On the evening of Sunday, September 20, William Shatner will go where no “Star Trek” star has gone before when he performs as a heavy metal singer at Chicago’s Riot Fest.
“I have explored space. I have explored time. Now … I explore distortion,” Shatner previously said via social media of his new career in metal.
On the night before making his official debut, on Saturday, September 19, he and his band played a surprise warmup gig at Chicago’s Park West cliub.
Shatner Goes Off the Rails on a Crazy Train
As Rolling Stone reported, Shatner’s six-song set featured three originals from his upcoming album, “What the F Is Heavy Metal.”
In addition, he and his band — comprised of heavy metal veterans who’ve played with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol — dusted off covers of such metal classics as Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades.”
Another First for Shatner
When Shatner hits the stage on Sunday night, he’ll be joining a hard-rocking lineup that also includes Iggy Pop, Public Image Ltd., Morrissey, Blink-182, Weezer, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, The Pogues, The Damned, Jawbreaker and others.
“I’m so enlivened. I’m so filled with passion. I’ve come to understand what heavy metal is,” Shatner said of his new musical passion in a recent interview with Billboard.
“It’s an energy that permeates your body and lifts you up,” he continued. “Heavy metal is the rhythm of life. It’s overwhelming, especially if you’ve got earphones in.”
Shatner has already recorded several albums, in genres ranging from blues to progressive rock to country to Americana to Christmas — and, of course, his acclaimed collaboration with Ben Folds, 2004s “Has Been.”
As Shatner told Billboard, when he was approached by Cleopatra Records’ president about recording a metal album, he was initially dubious.
“I said, ‘What the [expletive] is heavy metal?’ and that’s the title of the album: What the F Is Heavy Metal?” Shatner explained. “Then I began to discover what the [expletive] is heavy metal. I’ve been preparing for two months now, on a scratch track on my phone doing the entrances and exits, which is only visible to a trained musician. Only by counting down do you know where to come in on heavy metal because it all sounds alike. Yesterday I had my first rehearsal with [his band] and it’s working and it’s going to be fantastic. It’s going to be extraordinary.”
Shatner is ‘Reinterpreting’ Metal
Shatner is not unaware that his new journey into metal may land him flat on his face.
“Imagine the fear of the actor. The actor’s nightmare is being naked and not remembering your lines. Well, I’m going to be dressed and I’ll have help with the lines in the equipment. But the other part of that nightmare is being laughed offstage. ‘Oh, what is he doing?’ I’m poised between being laughed off the stage and being lauded. This is new, this is exciting, this is heavy metal like it’s never been heard before because I’m reinterpreting,” he explained to Billboard.
“Even the cover songs, I’m reinterpreting. For example, my interpretation of ‘Enter Sandman’ is it’s a child molester that has written these lyrics and I’m performing it this way and so it’s all different and it’s all very exciting and I hope it works,” he continued.
“It’s one of the most exciting performances that I’ve ever done. When you don’t do it the same way Metallica does it — imagine doing it like a nasty man who’s got this child in the closet in your head. Touch my hand and we’re off to never neverland.”
That said, he admitted he really has no idea what kind of a response he’ll receive when he hits the stage at Riot Fest. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said, “You’re talking to an actor just prior to the curtain going up saying, ‘I have no idea.’ Well, I have some idea, because there were some professional people that were at the rehearsal there yesterday saying, ‘Holy [expletive]!'”
