He even got "Bismillah" wrong.

October 19, 2011 7:49 PM

The first official video has been released from William Shatner's new album. It's not "F**k You" or "Iron Man." No, it's an... indescribable "cover" of Bohemian Rhapsody.
posted by zarq (135 comments total)

Nothing could be as horrible as the original. I'm giving it a listen.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:53 PM on October 19, 2011 [7 favorites]

his moon face animation is freaking me out and i havent toked in decades :D
posted by liza at 7:57 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

Human creativity has now reached its apex. Or nadir.

One of the two, I'm not sure.
posted by cerulgalactus at 7:57 PM on October 19, 2011

Kudos on the post title.
posted by Wolof at 7:58 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

[ THIS IS BAD ]
posted by Sys Rq at 7:58 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

(And I really liked his last album.)
posted by Sys Rq at 7:59 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

uh...

oh.

uh...
posted by entropone at 7:59 PM on October 19, 2011

Nothing could be as horrible as the original.

YOU SHUT YOUR FACE!
posted by kmz at 8:00 PM on October 19, 2011 [47 favorites]

Spectacular.
posted by item at 8:01 PM on October 19, 2011

whoever dusted my soup is in big trouble

wtf is even going on
posted by elizardbits at 8:01 PM on October 19, 2011 [9 favorites]

It's my law.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 8:01 PM on October 19, 2011

Previously!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:02 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Wolof: "Kudos on the post title."

Thanks. My second choice was "Freddie's legacy has just been Shat on."
posted by zarq at 8:02 PM on October 19, 2011 [14 favorites]

I don't think William Shatner even knows what words mean.
posted by cmoj at 8:03 PM on October 19, 2011 [5 favorites]

He's tone deaf, but the delivery was quite good in places. I dunno, it's a bit weird when he completely buys into his own schtick; then, the audience has to take the meta to the next level.
posted by carter at 8:03 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Sys Rq said both things I wanted to say.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:03 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd like to see Chris Pine try that.

/Shatner 4ever
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:04 PM on October 19, 2011 [10 favorites]

Hm, one of the reasons I enjoy his older covers is for their unique musical backing. See his version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" for a fantastic example of this:

Shatnerfied

The original

So far his Bohemian Rhapsody just sounds like a night in a karaoke bar.
posted by knilstad at 8:04 PM on October 19, 2011 [6 favorites]

Good point. I would have liked to heard a swingin' jazz combo backing him, in the classic spoken word guy style.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:06 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Shatacular.
posted by item at 8:07 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

Who is buying this? Is there enough of a market out there for ironic music purchases to support this? Or is he taking a loss because it's his art, man, and money shouldn't figure into it.

It's either one or the other. There is no other explanation.
posted by deliquescent at 8:09 PM on October 19, 2011

This is a classic example of missing the point of how those animated text lyric videos are supposed to be done.
posted by hippybear at 8:10 PM on October 19, 2011

No. Fucking. Way. Just no. Nein. Nyet. Not going there.
posted by spitbull at 8:12 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ok, so you guys saw that too right???? Phew... was worried for a second there.
posted by yellowbinder at 8:14 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

I gotta say though, as bad as this is, his version of Common People by Pulp is pretty damn good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXWEM4gZhg4
posted by usagizero at 8:18 PM on October 19, 2011 [26 favorites]

*YES!* Few songs make me happier than his Common People, and good on you for posting the TAS video version. I actually just sent that one to my uncle yesterday.
posted by yellowbinder at 8:20 PM on October 19, 2011

It's either one or the other. There is no other explanation.

the above comment was left by someone who has clearly never accidentally gotten dusted outside rebel rebel
posted by elizardbits at 8:20 PM on October 19, 2011

Who is buying this? Is there enough of a market out there for ironic music purchases to support this? Or is he taking a loss because it's his art, man, and money shouldn't figure into it. It's either one or the other. There is no other explanation.

My bet is on the makers planning for this being put into YouTube Poop and other meme-hall-of-famery in perpetuity. I mean, my immediate thought was "this needs to be mashed up with the Muppet version of Bohemian Rhapsody stat" followed by "there must be some way to exploit that creepy face."
posted by gusandrews at 8:30 PM on October 19, 2011

My mind just shatnered.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:30 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Its to bad Shatner can't tour with Wesley Willis to support this album.
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:31 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Or is he taking a loss because it's his art, man, and money shouldn't figure into it.

Estimates on Shatner's worth put him in the $200 million to $1 billion category. So... art it is.
posted by underflow at 8:31 PM on October 19, 2011

I made it to 1:19. Those who went on, I salute you.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 8:32 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

Thanks for the nightmare, zarq.
posted by bbuda at 8:32 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Yet you still headbanged at the fast part.
posted by dirigibleman at 8:35 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Shatner is the 1%... too bad the rest of the 1% isn't as... erm... "special" as ole William
posted by edgeways at 8:38 PM on October 19, 2011

I think I could have made it all the way through, if those damn words weren't on the screen. Was this a karaoke special?
posted by davejay at 8:42 PM on October 19, 2011

Ben Folks was a huge portion of the 99% on Has Been. Shat's made the mistake of going the 'New Guest Artist On Every Track!' route that's the hallmark of someone who's selling shit not making art.
posted by carsonb at 8:43 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Folds, derp. Ben Folds
posted by carsonb at 8:43 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Boy does that ever suck.
posted by Daddy-O at 8:48 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

However he did it, Ben Folds got some serious stuff out of Bill Shatner.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:52 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

I can't get behind that.
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:53 PM on October 19, 2011 [9 favorites]

I SO wanted to love "Seeking Major Tom", but either Shatner or his producers made glaring mistakes on almost every cut. (Yes, I acquired the whole album) He'd bring out the maximum BRAVADO at the wrong time, he spoke through lines the backup singers should've been singing (and sometimes the backup singers sang when he should've been talking!!!) It was a bad sign when I noticed he opened with Peter Schilling's "Major Tom" and THEN did "Space Oddity". And a 'Major-Tom-themed' album without "Ashes to Ashes"? Needed much more Bowie, like "Life on Mars" or (my fave) "TVC-15". His "Blinded Me With Science" made me cry - in the wrong way. A couple pleasant surprises, including at the end when his "Planet Earth" was better than Duran Duran's original (I know, a low hurdle). But seriously, at times, it seemed more like he was doing Denny Crane during an Alzheimer's outbreak. I am a little worried about the Shat-man! And, yes, my respect for Ben Folds has just doubled.
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:56 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

There are a few moments in this song when, in a thin, quavering voice, he actually sings. And I can't help but love that guy. I want to hear more from him.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 8:56 PM on October 19, 2011

I'm not even gonna
posted by Sailormom at 9:02 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

So, I'm guessing Ben Folds wasn't involved with this one?
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:03 PM on October 19, 2011

Oh, other people have already pointed that out.
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:04 PM on October 19, 2011

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you.
posted by HotPants at 9:06 PM on October 19, 2011

I think I just had stroke.

Or at least, someone had a stroke.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:14 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

.
posted by newfers at 9:21 PM on October 19, 2011

♫Very, very frightening♫
posted by obscurator at 9:26 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

The link to "Iron Man" goes to "Space Odyssey." Here is a link to his cover of "Iron Man."
posted by dhens at 9:30 PM on October 19, 2011

Oh man, that is the uncanniest of uncanny valleys, right there.
posted by SPUTNIK at 9:34 PM on October 19, 2011

i only lasted two minutes and eight seconds and now i am insane thanks
posted by the_bone at 9:39 PM on October 19, 2011 [6 favorites]

That was awesome.

IT'S MY LAW!
posted by koeselitz at 9:43 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd just like to ask one question. What does God need with a starship?
posted by scottjacksonx at 9:49 PM on October 19, 2011 [8 favorites]

Huh.
posted by naoko at 9:50 PM on October 19, 2011

I 'sing' like William Shatner. Only with more yelling. So I can't laugh. Want me to post some recordings?
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:51 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

I feel it is impossible - nay, irresponsible - to judge this too swiftly or, indeed, when not under the influence of several large scotches. I shall therefore reserve my opinion until a more appropriate time.
posted by Decani at 9:57 PM on October 19, 2011

Lovecraft In Brooklyn: "57I 'sing' like William Shatner. Only with more yelling. So I can't laugh. Want me to post some recordings?"

I think my ears have bled enough for one day, but thanks. ;)
posted by zarq at 10:05 PM on October 19, 2011

scottjacksonx: "55I'd just like to ask one question. What does God need with a starship?"

Oh hell, he's not going to be doing "We Built This City" next, is he?
posted by zarq at 10:06 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

Recently: William Shatner (sort of) answers 10 questions from Slashdotters.

Oh, and he's going on a one-man tour. Pretty fricking badass for an 80 year old man.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:10 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

And am I the only one who is reading all these comments in the vocal stylings of William Shatner, the crooner?
posted by filthy light thief at 10:11 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

MAMA OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH
posted by beepbeepboopboop at 10:17 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Nothing , nothing at all is beneath this man's dignity. But hey.......... DENNY CRANE!
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 10:17 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

filthy light thief: "And am I the only one who is reading all these comments in the vocal stylings of William Shatner, the crooner?"

I'm pretty sure.

It's not possible.

To.

Ever-listen-to.

Bill Shatner.

Without falling reflexively into.

That habit.

filthy light thief!
posted by zarq at 10:22 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Shadoobie, shatnered, shatnered.
posted by DaddyNewt at 10:23 PM on October 19, 2011 [5 favorites]

Daddynewt: I was gonna do that, then forgot.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:26 PM on October 19, 2011

I've never been high before, but I imagine this clip is exactly what it feels like.
posted by Defying Gravity at 10:28 PM on October 19, 2011

Nobody puts Shatner in the Uncanny Valley! Except when they do.
posted by maudlin at 10:41 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm assuming they used that creepy face because Shatner wasn't available or something? Though it's kind of weird he couldn't appear in his own music video.

Not even going to comment on the actual song lolololol
posted by palidor at 11:04 PM on October 19, 2011

That.... wow. That was worse than I was expecting it to be. And I was expecting it to be pretty bad. Nobody involved in making this could have thought it was actually good, right? Least of all Shatner.

Right?

Admittedly I was laughing at it a lot, especially once I skipped ahead a bit. But I think I was laughing at how much work had been put into gilding the sow's ear of Shatner's... um... I can't call it "singing". "Delivery"? Yeah, he delivered those lyrics. "Delivered" as in "drives by during the three minutes you're out of the house and leaves a note on the door that falls off before you see it, three days in a row, so your package is returned to the sender".
posted by egypturnash at 11:26 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just because you can't sing doesn't mean you shouldn't passionately declaim lyrics. And just because you haven't learned the songs doesn't mean you can't get up in front of a full pub on a Friday night at 10 o'clock and mangle some Black Flag and Megadeth songs.

I mean, what's the worst they can do?

Oh shit.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 11:29 PM on October 19, 2011

That.... wow. That was worse than I was expecting it to be. And I was expecting it to be pretty bad. Nobody involved in making this could have thought it was actually good, right? Least of all Shatner.

I don't think you understand Shatner covers. Good, bad, he's the guy with the Shat.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:35 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

I don't think I want to understand Shatner covers.
posted by egypturnash at 11:36 PM on October 19, 2011 [1 favorite]

Now that's someone who doesn't take him self too seriously. If William Shatner and David Lynch ever touched, the universe would explode.
posted by Cog at 11:37 PM on October 19, 2011 [4 favorites]

The subtitles should have been in Comic Sans.
posted by Cog at 11:38 PM on October 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

tl; couldn't listen
posted by Cranberry at 11:43 PM on October 19, 2011

I don't think I want to understand Shatner covers.

Its an antidote to AutoTune and bullshit.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 11:52 PM on October 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

Oy. Apparently this really doesn't work unless Ben Folds produces the album.
posted by speicus at 12:12 AM on October 20, 2011

It was a bad sign when I noticed he opened with Peter Schilling's "Major Tom" and THEN did "Space Oddity". And a 'Major-Tom-themed' album without "Ashes to Ashes"? Needed much more Bowie, like "Life on Mars" or (my fave) "TVC-15".

Oh yeah, I want to go to the alternate universe where Ben Folds produced an all-Bowie-cover Shatner album.

Just think what they could do with Heroes!
posted by speicus at 12:19 AM on October 20, 2011 [4 favorites]

I am so glad Bill has taken his place amongst the stars.
posted by munchingzombie at 12:50 AM on October 20, 2011

So, I'm guessing Ben Folds wasn't involved with this one?

Better than that. It was John Wetton. The bass player for King Crimson. How cool is that? Maybe next time Robert Fripp will join in.

Zappa produced an album in the 1970s called "We're only in it for the money." As with everything else, Frank was way ahead of his time and a role model for musicians - and actors - everywhere.
posted by three blind mice at 1:04 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Nightmare fuel.

Also, KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!
posted by bardic at 1:26 AM on October 20, 2011

Common People was brilliant. This is meh. And worse - almost unthinkably - I suspect it's autotuned. The long see... and me.... sure sound it.

Wanted to love, and now I'm a hater. Yetch.
posted by Devonian at 1:31 AM on October 20, 2011

What is this I don't. Even.
posted by erniepan at 2:17 AM on October 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

Wait you're all surprised that a William Shatner album & video are inexplicable, unwatchable and unlistenable?!

You haven't been paying attention!

Personally, I find this, as I find most of Shatner, freakishly compelling.

And I thought for a minute there he was changing the meaning of one of the lines with "MAMA JUST KILLED A MAN", but no. Mama's no killer.
posted by chavenet at 2:45 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is a lazy attempt at whatever they were attempting, and god knows what that was. It's obviously not serious, it sucks as parody, even as a cheap youtube effort it fails.
posted by HuronBob at 2:52 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Shatner is a Godlike genius but that was dreadful.
posted by unSane at 3:01 AM on October 20, 2011

I don't like this Shatner as much as the very-serious-actor Shatner that existed until the early 90s. That was much funnier than this "haha, I'm so self-effacing" character who whores himself today.

The production is shit on this too. His last album was produced very nicely.
posted by TheAlarminglySwollenFinger at 3:17 AM on October 20, 2011

I gotta say though, as bad as this is, his version of Common People by Pulp is pretty damn good.

It's okay, but I really wanted to hear Joe Jackson do the whole thing by himself.

I also want to hear BRIAN BLESSED! do Talk Talk's "It's My Life", but I don't think that's gonna happen either.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:00 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I forgot to add: I would pay an obscene amount of money to hear Tom Waits cover Jonathan Coulton's "Nobody Loves You Like Me".
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:02 AM on October 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

For the first half I was entranced by the cosmic immensity of Shatner's nose. When I was dragged, half-uncomprehending, into "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Shatner," I finally understood the awe and horror that drives the Jerimiad.

Thanks.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:36 AM on October 20, 2011

♫Very, very frightening♫

Fo' Shatner
posted by iotic at 4:44 AM on October 20, 2011

I love when people call things "indescribable" on the internet, because some little part of my head always immediately thinks: wow, you are about to be proved wrong at length.
posted by penduluum at 4:46 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Shatner's Law: Unintentional comedy is funny only while it remains unintentional.
posted by liminalrampaste at 4:47 AM on October 20, 2011 [4 favorites]

Was this animated by the same studio that designed Katamari Damacy? I kept waiting for the King of All Cosmos to come riding in on a rainbow.
posted by smirkette at 4:56 AM on October 20, 2011

"Where no man has gone before" = true fact.
posted by flyingsquirrel at 5:01 AM on October 20, 2011

his moon face animation is freaking me out and i havent toked in decades

A friend's response when he saw it: "So how long do you think it'll take before they add this to the midnight stoner shows at planetariums?"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:02 AM on October 20, 2011

underflow: "Estimates on Shatner's worth put him in the $200 million to $1 billion category"

Price. A fair price. That's not what you say it is, and it's not what I say it is . . . It's what the market will bear. I'll give you $75 for him.
posted by theredpen at 5:22 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Could be worse, could be David Caruso's version of "Bohemian Rhapsody."
posted by theredpen at 5:27 AM on October 20, 2011

I LOVE his previous album "Has Been," but this was a little too ... something.

And while I like (in small doses) Ken Nordine, this new Shatner stuff seems a little too strongly and self-consciously Nordine-y for its own good.
posted by Dr. Wu at 5:47 AM on October 20, 2011

That's not William Shatner. That's Nagilum.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 5:48 AM on October 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

Sucks, really hard. I would like William Shatner to STFU.
posted by Meatbomb at 5:55 AM on October 20, 2011

Watching Alec Baldwin on a commercial last night:

Me: Alec Baldwin has become the next William Shatner.

My daughter: Huh, in what way?

Me: The only role he can play is himself, but that's exactly what people want.
posted by tommasz at 6:03 AM on October 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

I’m more surprised by the label than anything else – Cleopatra Records? As in, "second-string Goth acts" Cleopatra Records? Spahn Ranch and Zeromancer and Switchblade Symphony and a million half-assed Gothdustrial compilation “tribute albums”?

What's next? Billy Bob Thornton "Boxcutters" albums on Metal Blade? Eddie Murphy dropping some tracks album for United Dairies? Does the nature of Shatner warp reality itself to suit its whims?
posted by Shepherd at 6:04 AM on October 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

The subtitles...why? Kinda ruined it (if such a thing can be ruined).
posted by Zippity Goombah at 6:16 AM on October 20, 2011

penduluum: "I love when people call things "indescribable" on the internet, because some little part of my head always immediately thinks: wow, you are about to be proved wrong at length."

There was no other description I could use other than "stunned into speechless catatonia" without editorializing. :D
posted by zarq at 6:55 AM on October 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

Funny how much the video looks like one I did in High School: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpgsx2IfOyo
posted by xorry at 7:01 AM on October 20, 2011

In a Gallup poll released today, Americans chose dilithium crystals as the "most likely" fuel to run future cars and power plants....
posted by pianomover at 7:15 AM on October 20, 2011

That. . I . . it. . .

I promptly emailed it to all my friends.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:42 AM on October 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

Welcome to the end of the internet. Thanks a lot Shatner.
posted by tr33hggr at 7:50 AM on October 20, 2011

pianomover: "In a Gallup poll released today, Americans chose dilithium crystals as the "most likely" fuel to run future cars and power plants...."

It's truly sad that I cynically thought those numbers were believable.

Professor Stephen Palmer, of MIT, claims that dilithium crystals have "literally unlimited potential" for the future of energy, reporting, "Based on my research, which includes careful observation of over ten thousand hours of Deep Space Nine and Voyager re-runs, dilithium crystals have a virtually infinite capacity for power generation."

Palmer explains, "The crystals provide power for starship warp drives by channeling electro-plasma released by the mutual annihilation from extremely high temperatures and electro-magnetic radiation. And since Spock and Scotty solved the problem of gradual decrystalization during their time travel mission to the twenty-third century, all we have to do is harness this energy, and BAM! - we're set for the next five thousand years."

Heh.
posted by zarq at 8:11 AM on October 20, 2011

That face in the sky made me extremely uncomfortable. *shivers* In fact, it gave me a real bad case of the willies.
posted by rich at 8:59 AM on October 20, 2011

I’m more surprised by the label than anything else – Cleopatra Records? As in, "second-string Goth acts" Cleopatra Records?

Yeah, that's the biggest WTF moment of the entire vid for me as well. Altho to be fair, waaaay back in the day, Cleopatra was a decent label to stand up with Wax Trax and the like... until it became '8000 Leæther Strip Knockoffs, and a Whole Bunch of Really Cheesy Tribute Albums To Pink Floyd and The Cure'. Ah, early-mid nineties and scrounging the CD bins in Smash...
posted by FatherDagon at 9:00 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

The singing Shatner joke is a one note joke and it's been tired since at least 1998
posted by Senor Cardgage at 9:06 AM on October 20, 2011

It's either one or the other. There is no other explanation.

You are ruling out the possibility that Shatner is actually an alien being using advanced psychological testing on you humans to see how far is "too far", and what you are willing to tolerate in an xenomorphic overlord.

Star Trek was obviously nothing more than a propaganda piece to prepare everyone for the onset of testing that the different characters of the show would be subjecting Earthlings to.
posted by quin at 9:07 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

As I typed that, I realized there might actually be a pretty entertaining short story in there somewhere.
posted by quin at 9:07 AM on October 20, 2011

Universal sized kudos to Shatner for having a damn good time. I would see him on tour in a heartbeat - thanks for the link, filthy light thief.
posted by yoga at 9:08 AM on October 20, 2011

The singing Shatner joke is a one note joke and it's been tired funny since at least 1998
posted by unSane at 9:09 AM on October 20, 2011

three blind mice: Better than that. It was John Wetton. The bass player for King Crimson. How cool is that? Maybe next time Robert Fripp will join in.

If you look at the tracklist, each track has a different collaborator or two. Has Been was more cohesive, probably due to Ben Folds working with him on the whole album (with some other collaborators). The result was really enjoyable. And it also resulted in William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet, which seems AWESOME.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:51 AM on October 20, 2011

And I thought Dead Gaddafi would be the most traumatic thing I'd see today...
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:59 AM on October 20, 2011

If William Shatner and David Lynch ever touched, the universe would explode.

I can't say I'm not tempted to do a mashup of Shatner over Lynch's amateur techno beats now. Somebody stop me please.
posted by Hoopo at 10:03 AM on October 20, 2011

William Shatner has earned a free pass from me. If this is how he wants to spend his twilight years, good for him, I say.
posted by Kwine at 10:15 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

If William Shatner and David Lynch ever touched, the universe would explode.

Are you advocating for Kirk/Cooper slash fiction now?
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:58 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I like his last album, but this is like when Chuck Norris makes Chuck Norris jokes.
posted by BurnChao at 11:36 AM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

So. We really are alone in the universe.
posted by telstar at 12:05 PM on October 20, 2011

I love Shatner and I love Bohemian Rhapsody, so I clicked the link with some anticipation - but this is just plain wrong. Not funny, not weird, not irreverent, just ... horribly wrong.
posted by helion at 1:51 PM on October 20, 2011

Shatner's becoming like an 'Adam West' with the ridiculous but without the crazy-funny. But it's not just the song styling that's lazy and uninspired. The effects, the lack of anything to follow in the video, the titling - it all smacks of putting in the smallest amount of work.

I keep hoping the marketplace will tire of settling for mediocre efforts like this, but then things like X-factor keep popping up and killing that hope.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 2:59 PM on October 20, 2011

** … ** … ** … **

Captain Christopher Pike's reaction, or possibly his rendition.
posted by zippy at 4:41 PM on October 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

Wishing I lived in that universe where Ben Folds produces Shatner's cover of Bowie songs.
posted by Mcable at 5:15 PM on October 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

For me, making it to the end was rewarding. Seeing "Win Free Shat" made me laugh pretty hard
posted by Redhush at 9:03 PM on October 20, 2011

For me, this fails because it's intentional kitsch. Intentional kitsch always fails because it misses the whole joy of kitsch, which is the earnest, heartfelt disaster unfolding before your eyes, and this isn't earnest or heartfelt in any way, right down to the insulting cheesy (as opposed to garish or fun cheesy) flash-style video, which just looks cheap cheap, not OMG cheap. I'd venture a guess that this will sell, because Trek fans will buy anything, like their tauntaun sleeping bag-buying completist Star Wars brethren, but in twenty years, this won't even be campy fun for our dumb kids to giggle over as they're rooting through our iCloud™ playlists and chiding us for not realizing the subversive genius of Nickelback back in the day.
posted by sonascope at 5:17 AM on October 21, 2011 [4 favorites]

subversive genius of Nickelback

That made my morning.
posted by jwhite1979 at 6:20 AM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Man, I saw this making the rounds the last couple days and it was on my "to watch" list. I'm seriously, legitimately disappointed by it.

Has Been was a solid piece of musical production, still Shatner doing Shatner but the framework around it was just so solid and self-aware without being lamely farcical that it worked as an album. Even as a fan of Shatner, I had low expectations of it and they were exceeded and then some by the album once I heard it; it wasn't just not-terrible, it was good.

So this sort of low-rent, uninspired karaoke bullshit is sort of heartbreaking. knilstad is right on upthread, as bad as Shatner's early singles were they at least had some actual charming weirdness, but this might as well be Bill sitting around doing spoken word recitals of his favorite midi files.
posted by cortex at 4:02 PM on October 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

It's no Shatner vs. Columbus epic rap battle.
posted by lubujackson at 11:06 PM on October 21, 2011