Shatner and Nimoy in Vancouver - [Summary]
I know some of you will want to see this, though yes, it's fannish and obsessive! My notes are spotty, and my memory more so: I concentrated on the shatnoyish bits as I figured those would be of primary interest. Mostly it was just nice to realize, hey, those are real people up there. It blew my mind, a little, I have to say, as not-fangirly as I expected to feel. (Yes, self-deluded, I know.)
Nimoy came out first, wearing his LLAP t-shirt, and informed us that Bill had stood him up that morning for breakfast. He went to his room at 9 and Bill wasn't up so when Bill came out, we were all to give him a hard time. "Whenever we go anywhere, the first thing he wants to know is 'where are we eating?'" he said. There was some more riffing on that, and some talk about various projects (Nimoy really sounded like he was buttering Shatner up remotely), and then he took questions. One was from Jar Jar Binks. I kid you not. Stupid voice and all. The dude was a massive waster of time, and asked "Why you so much a god?" Nimoy deflected, saying "Bless you, whatever your problem is," and the guy got taken away (though I saw him later walking around). Another woman from New Zealand who had had a terrible time getting here came up and thanked him for the Full Body Project as a plus-size model and someone with friends from native cultures with different standards of beauty, and Nimoy talked a bit about the weight-loss industry being an industry, etc.
Then there was some crazy dude talking about the future or something and unable to simply ask a question who offered the memorable quote, "We were promised in 1984 by Orson Welles..." He got taken away. In all, Nimoy was very gracious and patient.
So. Shatner comes out, *applause applause*, and somehow said something to Len about his expression, maybe? Or something. Or Len said he was confused. "You're not confused, you're overwhelmed," Bill said. Presumably, he continued, by him. Len proceeded to list all the things that overwhelmed him about Shatner, in much the same way we've seen him "manage" him in public, and finally paused after another "I'm overwhelmed by your..." when Bill jumped in with, "Don't say that in front of all these people."
Then Nimoy went away to give Shatner his time, and at some point a baby cried. "Is that Leonard? Of course it's Leonard. I'm getting more laughs." Bill was sort of a dick a lot, actually. Anyway he told us about appearing at the Olympics and some drama with the teleprompter and about being offered four tickets to the USA/Canada hockey game and the family machinations about who was going to go, and then they said you have no tickets, and then they said 3, and then finally Shatner said, "I don't want to be that actor who says I won't go on unless I get the tickets, but I won't go on unless I get the tickets. Seven of them." It was rambly and cute and quintessential Shatner, in his tangential-but-I-do-have-a-point sort of way.
One question got asked, about the work he's doing to save salmon, and he spent about 10 minutes explaining the ecosystem to us in that way he has of appearing to assume you have NEVER HEARD SUCH THINGS ABOUT OUR WORLD IN YOUR LIFE AND I AM GOING TO TEACH YOU. Then Nimoy came out again and said something about how he was thinking about "the first time we appeared together in public." Bill said, "I thought you were going to say the men's room."
They did their talking thing, about projects, Bill ribbed Len about sleeping a lot or something or being lazy, Len said he'd spent a lot of quality time with his wife and Maltese dog Max, and had conversations with the dog and enjoyed their back yard, but he was on his way to a gallery opening in Massachusetts. Overall there was some "tension" between Leonard saying "when are you going to do something with your life" and Shatner accusing Leonard of some degree of laziness. Shatner told of his very busy week. (At one point later a woman I spoke to mentioned he was so active and energetic for a man of his age. I replied that he was active and energetic for a human being.) They talked a little about Vulcan, Alberta. Shatner did his insistent repeating of questions while simultaneously not allowing Nimoy to speak. And insulted Vulcan, presumably because Nimoy had had fun there. (One gets the sense that topics must be returned to their proper focus, namely, Shatner, and one also senses that Nimoy is used to this. There was also a part where, while onstage together, they asked these old twin ladies who were standing in the question line to sing something. How about Fiddler on the Roof? And they did a bit of "Matchmaker" and Bill seemed THRILLED and invited them up, and the ladies were a perfect foil for his straight man, until they got a little too interesting and he was basically ready to take the spotlight back.)
Oh, and Shatner ragged a bit on the Full Body project and I can't tell if it was about the project itself or the name because he kept insisting that they were just fat, what's this "full body" thing? Which just seemed a little needlessly assholey given that he had to have heard the girl before. I mean, he didn't seem angry or in a bad mood, just being Bill, which I think is a little mean or insensitive or something anyway. I think it's important for me to try to explain that I love him, but I think he's often a jerk. That doesn't take away from what I do love about him, but I think it's possible to admire and admonish in the same breath. (Secretly, of course, I was hoping he was going to start up again with full body cracks about taking his photo. Alas.)
So there was some stir in the crowd at that, because as you can imagine he was insulting a lot of people, and he accused Nimoy of turning the crowd against him. And complained that he was from Canada and Len was from Boston so why did they like him more? (Paraphrased.)
Sorry, I am just staying all the mean bits! But it wasn't all that negative, just that old married bantery stuff. Bill at one point said, "You didn't twitter until I encouraged you to," which was cute. And at one point, Nimoy got up and carried his chair to the other side of the stage in mock frustration, and Shatner followed him, it was very cute.
"You were mean on the show and you haven't gotten any nicer."
"No, just older... And meaner. You should see me when I'm really mean."
They put their arms around each other, Nimoy giving the Vulcan salute, and Bill said something like, "Leonard and I, growing old together." I think there was a bit just before that about how they thought people were waiting to write obituaries? But I didn't catch all of it. Shatner also offered to take Nimoy out to dinner. At Subway.
That is all the notes I took, and most of what I remember. It was really fun, and they have clearly honed their "act" over the years. By which I mean, while they have a few stock stories they trot out, it feels like they're more interested in entertaining themselves, and they've made that entertaining for others. They're not interested in giving a big grand show, they're over it, and they realize they don't have to. I'd much rather watch them shoot the breeze about what they did that week than tell the same stories that are in their books anyway, and the genius of it is that they can get away with that because it works on stage. The public/private aspects of that are a little confusing for me to tease out, because they move further and further away from being famous for Star Trek until, for some of us, they are notable simply for their personae in appearances like these. Which are, to varying extents, both real and performed. Now, they wouldn't be that without Trek, but figuring out the layers there makes my head spin a little.
This entry is also posted at http://my-daroga.dreamwidth.org/260747.html. Feel free to comment wherever you want.
Nimoy came out first, wearing his LLAP t-shirt, and informed us that Bill had stood him up that morning for breakfast. He went to his room at 9 and Bill wasn't up so when Bill came out, we were all to give him a hard time. "Whenever we go anywhere, the first thing he wants to know is 'where are we eating?'" he said. There was some more riffing on that, and some talk about various projects (Nimoy really sounded like he was buttering Shatner up remotely), and then he took questions. One was from Jar Jar Binks. I kid you not. Stupid voice and all. The dude was a massive waster of time, and asked "Why you so much a god?" Nimoy deflected, saying "Bless you, whatever your problem is," and the guy got taken away (though I saw him later walking around). Another woman from New Zealand who had had a terrible time getting here came up and thanked him for the Full Body Project as a plus-size model and someone with friends from native cultures with different standards of beauty, and Nimoy talked a bit about the weight-loss industry being an industry, etc.
Then there was some crazy dude talking about the future or something and unable to simply ask a question who offered the memorable quote, "We were promised in 1984 by Orson Welles..." He got taken away. In all, Nimoy was very gracious and patient.
So. Shatner comes out, *applause applause*, and somehow said something to Len about his expression, maybe? Or something. Or Len said he was confused. "You're not confused, you're overwhelmed," Bill said. Presumably, he continued, by him. Len proceeded to list all the things that overwhelmed him about Shatner, in much the same way we've seen him "manage" him in public, and finally paused after another "I'm overwhelmed by your..." when Bill jumped in with, "Don't say that in front of all these people."
Then Nimoy went away to give Shatner his time, and at some point a baby cried. "Is that Leonard? Of course it's Leonard. I'm getting more laughs." Bill was sort of a dick a lot, actually. Anyway he told us about appearing at the Olympics and some drama with the teleprompter and about being offered four tickets to the USA/Canada hockey game and the family machinations about who was going to go, and then they said you have no tickets, and then they said 3, and then finally Shatner said, "I don't want to be that actor who says I won't go on unless I get the tickets, but I won't go on unless I get the tickets. Seven of them." It was rambly and cute and quintessential Shatner, in his tangential-but-I-do-have-a-point sort of way.
One question got asked, about the work he's doing to save salmon, and he spent about 10 minutes explaining the ecosystem to us in that way he has of appearing to assume you have NEVER HEARD SUCH THINGS ABOUT OUR WORLD IN YOUR LIFE AND I AM GOING TO TEACH YOU. Then Nimoy came out again and said something about how he was thinking about "the first time we appeared together in public." Bill said, "I thought you were going to say the men's room."
They did their talking thing, about projects, Bill ribbed Len about sleeping a lot or something or being lazy, Len said he'd spent a lot of quality time with his wife and Maltese dog Max, and had conversations with the dog and enjoyed their back yard, but he was on his way to a gallery opening in Massachusetts. Overall there was some "tension" between Leonard saying "when are you going to do something with your life" and Shatner accusing Leonard of some degree of laziness. Shatner told of his very busy week. (At one point later a woman I spoke to mentioned he was so active and energetic for a man of his age. I replied that he was active and energetic for a human being.) They talked a little about Vulcan, Alberta. Shatner did his insistent repeating of questions while simultaneously not allowing Nimoy to speak. And insulted Vulcan, presumably because Nimoy had had fun there. (One gets the sense that topics must be returned to their proper focus, namely, Shatner, and one also senses that Nimoy is used to this. There was also a part where, while onstage together, they asked these old twin ladies who were standing in the question line to sing something. How about Fiddler on the Roof? And they did a bit of "Matchmaker" and Bill seemed THRILLED and invited them up, and the ladies were a perfect foil for his straight man, until they got a little too interesting and he was basically ready to take the spotlight back.)
Oh, and Shatner ragged a bit on the Full Body project and I can't tell if it was about the project itself or the name because he kept insisting that they were just fat, what's this "full body" thing? Which just seemed a little needlessly assholey given that he had to have heard the girl before. I mean, he didn't seem angry or in a bad mood, just being Bill, which I think is a little mean or insensitive or something anyway. I think it's important for me to try to explain that I love him, but I think he's often a jerk. That doesn't take away from what I do love about him, but I think it's possible to admire and admonish in the same breath. (Secretly, of course, I was hoping he was going to start up again with full body cracks about taking his photo. Alas.)
So there was some stir in the crowd at that, because as you can imagine he was insulting a lot of people, and he accused Nimoy of turning the crowd against him. And complained that he was from Canada and Len was from Boston so why did they like him more? (Paraphrased.)
Sorry, I am just staying all the mean bits! But it wasn't all that negative, just that old married bantery stuff. Bill at one point said, "You didn't twitter until I encouraged you to," which was cute. And at one point, Nimoy got up and carried his chair to the other side of the stage in mock frustration, and Shatner followed him, it was very cute.
"You were mean on the show and you haven't gotten any nicer."
"No, just older... And meaner. You should see me when I'm really mean."
They put their arms around each other, Nimoy giving the Vulcan salute, and Bill said something like, "Leonard and I, growing old together." I think there was a bit just before that about how they thought people were waiting to write obituaries? But I didn't catch all of it. Shatner also offered to take Nimoy out to dinner. At Subway.
That is all the notes I took, and most of what I remember. It was really fun, and they have clearly honed their "act" over the years. By which I mean, while they have a few stock stories they trot out, it feels like they're more interested in entertaining themselves, and they've made that entertaining for others. They're not interested in giving a big grand show, they're over it, and they realize they don't have to. I'd much rather watch them shoot the breeze about what they did that week than tell the same stories that are in their books anyway, and the genius of it is that they can get away with that because it works on stage. The public/private aspects of that are a little confusing for me to tease out, because they move further and further away from being famous for Star Trek until, for some of us, they are notable simply for their personae in appearances like these. Which are, to varying extents, both real and performed. Now, they wouldn't be that without Trek, but figuring out the layers there makes my head spin a little.
This entry is also posted at http://my-daroga.dreamwidth.org/260747.html. Feel free to comment wherever you want.