William Shatner may be 93, but he’s nowhere near done making albums
[This was my weekly column for GlobalNews.ca. – AC]
Captain Kirk loves to make albums. After a long hiatus after the release of the cult/outsider music favourite The Transformed Man in 1968, he recorded Has Been in 2004, an album that had an unexpected alt-rock radio hit with his cover of Pulp’s Common People, William Shatner’s music output has been prolific, especially since 2011.
If you’re counting, he now has a dozen albums, not counting compilations and bootlegs. His latest release was done in conjunction with Ben Folds, the producer of Has Been, and marks a return to something more orchestral.
Shatner is no stranger to performing this way. We can go back to 2008 for Exodus: An Oratorio in Three Parts recorded with the Arkansas Symphony. And yes, it does tell the story of the Jews’ journey out of Egypt. This time, it’s a performance at the Kennedy Center recorded with the National Symphony Orchestra entitled So Fragile, So Blue, his 12th album.
Alan Cross: When my wife and I watched coverage of your trip into space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin [October 13, 2021], I turned to her and said “We’re going to get another album out of this”…
William Shatner: (Laughs)
AC: …and it turns out I was right.
WS: It’s an album and I filmed it as well. [Note: Shatner paid for the recording out of pocket.] There’s a television documentary coming, too.
AC: This came together very quickly. The Blue Horizon mission was on October 13, 2021. This was recorded the following April.
WS: I have a book out there called Boldy Go, and I think the theme is “the universe is taking care of me.” Strange things have happened.
