer I get to it... I live in a balancing act of terror and acceptance every day.
I'm in my 40's and yeah, it's starting to hit me that I likely have less years left than have already passed. Mortality is weird!
I drank what? -- Socrates
Besides the fact that you're singling him out for a joke skit decades ago which was written by someone else, I guess you've missed the part where, in the years since, Shatner wrote a book also called Get a Life! where he explains the skit and comes to grip with Star Trek culture. Or the dozens of things he's done since then including create a documentary about Star Trek captains.
People hate to be typecast. Hell, look at Leonard Nimoy who published a book called I Am Not Spock and then years later another book called I Am Spock .
I don't think it's humanly possible to miss the point and not get the joke any harder than you have in this instance.
Schnapple
I was, but it also were Shatner's actual feelings on the subject as well. He felt, at the time the show was canceled, that the people nerding out over it at conventions were a bit obsessive and creepy. I guess to him, the entire thing looked like a relationship that ended and the ex was still stalking him. If I had that mindset, I'd find it a bit creepy too.
Nobody cares what the CAPTCHA for your post was.
What's bizzarre about loving something too much?
What's bizarre about eating too much?
What's bizarre about smoking too much?
What's bizarre about exercising too much?
What's bizarre about masturbating too much?
I'm pretty sure it's the "too much" part.
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
How has technology changed acting for you?
by wired_parrot
TV and movie productions have become more technically elaborate over the years, evolving from what were essentially filmed theatrical productions, to elaborate and technically demanding productions that require a large industry of people to support it. In your view, how has technology changed the role and experience of acting since you started?
Do you think young actors today have it easier?
by elrous0
In your early days, there were only a few major television networks, and it was much more difficult to move back and forth between television and movies. Today, with so many cable shows, the internet, and with actors moving much more freely between movies and television, do you think young actors have it easier? Or do you think that the proliferation of reality television and the "noise" of so many channels/series has actually made things harder for scripted actors?
Answer to both: Performing a role is always the same. You take a deep breath, you speak words, you hit marks, and you listen to what other people say. What has changed is the amount of light that is necessary to get your image on film - which by now is candlelight. So that it's not any harder and certainly not any easier to be an actor. Yes, there is more need for content, but so much of that content doesn't require experience, talent, the ability to speak English or in fact, the ability to stand upright (e.g. The Jersey Shore).
The cerebral characters you've played vs. pure action heroes?
by jd
Are there times you wish you'd had a quieter, more sedate career like, say, Roger Moore or Bruce Lee, or is there a part of you that craves the geekier, more cerebral hero roles you've played?
Answer: There is a great deal of fun in doing stunts. It makes for a lot of physical activity. You have to remember to do your pushups but sitting in a chair and talking about how you feel is also entertainment, at least for the actor. Now if you have a thinking man's action hero, that would be ideal.
Uniforms
by milbournosphere
Mr. Shatner: I recently watched my way through The Original Series and you were constantly pulling your uniform shirt down. I've also heard that the red uniforms from the movies were quite cumbersome to design and wear. Which was more uncomfortable to you, the uniforms from the original television episodes or the red command uniforms from the movies?
Answer: Wardrobe is certainly a consideration in many instances. It is possible to be beautifully dressed and to be your character especially if you get to keep the expensive wardrobe. The Star Trek wardrobes were made of stretch material so if your lunch was more than bread and water, you had to keep pulling those shirts down because they tended to ride up.
Favorite non-Star Trek roles?
by loftwyr
Outside of the Star Trek series, you've had a large number of regular, one-off and recurring roles. What would be your favorite role prior to the beginnings of Star Trek and after the original ST series run? If different, what was your favourite one-off?
Answer: I don't think of favorite roles like 'This was my favorite thing to do, and that isn't.' I just wish they hadn't cancelled Shit My Dad Says because I could bicycle to work.
Boston Legal
by gurps_npc
You seemed to have a great relationship with Mr. Spader - was that all fantastic acting, or did you become friends - as in you still see/speak with him even after the show ended?
Answer: It's best to be friendly with the people you are working with and that goes for everything including acting. If you dislike a person and you have to say 'I love you,' it certainly makes things difficult. I have remained friends with most of the people I have worked with through the years.
Right now I am wo
Given what I've seen of many hardcore fans, it's not terrible advice. You can be a fan *and* still a semi-normal person, but some of the fans take things to extremes and/or seem to have lost track of reality along the way.
Case in point the prospective juror wearing a Star Trek uniform. That was an uncomfortable moment and I don't even consider myself remotely hardcore Trekkie.
"Uh, no, people who like to watch Star Trek shows are not all like that."
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Think, for example, of the recent show Lost where the fans that the network really depended on were fairly casual TV viewers (and thus the increasing emphasis on the love triangle over more substantial plot elements), not the comparatively smaller group of people who discussed the show's mythology on internet fora and spent every waking hour trying to solve its mysteries.
I understand going for the biggest possible market, but when every series is going for the same thing and all the rest just becomes an angle to tell another love story it gets way overdone. If you just can't have a show that's for the fans of that genre without trying to making another pass at turning it into a romance then you have to force it in there somewhere. I guess sometimes you can do it tastefully, other times not so much.
To take one example, read the Lord of the Rings. After you've read it, ask yourself how large a part of the story is Aragon and Arwen's love story of the book. Yes, I know it's a little bit in the appendix but seriously, in the movies it's the second main plot with Romeo & Juliet'ish proportions, parallel to the LotR plot. It's obviously well done, but that's the way it has to be these days. Unless it's a children's movie (and even then there's Wall-E) there absolutely must be some kind of romantic entanglement.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
"There's a large group of people who want me to be the Governor General but other than throwing a party for the king and queen, I don't know what else he does" W.S.
Dear William .what do they do ? We need Shatner be Shatner and not some puppet If everyone spoke their minds like you did , the world would know a wave of change sweeping the past behind and entering into a new phase of advancement for the whole of the human race.
For once someone told as it is the exact sentiment we all have towards the position of Governor General in Canada.
We appreciate your direct , frank and honest approach. But yes we would like to see you as GG As a symbol , it would have been great.
But
Change the world by speaking frankly and openly in order to make on earth the distant fantastic civilisation we all came to dream about through the lens of what was being done on Star Trek.
As for the Governor General .. i don't know why we should keep the Queen's representative or any other artefact of that era. :) It was a great uppercut and congratulation for the KO :)
We have severed our links to monarchy.Time for the Office of General Governor to close down . I would have loved to hear what you think of the Canadian Senate That would certainly have been hilarious
Looking forward to your visit.
FTB
Here's a properly edited version. Only took a few minutes to match question and answer, but that was obviously beyond the abilities of Slashdot's paid editors.
And as bad as Shit My Dad Says was, it wasn't the Shat's fault.
Duuude, they should have named it "Shit the Shat Shot"
The only people who are offended by that line are the people it applies to.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
And he was right. Trekkies needed that injection of realism, and it couldnt have come from a better source. That was a real moment, and im so very glad he did it. It made him a human being in our eyes again. Your lack of respect for a man whose body of work reaches MILLIONS of people DAILY even now is quite frankly astonishing. 40+ years of TV and most of it still fucking airs. Right now at least 10,000 people are watching Shatner doing something and they are being entertained by it. Fuck you.
Good-bye
In my opinion, absolutely nothing.
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
You were offended (I magically know this). Therefore, it's true. You need to get a life.
Much like how you can tell if someone is a homosexual if you call them one and they get offended (and if they're not one already, they magically turn into one).
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
I was, but it also were Shatner's actual feelings on the subject as well. He felt, at the time the show was canceled, that the people nerding out over it at conventions were a bit obsessive and creepy. I guess to him, the entire thing looked like a relationship that ended and the ex was still stalking him. If I had that mindset, I'd find it a bit creepy too.
Dude, shortly after Trek, he went to a convention where people tried to strip his clothes off. Then he didn't go to conventions for decades after.
It's not a mindset thing. If you need bodyguards to protect you because people are idolizing you, it's creepy. I say this as a Trekkie. I also say this as a Trekkie who would not attack Jolene Blalock trying to rip her clothes off.
Unless I was invited to do so, that is.
And as bad as Shit My Dad Says was, it wasn't the Shat's fault. The producers watered that whole concept way down to the point where anybody in that role would have failed.
True enough. They took a character that might have been interesting and tossed in enough bad sitcom stuff that it (oddly enough) became a bad sitcom.
I don't blame him for getting paid, it would have been either him or somebody else taking money to participate in that shit series. Old men are also practical, and life isn't free.
What's the difference between an "actor" and a "working actor"? Working. The good ones never forget that. Once you fall off the train, it's hard to climb back on. So the best ones keep riding - even if the train looks a bit rickety.
That is all.
Acting is all about feeling, which is pretty much the polar opposite of thinking.
Feeling is prerequisite to all willing thought, and all thought must be willing.
typical nerd, right? Say that after...
I got to this bit and thought "it's going to be something about having a girlfriend or a gun"...
you see my firearms
...and I was right.
Yep, you're a modern pseudo-nerd.
Even alcohol companies want their patrons to continue drinking their product so they ask that you partake responsibly. Shatner may not have phrased it as they do, but "too much" of anything can be bad for you.
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
He asked what was "bizarre" about those things. In my opinion, nothing. I don't feel any sort of shock or amazement when people do too much of something. I couldn't care less what those people do.
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
OK, then you're not a psychiatrist. Do you always chime in on subjects you have no interest in to profess the fact that you have no interest in them? That sounds a little bizarre. I wonder why you do that...
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
I don't think the OP understands the concept of comedy. There's a vocal minority (at least, I hope it's a minority) on Slashdot and elsewhere that seems to lack any sense of humor. I don't know if the OP is one--I suspect he is--but the thing that bothers me the most is that these sensitive sorts are exceedingly sensitive about everything. Although, almost humorously, he goes from being angry over something as benign as "get a life!" to insulting Shatner over his weight. For someone so sensitive, that seems like an insensitive thing to do!
Besides: Shatner looks really damn healthy for an 80 year old. Sure, I realize that it's very possibly the makeup and maybe a bit of hair dye, but I honestly don't think he's aged much passed 50. Indeed, when I heard that he had turned 80, my jaw dropped. I'm still not sure I believe it, but the math is right. :)
He who has no
And that's why your friends call you Wanky McChubster, the jogger with lung cancer.
He knows how to delegate without even asking.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
William Shatner says: "Kiam Kaj Kiel Multa?"
Who wouldn't be? He's The Shat!
Deltron 3030 - Virus (music video)
Do you have rights to make a derivative work? What is the license on this interview, anyway?
And likewise, alcohol companies realize that every time alcohol facilitates a fatal car accident, or contributes to the destruction of a marriage, or the requirement for a liver transplant, the company and their product get a bad rap. "Too much" alcohol contributes to things like prohibition, excessive taxes on alcoholic beverages, the reason why "closing time" is a legally mandated concept, etc. And for all of you drug legalization folks, its the reason why pot is illegal and likely will continue to be. Man people have proven, over many centuries, that as a group, we can't or won't consume the product in a responsible fashion, and therefore annoying laws and regulations have to be implemented and enforced to be the primary annoyance for those who can, and routinely ignored by those who don't.
Granted, the government is unlikely to pass any laws to make it more difficult for you to dress up like Spock on a daily basis or show off your prowess for learning Klingon, but there might be some sense in recognizing the fact that many of our best and brightest have chosen to spend an extraordinary amount of their free time and money indulging in an obsessive hobby instead of pushing the advancement of science and technology. I'm not saying that I agree with that assessment; people can do whatever they like. But I can certainly see the viewpoint of someone who hoped to inspire kids to grow up to be astronauts, or develop amazing breakthroughs in physics, or build amazing new vehicles, instead must consider that a great part of their lasting legacy is instead warming the hearts of deranged fanboys.
-Restil
Play with my webcams and lights here
"Get a Life" was hilarious. Then again, I've never gone to a ST convention...
Typical geeks, taking themselves way too seriously.
Slashdot "libertarians": Small government for me, big government for those I disagree with. -1, I disagree with you
Do you always chime in on subjects you have no interest in to profess the fact that you have no interest in them?
Personally, I think he does it too much.
"From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
And for all of you drug legalization folks, its the reason why pot is illegal and likely will continue to be. Man people have proven, over many centuries, that as a group, we can't or won't consume the product in a responsible fashion, and therefore annoying laws and regulations have to be implemented and enforced to be the primary annoyance for those who can, and routinely ignored by those who don't.
Yeah, all those crazy potheads who smoke so unreasonably. Just remember, children, a bag of Cheetos dies every time some stupid stoner tokes up.
Show me a person who has smoked an "irresponsible" amount of marijuana and I'll show you someone who's asleep.
Marijuana isn't illegal because anyone was irresponsible under its influence. Marijuana is illegal because it was an extension of the failed alcohol prohibition (the prohibitionists wanted to stop pot before it became as popular as alcohol and thereby impossible to prohibit) and it was also a convenient way to throw Mexicans in jail for no good reason because it was deemed preferable to have Mexicans in jail than as free citizens.
btw, marijuana will be legalized in the first half of this century. Those who oppose it are dying.
"From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
Actually, it's like this: most interview guests respond in the way that's conventional on Slashdot -- by adding their responses to each question directly in line with and separate from the others.
Shatner specifically chose not to; I edited a few typos (letter transpositions, that sort of thing), but as I mentioned in the introduction, let his style of response stand. I wish he'd chosen the other way, really, but I enjoyed his blast-of-Shatner stye, too.
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
It's not Kurzweil's Singularity, it's Vinge's Singularity.
It gripped her hand gently. 'Regret is for humans,' it said.
Technically Marijuana is illegal mostly because hemp was a competitor to the new(at the time) synthetic fibres from Dupont.
obvious attempt at jury disqualification is obvious.
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
You asked what's "bizarre" about those things. I merely answered.
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
Actually pulp paper which Hearst had heavily invested in. Also there were a lot of government people looking for a replacement for prohibition, from g-man to narc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
btw, marijuana will be legalized in the first half of this century. Those who oppose it are dying.
I, for one, welcome our new teenage idiocratic overlords.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Acting is all about feeling, which is pretty much the polar opposite of thinking. ,/quote>
No, thinking and feeling are orthogonal. Some of us can do both.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
There's a vocal minority (at least, I hope it's a minority) on Slashdot and elsewhere that seems to lack any sense of humor.
People on the autistic spectrum are seldom intentionally funny, and there are a lot of self-diagnosed "aspies" on slashdot.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Irony is a wonderful part of humor. The trouble is that if someone misses it, then the comedian and the observer both end up looking like jerks to someone.
An important change for education.
obvious attempt at jury disqualification is obvious.
Tautolgical statement is tautological
And your opinion matters. I'm sure he's all broke up.
One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel / the next it's rolling over me / I can get back on / I can get back on
Oh, sorry, incoming call.
No, just hanging out with Shatner.
You?
Sure, let's do lunch.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Most Slashdotters are tinfoil hatters, that's pretty obvious, yet want big government statism to regulate companies they don't like, like Microsoft.
Slashdot "libertarians": Small government for me, big government for those I disagree with. -1, I disagree with you
The next Doctor will be about 14 years old, if the regeneration trend carries on with any pattern.
"Sufficiently complicated financial instruments are indistinguishable from fraud." --bmcraec
Say, slashdot management & maintenance—why does the comment count always say “N+2 of N loaded”? That does not compute, is illogical, and will cause a rift in the space-time continuum if left unrepaired.
"Sufficiently complicated financial instruments are indistinguishable from fraud." --bmcraec
Acting is all about feeling, which is pretty much the polar opposite of thinking
Clearly someone who has never done any serious acting, or at least good acting.
Haha, yeah right. Actors are known as great thinkers. What tiny world are you living in? Have you ever actually hung out with actors? I have. Holy moly, airheads would not be an exaggeration.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
The next Doctor will be about 14 years old, if the regeneration trend carries on with any pattern.
Doogie Howser, Time Lord?
John
I wonder how many are truly mildly autistic versus how many are outright socially inept.
He who has no
They have got to be more fun then the crop of overlords we currently have.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
You should have read further. There is a reason his post got a +5 to your -1.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
Not old and dead till they shut off comments.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.