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!
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?
I feel like this whole thing was just a huge self promotion for his new upcoming stuff.
Get a life, man.
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
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?
Leave Doctor Who alone. Why does the US film industry and tv industry feel the need to remake good foreign stuff? Just put the original on the air and shove off.
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
You're on the right track. People used to build kit computers in wooden boxes, or even just a small sheet of plywood. I'm sure he didn't mount any trucks on his computer, but it probably did look like a deck. Take a look at a pic of one of the assembled Apple I kits for an example.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Good point. Last year outside Bellagio I saw Elvis dressed as Capt. Janeway.
...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
The Brits have leagues of such thinking action heroes, but that's because they really like detective shows so much more. There used to be similar shows in the US like Hawaii Five-O and Kojak, but now it's all about "teams" like Law & Order and CSI, where there really isn't one badass hero detective that figures everything out and then personally breaks down doors.
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
I am sure he meant that he tried to build a computer and it came out looking like something that does not resemble a computer. Instead of saying, "something that does not resemble a computer," he said, "skateboard." In other words, he was intimating that he sucked at it.
Stupider like a fox! - H.S.
That's the point I think. You and I, we have a rough idea of hardware architecture and where everything should go, so we actually have difficulty in conceiving just how badly wrong it's possible to get it. Bill, on the other hand, is unfettered by our limitations, and is capable of things we can't conceive of. It's like being such a bad driver that you can make a car turn onto jelly. Most people can't work out how it's done, but for a small, elite band, it's not only possible, but likely.
Please consider this account deleted, I just can't be bothered with the spam anymore.
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
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.
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.
The Doctor isn't the thinking mans hero.
Sherlock is, House is. They show a process, they show success and failure.
Dr. Who only seems smart because he is form the future.
If you somehow sent snookie back 60 years, but gave her a device that connected to the internet, SHE would seem like a freakin' genius.
I like Dr. Who, but it is to much pulling things the audience couldn't know with out any process.
And, a second time, yes, I do enjoy the doctor. and I have been watching him on and off for 35 years.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
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
Whoooah You're right. Canada, where it's cold, dark and everybody has health care which means... He really is from an advanced civilization in outer space!
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
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.