William Shatner

WILLIAM SHATNER
"HAS BEEN"
(Shout! Factory, 2004)


"I Can't Get Behind That"


A handful of artists out there are instantly recognizable by their sound: Elvis ... Michael Jackson ... The Beatles ... Ray Charles ... William Shatner. Sure, it depends on your definition of "art", but Shatner is unquestionably one of a kind. The man who played Captain Kirk will forever be linked with "The Transformed Man", his bizarre 1968 album of avant-garde recordings, usually spoken-word pieces with musical accompaniment. His renditions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" have become legendary for their cheese factor, and raised awfulness to an artform.

Thirty-six years later, shortly after forging a friendship with rock musician Ben Folds (on whose experimental 2001 album "Fear Of Pop" he made a vocal contribution), Shatner returned to the studio, with Folds as producer, and bolstered by the talents of several other established recording artists including Joe Jackson and Aimee Mann. Whereas it was hard to know what to make of "The Transformed Man", Shatner is more straightforward with the material on "Has Been", reflecting among other things his willingness to make fun of himself, which has become his bread-and-butter in recent years.

In his own unique style, Shatner muses on his (and everyone else's) mortality on "You'll Have Time"; our increasingly illogical world on "I Can't Get Behind That" (featuring Henry Rollins); and his love for the ladies on "Ideal Woman". The title track is a shot back at his armchair critics who call him washed-up (this was just as he was about to gain renewed fame -- and an Emmy Award -- as Denny Crane on the TV series "The Practice" and "Boston Legal"); and the closing track, "Real", written by and featuring country star Brad Paisley, is a lament gently aimed at the die-hard Shatner fans who have difficulty separating him from his galaxy-saving "Star Trek" alter-ego.

That's not to say the album is all for laughs: "What Have You Done" is a somber piece in which Shatner recounts the tragic 1999 death of his late wife, Nerine; and in "That's Me Trying", he opens up about his failings as a father. "Has Been" is a brilliantly conceived and well-rounded album (Why didn't Folds get at least a Grammy nomination for producing it?), which paints an often amusing but intimate portrait of the entertainment icon known as William Shatner.