Chew away. I want you to be you. Spit out the gum...it doesn't work.*

I’ve never been interested in Star Trek. In fact I’ve never seen a single episode of any of the TV incarnations and up until last month I had only seen one of the
movies. I don’t know anything about Shatner’s Kirk outside of what I’ve pulled from references in other areas of pop culture. I do remember watching some episodes of T.J. Hooker. I have seen that SNL sketch where Shatner asks a group of Trekkies, “get a life, will you people?” He’s also popped up in some random movies that I’ve seen through the years. I’ve never really thought much about him though. The countless Shatner impressions by countless comedians (some funny and some not) are the only thing that has stuck with me until a few years ago when I heard a couple of “songs” from William Shatner’s 1968 spoken word album, The Transformed Man. They were hilarious. I don’t believe the intentions behind The Transformed Man were to make a bunch of geeks guffaw some thirty years later when hearing Shatner stagger-speak (as only he can) through Dylan’s "Mr. Tambourine Man", but that is the response it gets. (By the way, you haven’t heard funny until you’ve heard Bill say the line, “in the jingle-jangle morning I’ll come following you.”) Somewhere down the line Shatner has learned to play with his image, loosen up, accept the fact that he will always be Captain Kirk to a whole lot of people, and make fun of himself and the unusual pacing of his sentences. From his commercials for Priceline.com to his appearances on late night talk shows, Shatner has really taken away the instant laughs so many have received at his expense and he now gets those laughs for himself.

I had mixed feelings when I first heard about Has Been. I was excited that Ben Folds was working with Shatner, a duo that would assuredly provide some laughs, but I didn’t really think that a full album of Shatner-speak would be enjoyable or even memorable. I have been pleased to be wrong on both accounts. From start to finish, Has Been is a pleasantly paced album filled with humor (not all of which relies on Shatner making fun of himself), sadness, poignancy, and a touch of Aimee Mann (which is always nice). Ben Folds really understands Shatner and has created the perfect venue for him to exhibit what makes him, well, Shatner.

The album starts out wonderfully with the only cover song present, Pulp’s "Common People". Shatner holds his own with Joe Jackson, who balances the song out by practically screaming the chorus. "It Hasn’t Happened Yet" is the closest this album comes to sounding like something from The Transformed Man. It escapes the stuffiness and pretension though by actually sounding human and heartfelt. And speaking of human and heartfelt, "What Have You Done" is a chilling account of Shatner finding his wife face down in a swimming pool. Even If you are prepared for it when it starts, "What Have You Done" will shake you in a way that will have you taking back anything disparaging you may have said or thought about Shatner as a thespian in the past. "You’ll Have Time" is probably the funniest track despite some heavy competition from "I Can’t Get Behind That" (featuring Henry Rollins), "Has Been," and "Ideal Woman." My favorite song is probably "That’s Me Trying." With its mix of pathos and humor it is the perfect representative of the album. Aimee Mann and Ben Folds sing back up on the track which was written by one of my favorite writers, Nick Hornby.

I couldn’t have been more surprised by how great this album is. At most I was expecting a few funny tracks, but this is an impressive collaboration between Shatner, Folds, and a boatload of other guests. I can’t thank Mike enough for giving me a copy of this album. I would have probably put off getting it for a while until I either forgot about it or lost interest. Thanks, Mike.

*Lyric from "Ideal Woman"