Believe it or not, there is now a William Shatner app for your iPhone that delivers classic Shatnerisms.
Truthfully, I think this is a great idea, and I really can’t wait to hear his voice when people’s iPhones go off. However, instead of hearing Shatner reciting Rocket Man, uttering a line from Star Trek or “singing” Mr. Tambourine man, you can program the app to say whatever you like in Shatner’s voice.
As the man himself said, “People all over the world have been listening to my voice for so long, but they’ve only ever heard what I wanted to say. I wanted to give people a means to express their thoughts and ideas, using my voice. It’s a fun, creative app that I am certain people will enjoy.”
As noted above, you simply choose the words you want that are available in the app, what kind of delivery you want from Bill, then once you hit a button that says “Shat that!” Shatner’s voice says what you want him to say. You can get this app for $2.99 in Apple’s App store, and that’s a great deal to have Shatner reciting whatever you write for him, no?
In related news, even before the economy took a nosedive it was very tough for musicians to make a buck. The one saving grace for an artist is constant touring, and many of them have to tour relentlessly to make a living these days. Now William Shatner’s not exactly a rock star, but apparently he’s doing pretty well on the road as well.
We reported some time back on TG that the OG Captain Kirk was going to do a one man show, and trying to imagine him performing his unique interpretations of songs in the live arena is just too irresistible, especially if you’ve ever heard his versions of Mr. Tambourine Man, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, and of course, Rocket Man, which thanks to YouTube has gained an insane life of its own.
Now The Wrap reports that the show, Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It, was recently extended for twenty dates. (Are there silk screened shirts with the tour dates on the back, like a Metallica merchandise? If so, I gotta get one). Shatner indeed made the great white way early this year, performing on Broadway, and the show will be performing till the end of January, with dates all throughout the U.S.
As expecte, Shatner’s performances have received mostly positive, albeit backhanded reviews. Take the New York Post, which wrote: “It’s on the rambling, ramshackle side – think of it as S#*! William Shatner Says – but the star’s admirers will gobble up this ham-and-cheese sandwich of a show.”
Whatever you think of Shatner, you have to admit this is all pretty amazing for a guy who’s 81 years old, but like Star Trek itself, Shatner may be forever at this point. Just like there’s new generations to discover the joys of Star Trek, you know there’s new generations to come that haven’t lived until they’ve heard Shatner belt out Rocket Man or It Was a Very Good Year. It’s good to see that all this time he’s in on the joke, and if he isn’t, that makes it even funnier.
