Beam Me Up

I made a reference to William Shatner's CD in a previous article, and YES, that is the William Shatner of Captain James T. Kirk fame. Now I'm far from being a Trekkie, but I watched this programme often while growing up. In fact, my very first girlfriend's Dad went to McGill University in Montreal with Bill.

...But I digress...

"Has Been" truly is a fab record released last year and actually has some very rockin' tunes. It kicks off with "Common People" which kicks ass. Other tracks include "You'll Have Time" which he does with what sounds like a Southern Baptist choir, "Has Been" which sounds like it was spawned from a cheesey spagetti western and "That's Me Trying" which really pokes fun at patheticness. The last two songs are particularly good. "I Can't Get Behind That" is a duet of sorts with ex-Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins where they open up a number of issues, and "Real", performed Brad Paisley, is a real gem.

Now before you start to panic, Bill's not actually singing on any of these tracks, but rather speaking in his familiar Shatneresque. Overall, though it is meant to be cheesey, Billy really shows that he can poke fun at himself and make a few profound statements along the way. So, if you are searching for that perfect Christmas gift, I'd strongly recommend you go down to your local record shop and pick up a copy.