Former Captain Kirk releases ‘Boldly headbang’ as he goes where few 94-year-olds have gone before
NEW YORK:
‘Star Trek’ legend William Shatner is boldly going where few 94-year-olds have gone before, as the Canadian actor announced plans to release a heavy metal album.
“I have explored space. I have explored time. Now… I explore distortion,” Shatner wrote on social media late Thursday alongside a picture of himself cradling an electric guitar in front of a red, smoky backdrop.
“Thirty-five metal virtuosos. Thunderous guitars. Chaos with purpose,” he said.
The cult star promised covers of metal staples like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, as well as “a few originals forged in the same cosmic fire.”
Shatner played the daring Captain James T. Kirk in 1960s sci-fi adventure franchise “Star Trek,” which follows the crew of a spaceship as it spreads liberal humanitarian ideals through the galaxy.
He also portrayed the titular character in cop show “TJ Hooker,” and won both a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy for his role on “Boston Legal.”
In 2021, he became the then oldest person ever to go to space when he traveled aboard a Blue Origin craft at age 90.
Revealing his new album, Shatner showed no intentions of taking it easy.
“Honest intensity. Unapologetic exploration. At 94, one does not slow down. One turns the volume up,” he said.
“So prepare yourselves. We are about to boldly headbang where no one has headbanged before. Stay tuned. The metal voyage begins this year.”
Shatner’s television career after his last appearance as Captain Kirk embraces comedy, drama and reality shows. In seasons 4 and 5 of the NBC series 3rd Rock from the Sun, he plays the alien “Big Giant Head” to whom the main characters report. From 2004 until 2008, he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal show The Practice and the entire run of its spinoff, Boston Legal. The role of Denny Crane won Shatner two Emmy Awards, one for his contributions to each series.
In 2016, 2017 and 2018, he starred in both seasons of NBC’s Better Late Than Never, a comical travel series in which a band of elderly celebrities toured east Asia and Europe.
Aside from acting, Shatner has had a career as a recording artist, starting with his 1968 album, The Transformed Man. Shatner’s cover versions of songs are dramatic recitations of their lyrics rather than musical performances: the most notable are his versions of the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, and Elton John’s “Rocket Man”. His most successful album was his third, Seeking Major Tom (2011).
