WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 1440 - William Shatner

Episode Date: June 1, 2023

William Shatner has lived long and continues to prosper. At 92 years old, he has dozens of projects in the works, including the Fox reality show Stars on Mars, a new watch he designed, two documentaries, and his annual charity horse show. But he’s also able to look back with clarity and appreciation on an acting career that started at age six and all the amazing paths his life has taken since. Bill and Marc talk about Canada, Broadway, the Golden Age of Television, Star Trek, and the profound experience Bill had when he traveled to outer space. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence. Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category,

and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. Lock the gates! Alright, let's do this. How are you, what the fuckers? What the fuck, buddies? What the fuck,

nicks? What's happening? I am Mark Maron. This is my podcast, WTF. Welcome to it. How's everything by you? What's happening over there by you? Are you okay? Where are you listening to this? How's the workout going? How's the drive going? How's everything on the potter's wheel? drive going? How's everything on the potter's wheel? Everything working out? How's that color work for you? Is that the right color for your painting? How's everything in your relationship? Is it tedious? Is it exciting? Did you have a good day? Did you have a good night? Are you on your way out? Do you not know how to get out? I hope you're all right. I get worried about you. Today is an exciting day on the show. Today, William Shatner is on the show. William Shatner came to my house. You know, William Shatner is he's, he's the only William Shatner there is.

You know William Shatner is. He's the only William Shatner there is. He's also 92 years old, and he's still, like, doing a million things. And he came over with a list that he couldn't find on his phone. TV shows, a documentary, hearing aids, a watch, an NFT, his charities. I got a real kick out of the guy, even though I don't think he was trying to give me a kick. I think I had the right attitude about it. I'll talk about it in a minute.

If you live around here or you're coming into town, I have some dates coming up. I'll be at Largo next Thursday, June 8th for a comedy show. And then again on Friday, July 1st for the music and comedy show. I'm at Dynasty Typewriter on June 10th and Saturday, June 24th. You can get links to these tickets at wtfpod.com slash tour. But let's talk about some stuff, can we? Today is the beginning of Pride Month,

if I'm not mistaken, LGBTQ plus Pride Month. And if there's ever a group of people that could use some tangible and loving support, it's this group of people. Because they seem to be outside, culturally, truly in the crosshairs of the fascist contingent of this country, which is real and true. Whether it be Christian fascism, imposing Christian morality or some sense of Christian rules onto culture at large, or just regular old hateful cunts. So this is an important Pride Month in that there is a significant cultural tsunami being directed against the LGBTQ community on all sides, on all fronts.

These are the groups that get it. These are the groups that take the hit. The groups that, you know, have the courage to live the lives that they want to live or feel that makes them whole in the face of the status quo, which is slowly becoming quite restrictive, quite imposing, quite frankly, fascist. And so much of the gay community in this country, and I think in the world, was defined by their lifestyle and putting that forward as as not not a weapon, but as a consolidated front. To define their community. And those communities from the ground up are being attacked, physically attacked, verbally attacked, attacked through propaganda, attacked through state governments.

And you don't really know where this goes, do we? I mean, in this month, this pride month, you know, I think that we should all take it to heart that this community is seriously under attack and it's verging on violence. And in a lot of ways, it is violence. And eventually, and probably in the not too near, the not too far future, it will be state ordained violence or incarceration for rights that have been fought for for years. This pushback on any sort of progressive legislation or freedoms that were fought for for years. This pushback on any sort of progressive legislation or freedoms that were fought for for years has been sort of boiling and just under the surface for decades, and now it's out and it's ugly.

So do what you can to push back or support or just show a little love, man. Because I have to live with the fact that there's, you know, groups of comics that feel like they're jokes about, you know, trans life, LGBTQ life that, that, you know, that these are, you know, it's, it's their turn or, or that these are, are all done in good spirit. But if it serves the bigger agenda of right-wing ideological annihilation of that community, whether it be culturally or what I think will eventually become literally, then, you know, who are you? What are you doing? Without tolerance, democracy is useless.

tolerance democracy is useless and i've said that before but look show a little love a little love to your lgbtq plus brothers and sisters and inbetweeners uh or whatever anybody wants to be called they will be called but uh this is their month and it's an important one because they seem to be really under attack on all fronts in an unabashed and normalized way in many states and communities in this country. Okay. So William Shatner, everyone knows William Shatner. He's a character. I didn't know what to expect. I knew he was 92. I had no idea. I know his public self like you know him. But I'll tell you right away, he drove up here himself in his Porsche SUV. And right away, we just started talking, but I kind of got a read on him pretty early i said this guy's just uh he likes being difficult and that is is something that i understand and i you know i could definitely work with that because i find it endearing now you know this whole thing with with william shatner

starts off pretty funny because he's literally doing a million things. And like he's got a new reality series, Stars on Mars, which starts next Monday, June 5th on Fox. He's got this series, The Unexplained on the History Channel, new episodes through June 16th. He's the subject of a new documentary, You Can Call Me Bill, which will be released later this year. He's a spokesman for Hearing Life, a hearing aid company. He has a new watch called Passages that he developed with Eggard Watches. He has an NFT he just launched with Orange Comet. He has his Hollywood charity horse show coming up this Saturday. And, you know, he was very concerned at the onset that we, you know, that we weren't going to get to all of that.

So we, I think we spent a good amount of time, uh, trying to find them on his phone and I knew I would have them. And I told him that, but, uh, but, but this whole engagement was completely hilarious to me and fun. And I think I'm kind of giggling throughout most of it. And I just got a real kick out of the guy. And it's a top rated from where I'm sitting across from the chair where people sit. This is a top rated WTF experience for me. And I hope for you as well. Enjoy this conversation with William Shatner.

Cannabis legalization. It's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category, and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly. This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. cannabis store and a cast creative. Death is in our air. This year's most anticipated series FX is Shogun only on Disney plus. We live and we die. We control nothing beyond that.

An epic saga based on the global bestselling novel by James Clavel. To show your true heart is to risk your life. When I die here, you'll never leave Japan alive. FX's Shogun. A new original series, streaming February 27th, exclusively on Disney+. 18 plus subscription required. T's and C's apply. I'm a big cooker.

I cook. What the fuck? Yeah. I said, is there anything to eat there? And your lady said, no. Oh, well, I mean, it's my house. I mean, it's limited to what I have. I got a biscuit and some jam.

Do you want to? Bud, great coffee. I wouldn't have been able to provide a biscuit or jam. Okay. Why not? Because I don't have those. I have toast. I could make a toast.

Yeah, a toast, yeah. They had a biscuit, so I said, yeah, I think the biscuit was all dry. It was cold. Why didn't I ask them to heat it up? The butter was cold, so you couldn't spread the butter. And I'm afraid of choking. Are you afraid of choking? Yeah, sure.

I'm afraid of a lot of things. Yeah, like me. Yeah. I'm afraid to go to sleep. I am too. You are? Well, my shoulders bother me. Yeah?

See, I see guitars there. Do you play them? Yeah. Are you a musician? I play guitar. Are you a musician? What's your background? I'm a comic.

So I do comedy. I do a little acting these days. I do this work. You do stand-up. I do stand-up all the time. Well, we'll talk about that. What are the guitars? I play guitar, but I'm wary to call myself a musician.

I play a long time, but I don't play with bands. I play a little bit out. I'm a musician, not professional. No, no. What? You've got a better definition than all that. Yes, I'm a musician. Okay.

Yeah. Good. But I was listening to that blues record. You play with a lot of guys. Isn't I? Why, do you know that? Yeah. Do I know that I play with a lot of guys?

Yeah. Yeah, I know that. But, I mean, I don't know how those recordings are made. Oh. Like, I mean, are you in the room with them? No. You're absolutely right. Yeah.

So, I make the, so, we write the, well, in this case, they're all existing blues songs. I've got a number of them. Yeah, a bunch of records. But like, it seems like you have some, you're a frequent collaborator of Richie Blackmore. Well, Richie Black, I've never met, I don't think I've met Richie Blackmore, but I know his music. Right. So I, like I, well, we'll talk on the radio what I'm doing. Do you have a big day of business?

No, no. I did one this morning. What did you do? CBS. CBS what? The local? News. Well, I've got something happening immediately, and then I've got all this stuff happening in the future.

What's the most pressing? A charity horse show on June 3rd. Oh, okay. Hang on. So I got to get what I'm trying to promote here. What, here on this show? Yeah. Have you got any of it?

Yeah. The Unexplained is happening. You got all that there? You got a watch. A watch. Don't laugh. It was a long time in making. I'm sorry. You Can Call Me Bill is happening. That's a documentary. A watch. Don't laugh. It was a long time in making. I'm sorry.

You Can Call Me Bill is happening. That's a documentary. That's a documentary. Yeah. Then another documentary. Stars on Mars. Stars on Mars, which happens June 5th, I believe. Yeah, on Fox.

On Fox. Yeah. And you're- NFT, June 13th, isn't it? Which one's that? Well, it's new. What is that one? What is that one? What is that one?

Yeah. You know what an NFT is? It's what, the crypto thing? Well, crypto, you're mixing up a lot of stuff that I think is commonly mixed up. NFT is the non-fungible. Non-fungible token. Right. What is yours going to be?

It's complex, and I'd like to talk to you about it. Okay. And also, you've got the charity that you just mentioned. The charity. And the hearing, the hearing for life. Well, I've got other things, too. Yeah. That's a lot of stuff. Well, it's even more than you know, so I don't know. But how long have we got?

We're almost done. See, that's funny. See, that's the kind of stuff. Couldn't help it. No, that's good. Yeah. Let me just, I don't know about you, but this electronic stuff just is a little too complicated. Have you tried?

What do you mean? Well. It should all be on one piece of paper, on one page. Well, what about filing? Do you know how to file on your phone? On the mean? Well. It should all be on one piece of paper, on one page. Well, what about filing? Do you know how to file on your phone? On the phone? Yeah. I don't know.

Do you need to? Can't you just go back to the email? No, but a few days go by, you can't find the email. Yeah. I don't know. I haven't tried filing on my phone. So I'm trying to invent. I've got a patent on the idea.

Of what? Of filing. Like, say, put this under NFT. So now you want to get it? You can't do that? Is there a way of doing that? I would think so. Well, I don't know it, so I'm trying to invent that.

Well, shouldn't you find out whether it exists or not first? Well, I'm trying to. Right now? No, yeah, exactly. You don't know? I don't know. So? Maybe you should call Apple. Do you have a guy at Apple? No, but I got a guy. See, this is what we

could talk about. We're talking about it. Are we on the air? Sure. Okay, so I got a guy who has a lawyer. I know a guy who has a lawyer who's a patent lawyer. Right. Yeah, so he says, well, we can register that patent. Why not? Well, I said, but I don't know how to do it.

He said, it's okay. It's the area of research. Then we'll find out how to do it. So I said, what I want is to be able to say, file this under NFT. And it goes to NFT. Right. Now I want to find it. I say, NFT.

It comes up. Right. I've got albums coming up. I'm working on songs. Right. Now I want to find it. I say, NFT. It comes up. Right. I've got albums coming up. I'm working on songs. Yeah. Where are my songs? Right. I can't find my frigging songs.

Right. And then you like songs and it comes up. Right. Yeah. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I feel like it has to exist. Well, I don't know that it does. Okay.

But in its simplicity, it doesn't exist in its simplicity since two intelligent guys, highly intelligent guys like you and me, don't know anything. But right, but I don't, like, half the things on my phone, I don't know what the hell it does, and I stay away from it. Half? Okay, most. 98%. Okay, that's more than half. But I like the approach that instead of doing a little research to find out whether it exists, you'll take out a preemptive patent just in case it doesn't. Well, that's what they do.

That's how this patent lawyer makes his living. I'll register a patent pending thing. Sure. And then we're on. All right. So we can't really promote that because it doesn't exist yet. But the idea is good. No, but the idea is good.

I mean, maybe some of the many millions of people listening to this broadcast will have an idea. And they'll come at you. No, at you because it's your broadcast. Yeah, they'll be like, tell Shatner I had that patent. Tell him to stay away from it. Right. How about just, I'm just trying to find the things I'm trying to promote. I think we mentioned most of them.

No, we haven't even begun. Really? Yeah. I can't. How far back do you want to go? I want to go back to childhood. Let's do it. I've got a patent on a pair of diapers.

It's so funny because when you look up your name, you're listed as a Canadian actor. I am. I know you are. Yeah. So that's why it's listed that way. But do you consider yourself a Canadian actor? Yes, I'm a Canadian actor. But you've been here for like a hundred years.

Longer than you've been alive. A hundred years. Yeah. Yeah. Well, if you ask me why I haven't become an American citizen. Oh, you still haven't? No. Oh, good for you.

I'm a Canadian citizen. Because you can get out. What? You can get out if you have to. Why would I want to get out of the great United States? Everybody's saying that. Get out. This is only a period of history, man.

I know. Oh, it's going to pass? The American, yeah, it'll pass. See, my theory is I don't want to end up At the border of Canada As a Jewish refugee I'd rather have the paperwork To be able to get

That's true And I am looking for land in Canada You are? Yeah Alright, so But that's for my kids I'm not going to be able to use it Yeah, but why are you thinking

For your kids' future? Why not stick with In case they have to get Out of the country So your point is Only based on the fact of your age. Yeah, right. And you don't want to travel.

Well, one of the tabloids called, sent me a message. We're going to do an article on you're dying. I said, what are you talking about? He said, well, you said you're near death. I said, we're all near death. You know, who knows, walking out of the studio, somebody else is going to drop dead. Not me. I had an idea. But we're all near death. I said, we're all near death. You know, who knows, walking out of the studio, somebody else is going to drop dead, not me. I had an idea. But we're all near death.

It just enhances life. So they're going to do an article about my thinking I'm nearly dead. And I said, if you write that, I'm going to sue you. Right. Yeah. I came up with an idea for, I don't know, it was either for a joke or just this thought I had in my head of a suicide note

that just said, why wait? Well, well, how funny that is because it's so close to the truth. Right. Why wait? So why wait? Why live? What's the meaning of life? So you go along those lines. Yes, that's it.

The perennial question. The perennial question. Sure. The eternal question. Sure. Why are we alive? What's the point? How are you doing with that one? Well, that's it. The perennial question. The perennial question. Sure. The eternal question. Sure. Why are we alive? What's the point? How are you doing with that one? Well, it's a joke, isn't it? Yeah.

I mean, really, the whole thing, the eternal joke is we live and we die, and what's the point? Why wait? Well, I mean, it's interesting. I mean, in terms of you coming back from space. Yeah, well. Have you felt, are you changed because of the realization you had in space? That's a complicated question. Well, we have time. If you want to get into it right now, we have lots of time, right?

Sure. I have all day. Well, how many? All day. We have all day. No, no. You have all day. Yeah.

You're lodging your magnificent premises. But your experience in space, like from this is what? Well, it enhanced what I already knew. But did you- You want me to tell you about that? I do. Okay. So for many years, about 60 years ago, I read a book called The Silent Spring.

Yeah. By, I knew the name a moment ago. I'll give, while we talk, it'll come to me. You see, you could just say to your phone, who wrote The Silent Spring? I could probably do it. I think I probably have Siri hooked up here. Right. Do I?

Maybe it's, hey, Google. Hey, Google. Who wrote The Silent Spring? It didn't come on. I unplugged it. I'll think of it. I unplugged it. So it doesn't matter. Yeah, Google. Who wrote the silence? It didn't come on. I unplugged it. I'll think of it. I unplugged it. So it doesn't matter.

Yeah. It doesn't. Well, I think she's long dead. Okay. But she forecast all this. And I took it to heart. The global warming and the existential threat that we face. The worst.

Through Anthropocene activity. So I took it to heart, and I began to talk about it in interviews. Hey, you know, and these reporters would say, this dumb actor thinks we're all going to die. Then a friend of mine, who became a friend of mine, Michael Tobias, who was a well-known ecologist, asked me if I'd like to make a a series of uh hours of gaia the uh greek god of of the earth right so some people either pretend to believe or in some cases do believe that

gaia yeah the goddess of earth is alive the is alive. And given some definitions of life. Literally or metaphorically? In some cases, literally. In most cases, metaphorically. It's a word explaining a lot of things. An idea. Because the Earth maintains its temperature. Yeah.

The Earth maintains its salinity. Yeah. The Earth maintains its oxygen content. Right. The salt content of salinity. Yeah. The earth maintains its oxygen content. The salt content of the waters. Yeah. The earth maintains itself. Yeah. And as we human beings, when we contact a bug that is going to kill us, our bodies heat itself up and destroys the bug.

Right. Well, what is earth doing right now? Yeah. It's destroying us, the bug, which is killing it. We are the virus. We are the bug. Well, what is Earth doing right now? Yeah. It's destroying us, the bug, which is killing it. We are the virus. We are the virus. Yeah. So in many ways of saying, well, is it alive?

The Earth fits into an alive, except it can't reproduce itself and all the other. Okay. So the Earth is literally alive. Yeah. But we might all agree that metaphorically Gaia lives. But Gaia is sick. And I've known that for a long time. And increasingly

and I'm very fearful for my children and my children's children. Do you have grandchildren now? Yes. And in fact yesterday we visited great-grandchildren. Two of them. So two little babies.-grandchildren, two of them. Oh, wow. So two little babies, six months old, four months old.

Oh, that's exciting. And three years old. Yeah, it is exciting because there's new life. There we go. How y'all doing? And there's new exciting life already burgeoning. Yeah. Like what's next and what's the meaning of life and why am I alive and why wait?

Yeah. He's the little kid's going to ask that momentarily. Why wait? Oh, you don't want the kid to ask. Well, why wait? So you say, well, you wait because. It's going to be amazing. And now we come to the answer of what I saw.

In space. In space. We are insignificant human beings. Totally, yeah. On an insignificant rock. Yeah. In an insignificant galaxy solar system. Is this the beginning of the new Star Trek?

Right. No, that sounds like Star Wars in the beginning. No, I'm delineating our insignificance. That's what you felt. Right. Because the Milky Way is not a very, you know, big-time galaxy. It's a little average thing. Among billions of galaxies.

Right. Billions upon billions of planets. And we're this little rock with this paper-thin atmosphere. I got up to 50 miles, the Kármerman line, and I was now in space. Floating. Floating. Yeah. But I'm a pilot.

I was. I'm not current now. And I know that you can't go above 12,500 feet because the oxygen leaves you. You need oxygen above 12,500. Right. You're in the dead zone. Yeah. And as the people who climb the mountains know that you need oxygen because every time you're above 20,000 feet, you're dying.

You got to get up. You got to get down. Otherwise, you'll die. People die. Sure. So I know that Michael Tobias and I went around to all these places and shot film. I saw a lot of places many, many years ago that were threatened.

Since then, they are more threatened and dying, like the Arctic and the Antarctic are changing. So now I'm in space, and I've gone up into space with this knowledge, but now I see with my own eyes how insignificant our planet is. It's a rock. I saw the beginning of the circumference of the rock. I could trace in a circle with my fingers the circumference of the earth. I mean, how small is that? Have you driven across this

country? So you see how endless it is, right? Sure, it feels like it. Yeah, the roads disappear into space, into infinity. And I'm like, God, how am I going to get? And I've thumbed, I've hitchhiked across. Yeah. I've driven motorcycles across it. Really? I've driven trucks across it.

Trucks? I've driven alone across it. Yeah. I've driven with a dog across it in a truck. I've driven every which way, and it a truck. I've driven every which way and it's endless, but it's not. It's the smallest little thing you've ever seen. And so the small rock has on it smaller little antibacterial things like us. So we're living on this small rock and we're insignificant. Insignificant rock, insignificant Milky Way.

Everything's insignificant. So what are we doing? Why wait? Okay? Yeah. So now the answer for me and maybe for you. Maybe. I'm on board now.

Okay. Yeah. So now the train stops here. Okay. We are observers of the insignificance and the monumental forces in the universe, the incredible majesty of what we can see with our extraordinary intelligence and destructiveness. We think of the Hubble telescope, now the Webb telescope, all for pure knowledge.

How generous, how magnificent, how holy is our human being. Yeah. And then we look at the, what kind of swear words can we use? All of them. The fucking unbelievable evil that we're capable of. So we're capable of inventing and spending billions of dollars on the Webb telescope for pure knowledge. And then we

wage war, total destructive war on human beings, destroying them and using up the very material that we should be saving because we're all going to die. I mean, the absurdity of our minds from one end to the other is what I came back with. The sadness of the extinction. The disappointment in humanity. But it's both disappointment and the enthralling. Yeah, the celebration. The celebration of humanity in its extremes.

Yeah. And that's what I came back with, that we are witness to the magnificence of the universe and the incredible stupidity of our destructiveness. Yeah. And how to make sense of that. And how do you make sense of it? Well, you don't. I mean, and then you get yourself into the inventions of artificial intelligence.

Oh, what about that? Well, what about that? So now you're into another area. Sure. Oh, what about that? Well, what about that? So now you're into another area of total benefit. Humankind will go to the stars.

We're incredible. We've invented machines that are going to think for us and make estimates and calculate and do things for us and at the same time destroy us. Sure. So are you a spiritual person? Yes, I'm spiritual, but I was asked on the air time destroy us. Sure. So are you a spiritual person? Yes, I'm spiritual, but I was asked on the air the other day, do I believe in God? I said, what does that mean?

Yeah. He said, well, God. I said, you mean somebody dressed in medieval robes points a finger at you? He said, yes. I said, no, I don't believe that. Yeah. But spiritual? Yeah.

The incredible, look. Yes. Look. Gaia. Gaia. Yeah. And that's what I was about to say. So Gaia has existed 3.8 billion years.

Yeah. This planet has been evolving for that length of time. Yeah. Life formed, I don't know, 2 billion years ago? Yeah. The plant started in the ocean. Something had to get out of the water. Something had to get, well, that was a little later on.

Something had to get, I've got to get out of here. I'm wet. Yeah, exactly. I'm cold and wet. That's funny. So, yeah, something got out of the water. It was grass, really. And then that became trees.

So the evolution, the incredible, creeping, basic intelligence of evolution. What is the basic intelligence of evolution? If it works, it stays. If it doesn't work, it doesn't stay. Adaptation. Well, adaptation is as simple as, I'm sorry, this doesn't work. You're dead. Right.

So this thought is, it's 3.8 billion years of evolution. Yeah. So this thought is it's 3.8 billion years of evolution. And these incredible entities that are alive, which presumably ends up with us, are alive. It took 3.8 billion years to evolve the life forms that exist on Earth today. Right. A lot of those earth forms are extinct now and growing extinct as you and I talk because of global warming, because of what we're doing. Which means millions of things that took all this time to evolve. I'm going to live, says the insect, says the beaver, says the man. Yeah.

And now it's gone and we didn't know it existed in the first place. Yeah. How sad is that? And all that came to me. Profound sadness. When I was up in space. Yeah. When I landed.

Yeah. I was weeping, and I didn't know why. Wow. And I was in grief. Yeah. For all this. Yeah. And this is what I've come back with.

And would you say that you're depressed? Despair. Mm. Like a mild frequency or wake up like, oh, God. A deep, profound sadness over what I see. That you didn't have before. I didn't see it with the illumination I see it now. Right.

So now it takes a little more front and center. Yeah. And what's interesting is everybody I talk to about this says, oh, yeah, I see what you mean. Or, yeah, I've been thinking that. Yeah. It's so disturbing that we don't do anything about it. Well, yeah, because the next, they say, yeah, I see what you mean. Then they're like, do you want to get something to eat?

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. You kick, because it's like the person who owes the rent and says, I can't think about it. Let's go to the movies. But it's also, there's a powerlessness to it. No. As a person. What?

It's not powerless. We can do something about it. If we all get on board. Well, I asked a Nobel Prize winner, saying, why aren't all the scientists doing a Manhattan Project? Right, to fix it. To get the methane and the carbon dioxide

out of the air. Yeah. He says, we are. Now it's a timing thing. Well, now it's a race between. But God forbid we stop the sort of machinery of capitalism for five minutes to give the earth a breather. You remember

during the pandemic, granted a lot of people were dying, people were scared, but the air was better. Things were better. Animals were more excited. They're down in the neighborhoods again. Chernobyl. You know the ground around Chernobyl? Yeah. It's filled with lush animals and lush plants. Yeah, because nobody's around. Because nobody's there. Yeah. It's filled with lush animals and lush plants.

Yeah, because nobody's around. Because nobody's there. Yeah. Yeah, they come back. They come back. Instantly. Chesapeake Bay. Yeah.

20 years ago, couldn't eat the food coming out of the shellfish. Yeah. Used to be the most wonderful, fecund feeding. But Native Americans were eating shellfish. We're able to build islands with the shells of the shellfish. Stopped. All of a sudden, it was poison. 20 years goes by because we stopped everything.

It's back. We're eating shellfish. 20 years. But these are not new questions to you. You think about space and science a lot. But you weren't brought up with any religion? I'm Jewish. Yeah.

And Jewish religion is— I'm Jewish. Yeah. Funny you don't look Jewish. Is that true? You don't look Jewish. No, you don't look—you look Jewish. You don't look Jewish.

What does Jewish look like? You know. Yeah, no. The Vikings were everywhere. They spread their big blonde seed everywhere. I was hoping I had some Viking in me. I did the 23rd in me, 23 in me, right? Because like some of my people come from Ukraine.

Yeah, well. Right, but I thought like maybe. Well, Vikings did get to Russia. I know. And I thought like maybe there's a little Viking in me. It didn't indicate that. A little Viking is a misnomer. It's a big Viking.

It's probably too big for grandma. No Scandinavian. Exactly. But you grew up in Canada, so I'm kind of fascinated with Canadian Jews and English Jews, British Jews. Well, being Jewish is fascinating in its own way because it's both a religion and a kind of club. Yeah. But how religious were your folks? Quite religious.

Yeah? Yeah, I went to synagogue every Saturday. Really? Yeah. And where, Montreal? Huh? Montreal? Montreal's got a large Jewish community.

Large Jewish community. Schwartz. And Toronto. Yeah. I mean, Canadian cities, and I believe the way it happened was a lot of European Jews had to get out of Europe at different times. Your folks came from before the Nazis, right? Yeah.

Oh, yeah. My mother was born in Canada. My father, at the age of 12 or something, came from Austria. Yeah, long before the Nazis. Yeah. But even long before the Nazis. The Russian problem. Oh, the Russians, the Spanish. Sure, long before the Nazis. But even long before the Nazis, the Russian problem. Oh, the Russians, the Spanish. Every country.

I've been stymied by what anti-Semitism is. I don't understand anti-Semitism. Like, what are you, kidding me? 2,000 years have gone by and you're blaming me for somebody who didn't know anything and killed somebody? But we've forgiven countries seven it's been 75 years since the second world

war we've forgiven everybody they're our allies they're they're precious allies 75 years we've forgotten everything they killed yeah we get 2 000 years isn't enough time to say hey wait a minute guys yeah we didn't do it but even if we we did, I'm sorry. Yeah, ease up. Okay, ease up. And what are you worried about? We mutter some words we don't understand in a synagogue and go about in the big room. But it also has to do with exactly what you were talking about before,

adaptation. We survived because we had to, and the ways we had to do it were ways that required our mind and our intelligence. Yeah, but I'm talking about, all of that I agree with, but I'm talking about what is a neo-Nazi saying? Yeah. That the Jews had conquered the, what are you kidding me? That we run the world. Five million people.

Or is it ten, you know? They got to blame somebody. But what are they blaming? They're blaming us for socialism, communism, global domination, New World Order. I know, but it's absurd. I know. You get somebody, anybody, and say, wait a minute, that's impossible. How do we control the banks?

How do we control the, I mean, that's absurd. It's all conspiracy theories. Some individuals. Yeah. Because Jewish religion says, you know, education is a really good thing. So educate yourselves for a number of reasons, not the least of which, because of the various countries that have kicked us out over the 2,000 years or more, because when the Israelites were in Palestine, there were wars all the time.

The Hittites were there. You know, there were tribes were warring all the time. Yeah. But not on anti-Semitic grounds. Right. You're there, and I want your horses. Yeah. Did you know that?

Yeah. A lot of the— Take some of these animals. Take some of the—and take some of the trainers. Sure. Because the Israelites had great chariots and chariot horses. So over the horizon would come these armies and grab. No, don't grab the wheat.

Grab the guys that are training the horses. Look at those horses. Yeah, look at those horses. But look at the trainers of horses. Well, see, I think what you're making a good point is the reason they don't like us is they're jealous. Well, but everybody had horses. Everybody had chariots. Yeah, they're jealous of what?

There's so few Jews. Jews are amazing. No, now you're going the wrong way. Jews are no different than anybody else. The variations between the religions, the variations of whether you blow smoke or you have a canter or the choir sings a Latin hymn or, you know, you worship the Muslim god. You know, whatever. The variations are so minute that somebody studying it is saying, well, they're practically the same. Come from the same place.

All the headquarters are in Jerusalem. Well, I mean, it's ridiculous. They're all right there. So I'm serious. Here I am, and I'm an old Jew now, and I still don't understand anti-Semitism. What the hell are you talking about? I don't get it, and I'll go to my graves not getting it. So you were bar mitzvahed?

Yeah. And your folks, what business were your folks in? My father was clothing manufacturer. Oh, yeah? Yeah. In Montreal? Montreal. Like schmattas or good stuff?

Oh, no. Somewhere between schmattas and good stuff. The half-life of the... No, they'd bend suits for working people. Oh, yeah? And they'd go out and sell the wear. Oh, like to stores? Yeah, stores all around Montreal.

Take the stuff, take his suits out on a rack. Yeah, yeah. There you go. And sell. Yeah. And he'd come home and be gone and go and come again. Good guy? He was a great guy.

He was a very... He was a well-known element in Montreal charity. Oh, yeah? Yeah, he was a very, he was a well-known good factor. I talked to Monty Hall. He's another Montreal Jew. Yeah. Did you know him?

I knew Monty. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I interviewed him before he passed. And yeah, his father was a butcher. Yeah. Yeah, and he comes from butcher juice. You know, all these little small companies, small mom and pop is what I'm looking for,

all these mom and pop shops. Yeah. And that stems from having to run from the country with a wheelbarrow and sell stuff out of your wheelbarrow, which became a cart, which became a stand, which became a store, and became a business. And do you have brothers and sisters? I have two sisters that are both in Montreal.

Oh, yeah? They're doing all right? Well, age is catching up with everybody. Sure. But like, so what makes you decide to go into show business or be an actor? What are you looking at when you're looking at the screen? I'm making sure that the vocal doesn't go too loud. Oh, I see.

I'll pull back when I... Oh, no, no, you're all right. What makes me... Yeah, I mean, like, did you decide to be an actor? Does your father have different expectations for you? Was there pressure? Yeah. Yeah, he wanted me to go into business with him.

Oh, he did? I'm making suits. Making suits. Did you work at the suit place? Not really. I fell asleep there. It was the damnedest thing I could get in there. Start yawning.

I was sent to one of those two-week camps that parents send their children to. Oh. Go to camp for two weeks, see the country. And they would put on a camp play. Yeah. And I was in to one of those two-week camps that parents send their children to. Oh, yeah. Go to camp for two weeks, see the country. And they would put on a camp play, and I was in the camp play. And I did well. Yeah. Got approval. And I've never done anything else.

Just loved it. They loved me from the beginning, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And you loved it. Well, I didn't know anything else. I was watching a documentary on O'Connor, the MMA guy. Oh, yeah. Conor McGregor.

McGregor. I watched that. Did you watch it? I didn't. I'm not an MMA guy. I am an MMA guy. Oh, so you know. So I watched Conor McGregor.

What did you take away from that? That a guy should eventually stop. Well, yeah. No, but what I took away was his son. Yeah. Here, punch this, punch that, get that. Oh, yeah, the little kid, yeah. The little kid.

He's three years old and he's punching the bag and he's enthusiastic and punching the bag. Yeah. What do you think he's going to do when he's 5, 10, 15, and 25? Well, either he's going to do that or he's going to hate it. No, no, he's going to do that. He loves it. He's three years old. He loves it.

Okay. He's going to punch a bag. He's going to be the best fighter there ever was. I don't know. Because he's going to do that. He loves it. He's three years old. He loves it. Okay. He's going to punch a bag. He's going to be the best fighter there ever was. I don't know. No. It's as fighting and punching will be as natural to him as speaking in a microphone is to us. But it was also nice how much he loved those kids. Oh, it was beautiful.

Yeah. All I'm commenting on is this three-year-old did something and will continue to do so when he's 93. I did something when I was six, and I've never done anything else. But what was the journey like? What were your expectations? Well, I did children's radio. I did abolition radio. I was on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

When I was a teenager, I did. That long ago. And I went on to Stratford, Canada when I was in my 20s. Did you do Shakespeare? Shakespeare and then Ottawa Repertory and then Toronto radio and television and theater and then to New York and Broadway. What was the big shift? So after you do, because I've noticed even now in Canada that if you have talent and you can show up for work that, you know, in the arts, you'll get an opportunity. Not necessarily.

You don't think so? No. I think like CBC. Well, no, I mean, the stars have to align. It isn't like going into a butcher shop and saying, all right, here's how you cut the meat. And you get the, you know, you want boneless ribs? I'm going to show you how to get boneless ribs, okay? Sure, sure. A figure of opposites.

Yeah. So here's how, because apparently it's hard to butcher boneless. Get the rib meat off the bone. Before you cook it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So you don't have the bone. Sure, yeah.

So that's like an art form for butchery. Yeah. So you don't have the bone. Sure, yeah. So that's like an art form for butchery. Yeah. But you can learn that. Sure. Now you're a butcher and you go and hire yourself out as a butcher. Right. You can't do that as an actor.

You need somebody else to hire you. Yeah. So where is that other person? Yeah. And who is it? Yeah. And they're only hiring six-year-olds, not 60-year-olds. Sure. Oh, I didn't know that.

Yeah. I'll be back next year. So, I mean, the stars have to align to get a job. And after a while, you're changing. So, you know, you're six years old looking for a job. Now you're 10 years old, and you're getting older, and you're looking for different kinds of jobs. And not only are you shifting, but the job is shifting. Sure.

So, it's a sliding, mud-filled. But it sounds like you were working all the time. I was. And then when you go to New York, does that continue? Absolutely. I was the most working actor in live television that existed. I went from one show to another. The reason why was I had 10 years of theater experience that American actors didn't have.

I was in front of an audience since I was six. Yeah. So I knew about hitting marks, and I knew knew about learning lines and I knew about composure when a big camera, because there were big cameras and would come right up to within two feet of you for a close-up.

Can you imagine? The thing is purring because it's going, because the fans are dissipating the heat from the tubes that are inside it. So it's an alive animal,

you know, and it's making a close-up of you. You're going, what the hell is that there? And you're supposed to say, I love you, and all you can be conscious of is there's this machine with its nose right in your face. Yeah. And I love, I love, you know. But you didn't have that because you were focused.

I was focused. I knew how to entertain an audience since I was six. And you did almost every television show in existence. Every television show in existence. Did you like it? I loved it. Yeah? Yeah, because I was putting together a family.

Now I had to pay the rent. Not only for the rent for me, but I got to pay the rent. At the beginning? So when did you have the first kid? I was late 20s. Oh. So that's the one with the great-grandchildren? That's the one with grandchildren now?

Everybody's got a grandchild. Oh, wow. I have three daughters and three daughters have children. And kids and grandchildren. And the oldest child has two of them. So when you're doing all this television in America, are you hanging out? Are you having a good time?

No, I'm working. I've got this family. I don't hang out. You don't? Where am I hanging out? I'm in Queens. Where do you hang out in Queens? I've lived in Queens.

Yeah. So where do you hang out? Over by the studios? Is that where you lived? No, there were studios. No, I was living in an apartment building filled with people who were working people. I took the subway into New York to go on Broadway. Really?

Yeah. So you live in an apartment in Queens. Yes. When do you start to get out of the apartment in Queens? Well, then people notice me in Hollywood. Oh. How'd that happen? From TV?

From TV. Yeah. From the live television. Yeah. People in Hollywood said, oh, who's that guy? Yeah. And, oh, we're making this movie. Let's get him here.

I go there. And they said, oh, you'd like to be in this movie. Oh, yeah, I'll be in this movie. See, I don't get it. Which movie was that? I don't remember. You don't remember? Yeah, something.

The first movie? No. The Oedipus the King? The Brothers Karamazov. The Brothers Karamazov was the first movie. Yeah. Neil Brenner. Yeah.

How was that guy? He was a funny guy. Yeah. I don't mean amusing. Yeah. He was a strange guy. He had his own ways of doing things. He used to like kicking me in the butt when I'd come on the.

Oh, really? Yeah. He'd kick me in the pants. Like kicking me in the butt when I'd come on the – Oh, really? Yeah, he'd kick me in the pants. And I was this young actor, you know, enthralled with Hollywood. You were? Yeah, well, I mean, here I am.

I spent my life looking at actors on the silver screen, and there I am among those actors. With Yul Brynner. And there's Yul Brynner's kicking me in the butt, you know, playfully, but sort of dismissingly. Had a little edge to it? There's something. Well, when do you kick somebody in the ass? Yeah, I don't know. It's never good.

Never good. Even as, hey, there's Shatner. Boom, he kicks me in the ass. Mr. Brunner, you're just kicking me in the ass. But then you also did, like like the Nuremberg movie. Yeah. The big guys in that. Well, then I began.

Well, then I had my own aura around me for a little bit. Well, I starred on Broadway and starred in films. So you're in the game. I'm sort of in the game, yeah. Right, and you're hanging out with Montgomery Cliff. Well, I'm not hanging out. I'm sort of in the game. Right, and you're hanging out with Montgomery Cliff. Well, I'm not hanging out. I'm watching them. I'm watching them come in for a day and be drunk, you know, Judy Garland, Montgomery Cliff.

Yeah. Being a little out of sorts. The Burt Lancaster comes in and plays a role for one day, and then they applaud because he does his, can you do a Lancaster imitation? No, no, no. Nobody remembers Burt Lancaster. I remember him. He was a great actor.

Yeah, you and I, no. No. No, he was, he had a great look. A great actor, I wouldn't say he was, but he had a personality. Spencer Tracy. Huh? Spencer Tracy. Spencer Tracy was a great actor.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Burt Lancaster. I just saw him in an old film noir, The Killing or something. Yeah, he's a wonderful personality. Okay, okay. So he played that personality. My story about that is, so he used to smile a lot because he had a great grin.

Yeah, yeah. And it's the teeth. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't remember exactly what he sounded like. Right. But you used to be able to do a great Burt Lancaster imitation. Oh, yeah. So there was Burt Lancaster doing his imitation of a German colonel or whatever it was he was playing.

So then we heard the next day that he wasn't happy with his performance. Could he come in again and do his performance? The director, what's his name, said, okay, yeah, sure. So he comes in again. Because he was a star. Yeah. Because he's a star, he comes in and does it again. Yeah.

Does exactly what he did the day before. Oh, yeah. Stanley Kramer. Stanley Kramer. Stanley Kramer. So everybody's kowtowing to the star. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Stanley goes, yeah, come on in.

Do it again. So he does it again exactly like he had done it the day before. Right. Because he's Burt Lancaster. He doesn't. He's made his fame and fortune on being Burt Lancaster. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he does Burt Lancaster again. Yeah.

And, you know, okay, that's better. And then you move on. And you move on to the next guy. So in the early days, they're doing these movies with these people. Early days when? When you're doing these movies. Yeah, these movies. The first movies.

I mean, did you feel like you were on a trajectory to become a contemporary of Paul Newman? I was. Steve McQueen? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I worked with Steve McQueen. I worked with Paul Newman. How was that guy?

Nice guy? Which one? Steve McQueen? Well, what do you mean a nice guy? What does that mean, nice guy? I've been on sets. Yeah, but what does that mean, nice guy? Good morning.

It's good to see you. You don't hang out? Did you have a good coffee? Yeah. That coffee you had last night, was it good? How does that mean? I've been on sets. Yeah, but what does that mean? Nice guy. Good morning. It's good to see you. You don't hang out? Did you have a good... That coffee you had last night, was it good? How's that roll? How's that biscuit? Is it dry? How's that biscuit? Is it a good biscuit? It was dry. Hey, he's a nice guy. Yeah, but then, you know, that's not a nice guy. All right.

So I don't know. Paul Newman? I don't know. Good morning. Good morning, Paul. Good morning. Good morning. What's your name again? Shatner. Good morning, Shatner. All morning. Good morning, Paul. Good morning. Good morning. What's your name again? Shatner. Good morning, Shatner. Yeah. All right.

All right. Okay. He's a nice guy. I don't know. So I'm there. Yeah. But then what happened was somebody said, there's a role, there's a Broadway lead that they want you to play. Yeah.

So you have to get out of your contract with MGM, which is what I did. Oh, really? I went to do a play on Broadway. And they asked you to get out of the contract with MGM? I had to say to MGM, I want to go to New York, and there's no movie for me here right now. Yeah. So I'd like to go. Okay, go.

What did your agent say about that? I'm sure he wasn't happy. I don't remember. How? But, you know, agents are good guys too. Hi, agent. Nice guy. Good.

Yeah. But they're after the money. They're after the money. Of course. Of course. Do you regret that decision? No. Okay.

No, I've blundered around. Here, you and I are talking talking i've got all kinds of stuff coming up and we'll talk about that i've got all kinds of incredible activity yeah always always always more now at this age than i've ever had before yeah albums and documentaries and films and nfts and and and i'm working on a new album, a singing, a children's album. And I'm working on selling shows. Always walking. Working on publicity for these things with you.

I mean, I'm overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed. All I want to do is get on a horse. Really? And I haven't got time to get on a horse. But why? Do you have a choice? Well, I do, but I mean, it's there.

Okay. I'll do the horse tomorrow. I can't do it tomorrow. I'll do the following. I'll do it on the weekend. Who's getting you all these jobs? Are you sitting around going like, I got to do another break? No.

Somebody comes up and says, how would you like to do this? I got a new show coming up called Stars on Mars. Yeah, Stars on Mars. It's a comedy. Yeah. Well, yes, it is. Yeah. It wasn't going to be.

I mean, as far as I know, because it's just happening, they say, how would you like to be like the host on a show called Stars on Mars? Yeah. A group of stars goes on a simulator. Fictional stars or real stars? Real stars. Yeah. Real people whose names you'd recognize.

Sure. Names of which I know nothing, so I don't recognize. Nice guys? Oh, nice guys. nothing, so I don't recognize. Nice guys? Oh, nice guys. Hey, nice guys, good morning. I wonder how nice a guy you can be if you're in competition with somebody else. And the competition is you're going to try and be better at something than the other guy. Well, look at that McGregor documentary.

There's your answer. Well, he's a nice guy. Sure. He described himself as a kid from the, you know, the songs. But I mean, when you're competing, though, you have a choice. Either you're going to fuck with the guy's head, or you're going to be a nice guy. Well, no, you can be a nice guy and fuck with his head.

Sure. In fact, how great it is to be a nice guy and fuck with your head. Yeah, nice guys are big head fuckers. Yeah, they come at you sideways. Yeah, I know. I didn't know he would do that. He fucked with my left side. He did.

And I was working on my right. So you got all this stuff going on, and it's good, but you don't. But I don't have any plan. I hear people saying, well, you know, I'm plotting my next career move. And I laugh. Like, how do you plot a career move? Well, I mean, okay. So, okay, you do this show in New York.

You leave MGM. You do a Broadway show. Yeah. And then you think you're going to be a Broadway actor forever. Well, I am a Broadway actor. Right. You did a one-man show on Broadway. I've been on three Broadway shows.

Right. They're long-running shows. Yeah. So, I'm a Broadway actor. So, how does this all, like eventually you get this job as the- But there's no all. It just, it's a potpourri. I get it.

It isn't a ritualized painting. It's, you're throwing paint. It's a modern American expressionism. You're throwing paint at the canvas. Right, but you decided to do all the work. I just decided. Somebody offered me a job, and I would look at it and think, it looks interesting.

I'll do that. What are the other considerations? How many days? Where is it? And all that stuff. Yeah, what does it pay? Do I have to go away? Is the role good?

Yeah, you make those judgments. Sure. Mostly how good is the part? Yeah. But what will this do to the family is another consideration. The family's a big consideration. A big consideration. Because you've got to support the family.

Well, you've got responsibilities. And then you've got, exactly. You want to be there, and to pay the rent, you've got to go there. Yeah. So you've got these choices. And you've got to figure out. But it seems like you were able to spend a good amount of time with your family. Not really.

Oh. Like I did a series called For the People, and I was in New York for six months while I had three babies. Oh, my God. That's hard. When did Star Trek happen? After that? Yeah. Well, after that.

Yeah, after that Yeah And then that took over your life For a few years Well It was three years Yeah Every day

Go down to the studio Yeah Work Meanwhile I was getting divorced Yeah So that was The first time Fuck you

Come on You're a nice guy No I'm a nice guy Yeah no I Yeah I'm a nice guy Yeah Yeah no You're a nice guy. Yeah, no. Yeah, I'm a nice guy. Yeah, no.

I've been in and out of marriages. Sure. I'm not judging you. Yeah. Me too. But long term. Yeah, yeah. It wasn't like overnight.

12 years the first time. 17 years the next time. Oh, yeah. That kind of thing. Yeah, yeah. 20 years now. Wow. Yeah.

That's great. But what I didn't realize, because I'm not a, I don't want to offend you, but I'm not a big Star Trek person. That doesn't offend me. Good. But the thing that I didn't realize was that it wasn't popular initially. Yeah. It was like in the top 40 shows.

It was on the margin of cancellation every year. But it was enough to identify you with the role to the point where it stopped and you were in trouble. Well, probably. But you mentioned Steve McQueen. Right. So Steve McQueen did a number of series or one. Yeah.

Anyway, when I knew him, we were doing live television together. Yeah. And then he went on to do a series, Rifleman, or something where he carried a gun and it got very popular. It wasn't Rifleman, was it? No, it was something else.

No, it was Chuck Conner. Right. Yeah. So, but he did a series in which he carried a gun. Yeah. I remember having the gun across his shoulders. Yeah. I think was the image.

Yeah. So, he does that and then immediately goes into a big movie. Yeah. And all of a sudden, all the opinion of all these high paid agents and things like that

changes from, you don't do a series because you're not, you're not going to be taken seriously as an actor. If you do a series, goes, immediately that night

goes to, oh, you got to do a series to get into movies. That's how much anybody knew. Right. And so I didn't do a series. I'm a serious actor on Broadway.

I do movies. Oh, I better do a series. Yeah. Here's a series. Okay, I'll do a series. In space. Yeah. Yeah.

And that's what drove the decision. Well, the more complicated story is this. If I remember correctly, I was in New York. Yeah. The phone rings and it's Gene Roddenberry saying, we've made this pilot

that didn't sell with Jeffrey Hunter, an actor, popular actor at the time. Yeah. They're not going to buy it, but they want to remake the pilot because they like the idea. Right.

Now, I've never heard of that before or since. Yeah. They said, we're going to remake the pilot. We would like you to play the lead. Would you come to Los Angeles to look at the pilot to see whether you would like to? I'd come here, and I'd look at it. I'd go to Paramount and sit alone in the screening room. You know,

very fancy. And I'd look at this really nice pilot. I'd think, wow, that's entertaining. But it's a little serious, a little low-key. Alright, we're going to turn starboard. In a way, five years on a ship, you're going to say. So

Lighten Up, Guys is what i thought and wrote and then we made a second pilot yeah and so as against people saying how did you audition yeah i auditioned them in this case yeah yeah and then it sold yeah and it went three years and then was canceled and that was it three--year gig, that was fine. Yeah. I'm on to other things. Right. Six years goes by while it ferments in.

What were you doing for the six years? Well, for a year I did summer theater. Okay. I put together a production of one of those Broadway plays. Yeah. One set Broadway plays, comedies. Yeah. Went out in comedies in comedies and then did television. Hang on.

But did you find that it worked against you, the series, initially? No, not really. But traditionally, when you then, in those days, when you did a series, you had not the stigma but the aura of that series around you. Right. So that if you were going to play a villain, you were Captain Kirk playing a villain. Right. So they wouldn't put you in as a villain.

Yeah. Although now, if you're popular in the series, oh, look at that. He was a hero in that series, and he's playing a villain. It becomes something, at least I think. I don't know it. Yeah. think. I don't know it. Listen, I don't know anything. Did you see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the Quentin Tarantino movie? Yeah.

How close was that to reality? No. Christ. But what is reality? What is reality here? There's no reality. There's no path to follow. Anything good is following a different path.

So it takes six years to ferment. Right. My son-in-law, Joel Gritch, has directed a fabulous low-budget film. Fabulous. Yeah. Okay? Yeah. And at the moment, because of the way the conditions are, he can't sell it.

He's trying to sell this fabulous film. It'll sell. Yeah. And if the writer goes on for any length of time, it'll be snapped up. The same way my documentary called Call Me Bill was shown at South by Southwest Film Festival and got 12 universally great notices. Fabulous notices. Unbelievable. We haven't sold it yet.

That's crazy. Isn't it? Yeah. This fall, this summer, we are in a strange area of selling films. And that is the net, whatever passes for networks, the exhibitors have bought a lot of content. They're full up. Now, if the writer's strike goes on, there'll be more demand. And that's what everybody's waiting for. So we were talking about the fermenting of Star Trek, I think.

Right. So it goes on. It's canceled. Six years goes by. There's this thing called syndication that happens. Right. Nobody knew about syndication. Unions, you know, SAG never allowed for money for the people who made the show on repeats.

Yeah. And so suddenly they're repeating it. And all of a sudden younger people are looking at it. Yeah. Oh, my God. Look at that. And suddenly there's a demand for Star Trek. Right.

Six years after it was canceled. Yeah. And that was it. That was it. That's what turned everything around. Right. Then you have a whole other career. Of making movies about Star Trek.

Are you happy? Listen, man. Yeah, man. I'm here in my full health. Yeah. I drove a nice car here that I used to take two great Dobermans, my buddies, around. Yeah. And after this, I'm going home.

My wife is there. My children are all around in the area. That's great. I've got a great eye. This is why wait? Because this is it. Because this is what you wait for. And it's beautiful.

Yeah. Now, but it's interesting to me that you seem very self-aware and have for years of who you are. I don't know who I am. I'm foundering about who am I. I don't know about self-knowledge. What does that phrase mean, know thyself? Do you know what that means? Well, I'm saying, well, here's what, maybe not philosophically, but what I'm saying is

people reach out to you to do all these things because he's like, that's Bill Shatner, and he's going to do the Bill Shatner thing. Well, what is the Bill Shatner thing? Well, in music, you seem to talk and have a certain sense of irony about your place in the world. Well, wait a minute. But I'm talking to music. What is singing? No, I know.

What is singing? I know. Well, don't give me I know. I'm not judging. Yes, you are. You seem to talk. I like it. Then I agree with you.

Okay. But it's a style. I'm saying that you have a style. You have to talk. I like it. Then I agree with you. Okay. But it's a style. I'm saying that you have a style. You have a brand. I style because I wish I could sing and I can't sing. But people love it. They keep making records. I know.

I've got two best-selling records out there. My Christmas record was number one and my blues record was number one. Yeah. Yeah. You tried to sing on the blues record? I was doing blues. What is blues? Oh, I'm suffering. That's blues.

But what I'm saying is that you're consistent that whether you know it or not, you've built a brand for yourself. Well, what is a brand? I'm myself. I am who I am. But you don't know who you are. I don't know who I am.

Right. You don't? No. I don't know what these imitators are doing when they imitate speech pattern. I don't understand that. I frequently turn to my wife or somebody who I'm with. Are they doing me? Do all those people that are food for entertainers to imitate,

do they know that that imitator is doing them? Did you like Belushi's? Who? John Belushi when he did you? Yeah, I mean, he did me, but I had actors, I had comedians come up and I had to do a great you. Yeah. And I got into an argument with one of them saying,

no, I do a better me than you do me. you yeah and i got into an argument with one of them saying no i do a better me than you do me you know it was a funny argument but but i'm not quite sure what all that is and maybe it's the lack of self-consciousness i'm this um stars on mars yeah uh is new. It's on, uh, Fox. Yeah. Uh, the premieres June 5th. Yeah. And, um, and it's, so they call me.

Yeah. And they said, we got this. They sent me the material. Yeah. And it's amusing. They wrote it. I thought amusingly.

Yeah. So I'll go down and I record for a day. Yeah. Uh, part of what I had to do. Yeah. Okay. So I'm in front of a camera and I've got these words in front of me

and I'm saying them in a manner that I hope is amusing. So I spend the day and at the end of the day the producers come up to me. More than one producer comes up. Great, that's great. That sets the tone for the whole thing.

I said, what are you talking about? Well, we didn't think of it as being that funny, but now it's funny. So it's funny and irony and it's serious and it's funny. And I, well, that's what I saw, you know. And they said, well, that's good. Now we know what to do. It was the most amazing thing. And they didn't have an idea before.

Well, they had an idea, but it wasn't the same idea that I had. And I just came in and did what I thought and it turned out to be correct. Ended up in Australia in Cooper Pedy in the middle of the outback. Yeah. 500 miles inland in one of the great deserts on Earth. That's where you shot it?

That's where we shot most of the stars. On Mars? On Mars. And so you were in Australia for a while? Just came back. Did you like it? Well, yeah. Like?

It's a strange. It is, right? What's the word I want for it? Desiccated. Yeah. It's a strange, desiccated place. Yeah. There's no water.

Except the rains came this year in untold, unknown quantities. And so there's water. There are wet spots around. But in addition to that, it's the place where Australian opals come from. So there's opal mining going on there. Do you know what opal mining in Cooperpedia is? It's open. You get a grant, you get a piece of land,

you put a claim in, and you start digging. No, you dig with a shovel. And you dig and you dig and you dig. And you know what you dig? First of all, you dig a tunnel so you can live in it. Because not in the month of June that we're in, or about May, but in the summertime, their summer, which is our winter, it gets to 120 degrees.

And they're still digging for opals during the day at 120 degrees. Is opal a big money rock? It can be if it's Australian opals with fire in it. You have to have the fire. Oh. And that's unusual. Did you know this before you went to Australia? Dimly.

Now I know it emphatically. So let me ask you a question. Yeah. Now, you seem like a good guy. What? You seem like a good guy. Yeah, I seem like a good guy. What? You seem like a good guy. Yeah, I seem like a good guy. What the fuck does that mean?

But how come? Because I talk English and I'm looking you in the eye? Well, I'm getting a kick out of you. Okay, good. That, that, that's the most important part. I know. How good is that? What a great compliment.

I'm getting a kick out of you. And you see people twice a week. Yeah. Right? Right. And you interview them and you're getting a kick out of me. That's a great compliment. I'm getting a kick out of you. And you see people twice a week. Yeah. Right? Right. And you interview them and you're getting a kick out of me. That's a great compliment. But at some point in your life, your reputation preceded you.

What does that mean? That you were kind of difficult. Difficult? Yeah. No, I am not the least difficult. I'm the most professional, least difficult actor you've ever met. But you know why? Did you annoy people?

You annoy people. There's a guy on Star Trek for some unknown reason is bad-mouthing me for 60 years. Why? I don't know. Oh.

I don't know him. Some guy's making me up to be difficult. Which guy? I don't even want to. The guy? There's a guy. Yeah, okay. I don't know. But how about with nimoy did you get i loved nimoy yeah nimoy loved me i wrote a book called

called uh uh leonard but was there always like that with leonard yeah were you always pals well always we met on the set. Sure. He was inward bound during the three years. I knew him and liked him. We had a great deal in common. But it was only afterwards when we had to associate on meetings and things and films, that he became my brother. Okay. And I loved him, and he loved me.

Yeah. And we were great together. So a long, interesting relationship. A long, wonderful brotherly brother. We called each other brothers. A brother I never had, and the brother he was. Huh, that's interesting, and that the brother he was. That's interesting. And that evolved.

That evolved. Yeah. Yeah. Through tragedy. And success. Exactly. Yeah. Death, divorce, children.

Yeah. Difficulties with other people, things, sickness, illness. He stepped up, huh? Huh? He stepped up. Time and again. He was a beautiful man. And you too for him?

I would like to think so, but if I were to consider that, I would think he stepped up more often for me than I did for him because the opportunity was there. Yeah. Was it mostly around your wife's death? My wife's death was one of them. Divorce. You know, we go through life.

But he was always there, huh? He was a super guy. That's nice. Super guy. That's good, right? Yeah, that's really good. Are you a vegetarian? For a while, I was.

I was on the cover of Vegetarian Magazine. And then I began meats. And then I see where meat isn't that good for you. But then how good it is. I'm somewhere in between. I realize how critically important vegetables are. Yeah. But there's nothing wrong with an occasional steak.

So you don't overdo it. Medium rare. You must be a good, genetically good sound. I got to be. It's all in your inheritance. Well, also, both your sisters are around, too. Exactly. My sister, well, I got one sister older than I am.

That's wild. Yeah. Thank God, right? Yeah. Well, yes, if that's God, yeah. Guy or whatever. I just talked to Smokey Robinson. He's 83, sharp as a tack. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, all right, let's roll, yeah. Guy or whatever. I just talked to Smokey Robinson. He's 83, sharp as a tack.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, all right, let's roll it. What? Do tacks still exist? A couple. Pushpins.

Well, where do you buy tacks these days? Well, you tell you, you buy them at Staples. You buy them at Target. Well, why would you want to do that when you have magic stickums? What, post-its? No, no, like tape. So you put a piece of magic tape. You got a picture up on your wall.

That's with a nail. Right. But you can use stuff that doesn't require a nail. It sticks it just as emphatically, just as securely. And then if you twist it, it comes off without leaving a mark. See, this is why you're sharp as a tack because you ask the big questions. But I think tacks are like...

Pushpins. I've used a couple pushpins here and there. If you have a bulletin board. Yeah, look at you. You've got a bulletin board with nothing on it. This isn't a bulletin board. It's soundproofing. Oh.

Okay, so tell me about this watch that I almost insulted you at the beginning. I thought it was going to go sideways because of the watch. Well, we've got some things to talk about. The watch. So a company called EGARD, E-G-A-R-D, comes to me some years ago. I went to make a watch. So we make a watch, and it's pretty popular. And it comes and it goes. Expensive. And I don't remember getting any money for it, but it was-

Is it an expensive watch? You know, in the $500 to $1,000. So it's not inexpensive. And I don't know what the word expensive means because it varies. I would say a $5,000 watch is expensive. See, and that's not expensive for an expensive watch. No, exactly. Yeah. So that's exactly right.

$5,000 would be an expensive watch for me too. Right. But in the world of watches. In horology, $250,000 is worth. Who the hell needs a watch that costs that much money? Right. But it's not to tell the time. I know.

It's to have a work of art on your fridge. Well, this one's a pretty good watch. Which one is it? It's the Space Watch. The Space Watch. Yeah. You know, the Omega. Okay.

So Omega's really good. Yeah, it's an Omega. But it's Omega with a Swiss. It's the one that went to the space. Yeah. Yeah. Speedmaster. Yeah.

A speedy. So, yeah, I've got one myself. Okay. Did you wear it in its face? So now they come back to me and say, we'd like to make another watch. Yeah. Like this past year. Yeah.

And I said, let's do it because I've suddenly had a vision. And instantaneously, the vision of the face of the watch came to me. And I described what I wanted. Yeah. And the guy sketched it out. No, I want this. Then he made it up. And no, it's missing this.

It's missing that. Finally, we got what I wanted. Yeah? That honors your vision? It is my vision. Ah. So the second hand is the Webb telescope, that triangle. Oh, okay.

Now that's telling you the seconds. Yeah. There's the rising Earth for the hours. The rising sun. You can see it? Oh, yeah, yeah. And the rising sun for the minutes. The celestial watch.

The celestial. Ah. minutes. It's a celestial watch. The celestial. And that's the watch with a scattering of the of the Milky Way in the blackness of the center. Really? And the strap looks like moon rock.

Wow. So it's an incredibly innovative watch. This sounds like the most personal project you've worked on. It possibly could be except I'm writing songs that are very, very personal as well. So you're not doing covers.

This next record's going to be all original music. The record that's out there now called Bill, which is on Spotify, is all personal songs as well. I'll talk about that in a minute. Let me finish The Watch. So The Watch is coming up for sale soon. Yeah.

The next month or so. Yeah. So EGARD and I are putting, Agard's watch company and I. Yeah. Are putting up a watch. Yeah. That will, it'll be up there soon with some publicity saying this is the space watch that Shatner designed.

Shatner. The man. The myth. The myth, the man, and the watch. Bill, the record. All personal. So the album. So let me tell you this story.

story. So a guy by the name of Robert Chernow and I, he's a bigwig in New York, and I met him, and he'd come to Los Angeles to do business. I'd forgotten the reason why. We decided to meet at a restaurant years and years ago. Whenever he came in, we'd meet at this restaurant. How many years? 20. Okay. So Robert and I would meet at this restaurant. How many years? 20. Okay. So Robert and I would meet at this restaurant. What did he do? He's in the hierarchy of show business.

Okay. That's as specific as I wish to be. Okay. Or as he wants me to be. Still around? Huh? Still around? Oh? Still around? Oh, yeah.

Very much. He's very young and an incredible poet. I didn't know that. Yeah. So now we're meeting, we talk, we laugh, we say, this is what I'm doing. What are you doing? Yeah. And we become really, he becomes like my, he becomes my brother.

Yeah. He becomes a great friend of mine. Yeah. And all we do is meet at a restaurant and have duck. Yeah. And we look forward to it. And we laugh. We say, it's two, three hours. One day he brings great friend of mine. Yeah. And all we do is meet at a restaurant and have duck. Yeah. And we look forward to it. And we laugh. We dance two, three hours.

One day he brings a friend of his. Yeah. Musician. Right. Dan Miller of They Might Be Giants. Yeah. The album. The group.

I know them. Yeah. So Dan and Rob and I meet. We're having dinner. And Dan says, you know, we should make an album. Yeah. And Rob says, we should make an album about Bill's experiences. Yeah.

So now Bill starts to spin some of these experiences. For example, when I left home, Montreal, I said, goodbye, Mom and Dad. I'm in a little $400 car, the cheapest little English car you could get. Yeah. And I'm driving to Ottawa to be a member of a $50 a week acting company. Okay.

I got across a bridge. I think it was the Cartier Bridge over the St. Lawrence River, but I've forgotten. And I've got this cheap little car, and I'm driving with all my belongings in the back there, and a big truck, an 18-wheeler's coming at me, and you know they push a volume of air in front of their bumper there. Yeah. There's like a big bubble of air. And that bubble of air takes me and sweeps me to the side of the little car, and I'm almost going, well, I just miss it.

I keep going. Okay? Yeah. I'm crossing a bridge at the beginning of my life. Ah. And we write a song called The Bridge. Yeah. And we're all crossing a bridge.

Yeah. And we're always facing an 18-wheeler coming our way yeah and we're always threatened we always just make it until we don't yeah and that's what the song is about and that's what the 12 songs are are like on the album bill right so the album bill which is on spot, received the kinds of notices like breathless, like one of the great, I mean, incredible reviews for a bill. Hey, we're doing well. Let's make another album. Yeah. So we start to write the songs.

We don't have a deal. And I'm asked to perform at Kennedy Center by Ben Folds, who I'd made an album with Ben Foles, which got very popular. So Ben says, what are you going to do? I said, well, I've got all these songs that we've written for another unsold album. I'll do that. So I do seven songs, one of which is called So Fragile, So Blue. And it's a song about space and the fragility of just what you and I were talking about a moment ago. So Fragile, So Blue. And it's a song about space and the fragility of just what you and I were talking about a moment ago. So Fragile, So Blue.

So we make a documentary about my performance at Kennedy Center. And a great documentary maker is editing it right now. It'll probably be called Live at Kennedy Center. Okay. And an album of that performance, which was picked up by the London LSO, the London Symphony Orchestra. Yeah. A very prestigious album label. So there'll be an album of my performance.

There'll be, on the London Symphony Orchestra, there'll be another documentary, probably called Live at Kennedy Center. Yeah. There'll be another documentary probably called Live at Kennedy Center. And we want to make a music video of So Fragile, So Blue. Yeah. Because intertwined in the lyrics of So Fragile, So Blue is the phrase, what can we do? Yeah. And my hope, my fantasy is I get personalities to say, what can we do a la We Are the World?

And it becomes a rallying cry for what can we do about global warming? So a company called Legion M has taken up those three elements and we're working on selling and

promoting those things, which are now at can, uh, can, can film on now. And so we're selling it at can, we're looking for sponsors on, on, on both of those. In the meantime, there's these NFTs. Oh yeah. Uh, orange comet is the name of the company that's doing my NFT. And it's going to be unique in the NFT world. It debuts, I think, June 15th. You're a crypto guy? Well, crypto is.

I don't know anything. No. I'm just drawing that out. I know a smattering. Crypto is an electronic anything. No. I'm just drawing that out. I know a smattering. Crypto is an electronic currency. Yes. So you're talking about the electronic world of which NFTs is part of. But the electronic world is our next human extension.

Yes. And along with artificial intelligence. Yeah. Is part of a world that is coming our way along with planet destruction. I mean, what the future, the immediate future holds for mankind is so suspect that the head of the biggest company making artificial intelligence says in front of the Senate, you've got to control us. You've got to issue laws

governing artificial intelligence because what's happening is going to be really awful for us. For example, right now, there are machines that can make you and me sound like you and me. I know. Not only sound.

I don't even know if this is us. But look like you and me. Is this us? Huh? Are we real? Exactly. Are we real? I don't know.

All right. So here's the question. So you got that, right? Yeah. There are machines that exist right now. That can make us. That are going to get better next week and in a year from now and five years from now, you'll be indistinguishable from what is really you and what is not you.

Indistinguishable. I'm going to join a company that's going to beam me in to various places that want me to appear and beam me in. I'll be here in Los Angeles, but I'll be there. But will it be you or just a facsimile of you? Would you have anything to do with it? Yes. Because you just trust it.

But I can record it here. Well, can you do that now? Or I can be live there. But can you do that now? Are you saying live now? No. My image will be indistinguishable from being real. Unless they come up and poke at you.

Exactly. Okay. I mean, I can be on the screen, but I'm talking about beaming in. I think the real concern becomes where that's happening and you have nothing to do with it. Exactly. You make the president announce we're at war. Okay?

That's there now. Yeah. So this is the future. Your fear at the beginning of the heating up of the planet where it gets rid of the human virus, fortunately there'll be a facsimile of you moving through the world. So the complexity of what humankind is facing right now is almost beyond our ability to grasp. But Orange Comet.

So Orange Comet is making an NFT. It doesn't have anything to do with e-commerce, electronics. Okay. Although I'm not sure how you, I know you have to pay for it in the usual fashion, but I'm not sure about what the electronic commerce is going to be about paying for it. Yeah. But an NFT is a non-fungible token. Yeah. You will get something.

Yeah. You will buy something. Yeah. For the price that they will announce that will be uniquely yours. Sure. You will get a variation, minute, but a variation

of what this image is of me. Now, they said, what do you want to do is for an image? I said, I want you to make a connection, a universal connection.

We all are made of stardust. We know that. But we all are unified on this planet. We all evolve together. We are all connected. Everything animate is connected. And in fact, inanimate objects are connected as well because we all evolve together. I want the NFT to exhibit to be an artistic version of this connection. How they do. I think they brilliantly did it. A great artist has made a vision of me that's extraordinary. It's almost beyond being able to describe, to see it, to believe it. In addition to that, there will be an object, a describe, to see it, to believe it. In addition

to that, there'll be an object, a doll, if you will, of me. There's 1,500 of them that will go out as well, differently inscribed in five lots. Now the doll, is that like an action figure? Yes, it's an action figure, but signed by me and in lots of 500, five times 500. I think that's going to go well for you. It should go well. I think your classic fan base will enjoy those. Well, I hope so. Yeah.

But also collectors should be able to enjoy it too. Well, that's what I mean. Because it's unique. The collectors, yeah. It's unique. Oh, they're collectors of NFTs, and that's the value. But you have some old school collectors. You have some Trekkie collectors.

Yes. So the Trekkie stuff will go, one presumes, but the NFTs are collections as well. Sure, yeah. And when you are able to show your friend, your person next to you, I have this object here in my wallet. And there's nothing else like it. And nothing else like it. Yeah. That's coming out.

And then eventually they'll have them where you can actually come on the screen and go like, he's telling the truth. Yeah, he's true. Nothing like it. What else is happening? We covered all of it. No, we haven't. Stars on Mars, NFT, the new record, the Unexplained.

The Unexplained season four is coming. The Watch. We already did The Watch. We didn't do Unexplained. Okay. Unexplained on the, what are you looking at? Nothing. I'm just looking at.

Yeah, no. Every so often you look over at that screen. I told you. I know, but I'm. I'm sure it's recording. I know, but what are you going to do? I'll raise or lower my sound? Sometimes.

No, I'll just- No, you don't have to. Come on. Yeah. So Unexplained is a big hit on Netflix and on the History Channel. Yeah. And it's all about unexplained things. Whole cities that are underground that were ancient.

Yeah. How did they do that? Yeah. UFOs that come at certain times. What do you think about that? Well, what's a UFO, man? I don't know, man. You were in space and it didn't go well.

No, no, no. Don't do that. You were in space. No, you were. Well, you don't see it in space. I know that, but we talk about them. You see it on film in a naval airplane. It takes pictures of a UFO.

Yeah. It's unidentified. Are you optimistic about them? What does that mean? What do you mean? No, but when you ask the question, what do you want to know? I'm saying that do you think UFOs offer that there's promise there? Well, but it's unidentified.

I get it. Do you know what a mirage is in the desert? Yes. What's a mirage? It's a manifestation of something that isn't there because of refracting light. Okay. Partially correct. Because it is there. of the earth yeah that object is somewhere that has hit the different

currents of air yeah the air is hot and cold much like sound in the ocean okay if it hits a layer of water you can the the whales can sound go heard 3,000 miles away. Got it. Okay? Yeah. The same thing applies to the air. Yeah. So objects 10 miles or 1,000 miles away sometimes can be seen by refracted light that look like

a mirage. Okay? Okay. So that mirage is not there, but it's there. Right. So that's what some of these ships at sea are seeing. Look, we saw a vessel and it went into the ocean. Yeah.

So that's what this UFO might be. Yeah. But it's a quality of electronics and the strangeness of static electricity. There's an explanation for it. Yes. That I don't know. Yeah. But that the vagaries, the mysterious things that are going on in the atmosphere and under

the sea are unknown to us. Yeah. There's so much that we don't know. Yeah. We think we know something. We know nothing. Yeah. Mankind knows nothing. Yeah. There's so much that we don't know. Yeah. We think we know something. We know nothing. Yeah. Mankind knows nothing.

Yeah. Okay? And then those superhuman beings who know something. Yeah. Those scientists, they know nothing. Yeah. Compared to what there is to know. So we know nothing, and we really know nothing.

Yeah. So we know nothing, and the guys who know nothing barely know nothing. And the know-somethings know nothing. Ah. Okay. Yeah. All right. Well, that's, and that's what unexplained.

And that's what a UFO is. The unexplained is. That's what the unexplained is. It's exactly what it is. Okay. And I'm fascinated. I go into. Why don't you call it we know nothing?

Well, we know nothing. I did an interview show called I don't, what I don't, I don't understand. Yeah. It was all about things I don't understand, which is everything. But you seem to have a handle on a lot of things. No. I can ask the question, like, you know, like, why are you picking your nose?

But I don't know what the answer is. I didn't quite pick it. I think I just rubbed it. No. Yeah, you rubbed it because you're polite. You didn't want to pick it. I don't pick it. And how do you pick your nose when you have a mustache?

Yeah. These are the big questions. If you want to see season two. But people don't pick it. And how do you pick your nose when you have a mustache? Yeah. These are the big questions. If you want to see season two. But people don't ask those questions. They do. No. Does anybody ever ask you a question? How do you pick your nose if you have a mustache? Well, you could just the same way you do without a mustache. No, the hair in your mustache

gets a different. The way the hair in your nose. These are not the big issues. No, but these are questions. Sure. That the answer extends to, how do you feel about yourself? Well, right. But the bottom line is, after all, as we evolve and as you evolve, that even with the UFOs and the existential realization in space,

is that you find a lot of joy in your family and your grandkids and you have a nice life and you like horses yeah and you know your life is full exactly and uh are you bringing this to an end kind of yeah you look like it's it has the sound of doesn't it i think i'm not even that professional at this kind of stuff but i think for you i'm going to do a big end now the horse thing. Okay. So in June. That's the other thing, the charity, yeah. It's a Saturday night.

I've been putting on a charity called the Hollywood Charity Horse Show for 35 years. You love horses. Yes. I love horses. But the charity is for children and veterans. Yeah. And I love children. I love veterans.

Yeah. is for children and veterans. And I love children and I love veterans. Yeah. So I've raised somewhere in the neighborhood of $400,000 to $500,000 a year for 35 years. So that's millions of dollars that have gone to veteran charities and children's charities. Millions of dollars. And the only person working the charity is me and whoever is my assistant at the time for the last 12 years.

Kathleen Hayes has been my assistant. So she's working the charity with me, the two of us. Yeah. We're not getting paid. So every penny that comes into the coffers of the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, horseshow.org. Yeah. of the Hollywood charity, Horseshow.org. Yeah. Any money that comes to us, every penny goes to those charities.

Many local Los Angeles charities, but some national, the Children's Hospital, for example. Yeah. But mostly around the Los Angeles area, but also all across the country. So that's my charity. Okay. And that's happening.

And that's the show, June 3rd. The week of June 3rd. Now, you satisfied? Never. Never. Hmm. All right. This was pretty good. I just talked and talked.

But do you remember there was a time where you didn't like podcasts? I don't understand podcasts. Who's listening to us? People can download it like a song. The same people that can go download the music that you said was on Spotify nine times can go download this. It's on the same platform. Or you can get it on iTunes. Do you have a theme?

Yeah, talking to people like you. But I'm unique. You're the only Bill Shatner I know. Exactly. You're singular. I've talked to many singular people. Oh, that's it. A few.

Usually directors, actors, comedians, a lot of comedians, a lot of people who are no longer with us I talk to. Really? Yeah, I talk to. When they were with us or even after they were? Harder when they're gone. Yeah. Just want to know the level of your sanity. It was very good talking to you.

My pleasure, man. How amazing was that? I had a very good time. And I think he did as well. I think he did as well. When the mics went off, we had a conversation about gummies and about his sore shoulder. It went on for a while. Look, I have to mention again that his new reality series, Stars on Mars, begins Monday, June 5th on Fox. For all his other things, you can go back and listen to the episode again.

Hang out for a minute. It's winter and you can get anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost, almost anything. So no, you can't get snowballs on Uber Eats. But meatballs, mozzarella balls, and arancini balls? Yes, we deliver those. Moose? No. But moose head? Yes. Because that's alcohol

and we deliver that too. Along with your favorite restaurant food, groceries, and other everyday essentials. Order Uber Eats now. For alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for details. Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence.

Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category, and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly.

This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. People, we have a first on the full Marin this week. Yes, it's the first time my girlfriend Kit is on the mic. She's trying to get me schooled in some of the movie genres I don't typically watch. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, that stuff. And I got to be honest with you, she's fucking great on the mic. I think like Alien. Alien. I think The Fly, The New Fly. Oh, that one's fucking good. I remember being

profoundly affected by the John Carpenter's thing. Were you? Because these came out when I was a kid. I love John Carpenter's thing. I wasn't a kid. I love John Carpenter. Yeah, it was the 80s. Did it scare you or was it just fucked up? No, I just thought it was like the effects of it and like the thing just like when you see the guy in the thing.

That dog. That dog. Oh, when he breaks open? Jeb the Wolf Dog. Yeah. That dog actor's name. I believe that that was, I believe that your friend Patton's wife acted with that dog in a movie. Yeah, that was a prolific canine actor.

The current wife. Yeah. Oh dog in a movie. Yeah, that was a prolific canine actor. The current wife. Yeah. Oh, wow, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, well, Patton, like, it would seem to me that you and Patton could hang out for days and just go into it. I've never met him, but I've eaten a lot of the ice cream he sent you, so thank you for that. You could just go into a nerd hole with Patton, a nerd cave. I can't really.

You can't do that for days on end. You come out something foul. You turn into something unwanted. You can get that full bonus episode with a full Marin subscription. There are new bonus episodes every week. Plus you get every WTF episode ad free. Click on the link in the episode description

or go to wtfpod.com and click on WTF plus to sign up next week. We have my bad guys, co-star Anthony Ramos on Monday and comedian Jeff Stilson on Thursday. This is a one take Raga, a one take blues Raga on the guitar. Thank you. guitar solo Boomer lives. Monkey and La Fonda. Cat angels everywhere.