Earlier this week, I was at Borders buying a couple of gift certificates for people at work. Whenever I’m there, I have to check out the CDs that they have in the players to see if there’s anything I like. There in the middle of one of the groups of five CDs was William Shatner’s new album, Has Been. I’d read a favorable review of in Guitar Player magazine, so I gave it a listen. I’m not sure, but I think I was laughing out loud a couple of times listening to it on the headphones. Pity the other shoppers.
Shatner doesn’t do much singing (at least not on the songs I previewed). Instead, Shatner talks over music, but it’s good. The lyrics are strangely relevant and shockingly blunt. Here’s a sampling from “It Hasn’t Happened Yet”:
I dreamt of success
I would be the best
I would make my folks proud
I would be happy
It hasn’t happened yet
It hasn’t happened yet
It hasn’t happened
Or how about from “You’ll Have Time”:
Live Life
Life life like you’re gonna die
Because you’re going to
Oh yes
I hate to be the bearer of bad news
But you’re gonna dieMaybe not today or even next year
But before you know it you’ll be saying
“Is this all there was?
What was all the fuss?
Why did I bother?
Why did I waste it?
Why didn’t I taste it?”
You’ll have time, baby
You’ll have time
‘Cause you’re gonna die
You are gonna die
Oh yeah
I was back at Borders last night, Christmas shopping with my middle daughter. I had her listen to “It Hasn’t Happened Yet” and “You’ll Have Time.” When we saw they were sold out, she was disappointed that I hadn’t bought one when I was there earlier.
I don’t know whether it’s worth a purchase. It’s a lot of fun to hear the first time or two, but will it get old fast?
Is it just me, or does William Shatner have fun with everything he does? Maybe it’s that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Priceline.com has re-hired Shatner to be its spokesman and is offering a bobble-head doll. Check it out.