You can now add “recording artist” to William Shatner’s long list of achievements.
The 90-year-old “Star Trek” alum has released a spoken word album based on his long life and work on the silver screen.
“Bill” is a collection of stories and anecdotes from the Canadian native’s life. The album features such stars as Joe Jonas, Dan Miller, Joe Walsh, Brad Paisley and John Lurie, who all helped Shatner compose the project.
The Jonas Brothers member, 32, played a big part in the record’s production. “Bill” was released on Sept. 24 by way of Jonas’ new label, Let’s Get It Records/Republic Records.
“It’s such a work of heart,” Shatner told the Hollywood Reporter of the project. When asked how Jonas came into the picture, he said, “It’s still a mystery.”
“It’s a story filled with mysterioso. What I would like to do, someday in the near future, is talk to my two partners with Joe and I and maybe a couple of others in a meeting and answer that very question,” Shatner explained. “What did Joe hear in the preliminary tapes and when did Dan Miller bring him in to say, ‘Joe, why don’t you listen to this.’ Joe says, ‘Oh, Jesus. I like that. I’d like to represent it and I’d like to do a number and here’s the number I’d like to do.'”
The sci-fi actor added that the former Disney Channel star sings on a track called “Clouds of Guilt.”
Shatner continued, “One day, there is Joe singing on ‘Clouds of Guilt’ and it’s terrific. It has a depth to it and his gentle approach is not straightened and yet it’s there. But what Joe Jonas heard and saw, I’ve yet to hear that from him. It will be a revelation. But he did bring it to Republic and Republic brought it to Universal.”
So would Shatner ever perform his album live for the masses? “That would require a lot of preparation. I would need the lyrics in front of me,” he said. “It’s a big time commitment and time is so precious to me now.”