My sister spent the weekend in Paris and is now in Cannes for the film festival. I might have been envious yesterday, maybe even today. But not now. For now, I have just returned from an interview and book-signing by William Shatner. Cannes, I pine for you no more.
I am not a trekkie*. As I write this, I actually own no Star Trek movies (though I do want movies I through 4) nor do I own any seasons of any of the TV series (though I want the original series). I'm apathetic towards the Next Generation (though I do like Patrick Stewart) and did not care for the series that came after. All this aside, I have always been a fan of Shatner, whether on Trek, the Twilight Zone, T.J. Hooker, or whatever he happens to be in. In short (too late!), I'm a fan of the man, not of a particular role.
Actually, that's not quite true. The particular role I am an unequivocal fan of is Shatner as himself, a role he has honed over the years Whether this persona is real or public face, he does it so well that it hardly matters. I will never know the man himself. This is enough. Tonight, Shatner put on a virtuoso performance of himself.
Shatner has a wonderful sense of humor. Clearly, the man appreciates himself but he never lets it get in the way of his self-effacing comedy. He's a great story-teller. I was, as the entire audience seemed to be, drawn into his narrative. He really seems to be talking to us not at us. It sounds easy but it isn't. Many of these interviews come off as lectures. This one did not.
The interview was a solid 90 minutes and I was enthralled by all of it. I could have listened for another 90 minutes easily. I like his easy speaking style so much I might buy the audio version of his book just to hear him tell it rather than read it. I liked listening to him that much.
After the interview, there was a book signing. I bought two copies of the book (one for me, one for a friend) and he signed both. I told him I enjoyed his talk and appreciated his work. He thanked me. I left the auditorium a happy, happy man.
I only found out about this thing at the last minute. Being a work night, I had a tough internal debate over going. What finally swung me round was this: Shatner is 77 years old. While he has been an amazing workhorse in recent years, you never know when he'll call it a day. If I didn't go to this signing, would I get another chance? If I didn't go and no other chance came, would I always be kicking myself for not going? It was a no-brainer: I had to go.
The interview took place at the 92nd Street YMCA. In the auditorium, they did not allow photographs and, at the signing, it was tough to get an open look at the man. I did manage one shot and a snap of my signed book. For your viewing pleasure:
* In a strange twist of fate, I have now seen two captains of the starship Enterprise within three days. What a wonderful, weird world we live in.
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