Shatner In Stereo

Thursday, September 12, 2002. 7:01PM.
Hotel de Anza. San Jose, CA.

Jerry and I are back in our room at the Hotel De Anza, killing time before dinner. Of course, we’re both working away at our laptops. Jerry is busy porting Adventure to EFI (why? don’t ask, long story). I am organizing the video from the Q&A with William Shatner at IDF.

Our television distraction has been VH1’s Behind The Music. They’re in classic BTM mode, showing the Milli Vanilli and M.C. Hammer episodes that set the BTM formula (started from shit, achieved stardom, had it all, acted like an ass, screwed up, lost it all, tried a comeback, found out that America is one fickle bitch when it comes to pop-music tastes).

Then the surreal moment happens. VH1’s One Hit Wonders kicks in, and William Shatner is the host.

I have Shatner on my laptop, talking about scientists he interviewed while writing I’m Working On That. But I also have Shatner on my TV, hosting a show about TV stars with one chart topping musical experience. I have Shatner in stereo, which is very surreal.

VH1 cuts to commercial, which is a commercial for a future One Hit Wonders special about hip-hop. Of course, Shatner is the host. Hit tag line for the program … “Hey yo, don’t miss the schizzo!”

Man, I wish I knew about that before going to the Q&A session. I did get the chance to ask Shatner a funny question about T.J. Hooker, but I wish I could have gone in there and asked him about hip-hop superstars …

“So Mr. Shatner, how do you feel about this whole ‘East-Coast, West-Coast’ thing? Do you think it is whack or dope? What is the dillio, yo?”

Instead of that, I asked the Big Giant Head my silly T.J. Hooker question …

Me: “Do you think they will ever make ‘T.J. Hooker: The Next Generation’?
WS: [laughing, then addressing me in very serious tone] “No!”

I have that on video, along with his excellent answer to my question about speech recognition and why he recorded “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”. Very surreal stuff.