It's the ambiguities about motive and ability, keeping us guessing, that
make the whole business keep going. Like telling a story - stringing
the reader along for a punch line that just won't quite appear.
Eventually it weakens.
On 3/1/2010 6:47 PM, Sal Armoniac wrote:
I detect that you and others detect a certain cynicism. :) Can one be
cynical about one's motives for being funny?
Sarah
On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 11:12 AM, <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Have you seen his talk show?
He know's what has made him a household name. So he plays to that.
Wayne
In a message dated 3/1/2010 10:36:28 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> writes:
Re. satire versus seriousness, I'm with Jonathan on this one.
Shatner's whole "Transformed Man" LP is full of painful stuff
like that. (His cover of "Mister Tambourine Man" is actually
kind of terrifying. It's like the Tambourine Man is Freddy
Krueger or something. "I'll come FOLLOWIN' YA!") Add that to
stories that folks like Walter Koenig and George Takei tell,
and it's hard for me to take this as satire.
Shatner reminds me of those little kids who start out being
serious, get laughs, and then ham it up to keep getting
attention. He does have good comic timing, though, it's true.
He was hilarious when he hosted SNL (especially the bit where
he posed in front of a mirror, flexing and complimenting
himself, for the entire sketch). The bits in the early days of
Boston Legal where every line of his dialogue for an entire
scene would be inflections on "Denny Crane" could be very
funny. Unfortunately David Kelley has the same ego/performance
issues as Shatner, with no one (e.g. a director) to tell him
when he's out to sea.
Does Shatner know he's doing parody? By this point and based
on some things he says, I think he must. But I also think he
forgets. And sometimes, even when the schtick gets serious --
e.g. he did a cover of "Common People" with Joe Jackson that's
not half bad. I suspect that's because Ben Folds rode him on
the "interpretative" excesses.
On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 8:41 AM, Jonathan Sherwood
<[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I don't know. I don't think he got into
his satirical phase until much later. If I heard the
audience laughing, then I'd believe it was meant to be a
joke. Or if I saw the slightest twinkle in Shattner's eye
to suggest he was poking fun at himself - but I think he
was just trying to get his singing career off the ground.
<slaps hands over eyes - I can't watch anymore!>
On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 2:26 AM, Sal Armoniac
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
PS: I laugh hysterically every time I see it! :)
It's hilarious.
On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 2:21 AM, Sal Armoniac
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Ha guys, didn't any of you see it as satiric?
Shatner is playing that role to this day on Boston
Legal. That character didn't come out of the blue.
I'm convinced that that's a parody Shatner is
doing of Shatner as he plays Kirk. :)
Sarah
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