Can someone be too old to be a rock star? You would think after a certain age that they couldn’t take the loud noise of it all, let alone the lifestyle. However, 95-year-old acting legend William Shatner defied expectations by making his heavy metal debut at an after-hours warm-up gig for Riot Fest in Chicago.
There, he covered a litany of classics with his band The *uckers, from Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”. The Star Trek actor let the band do the heavy lifting in terms of performance, but his voice shone through in a way you wouldn’t expect in the slightest. Check them out below:
If nothing else, William Shatner seems genuinely excited to explore the world of metal music and to experience new things at 95 years old. In an interview with Billboard, he described himself as “enlivened” and “filled with passion” about his latest creative endeavor.
“I’ve come to understand what heavy metal is,” Shatner told the publication. “It’s an energy that permeates your body and lifts you up. Heavy metal is the rhythm of life. It’s overwhelming, especially if you’ve got earphones in. This afternoon, I’m going to have earbuds that have been made for me and the rest of the group. I’m so excited about what I’m performing. It’s a real-life fervor happening for me.”
William Shatner Is All-in on Heavy Metal Music at 95 Years Old
All of this will eventually culminate in a new album titled What The F Is Heavy Metal?. Apparently, that was his genuine reaction before trying his hand at the genre. But after getting his feet wet, he explained how invigorating the challenge feels for him.
“I’m stumbling around in total ignorance, except for one thing. I have a feeling garnered intuitively but garnered over years of experience as to what’s entertaining. What’s fun,” William Shatner said.
“For example, we could have ended the set with ‘Sandman’. It’s very theatrical. But we’ve written a song called ‘One Fear,’ which is the fear of growing old. It ends with the last chord and my saying, ‘Fear fear, fear,’ bang!… ‘of old age.’ And then the concert’s done.”
Perhaps the most unhinged thing about William Shatner going heavy metal is that he insists upon reinterpreting the classics he covers. Out of them all, his take on “Enter Sandman” is probably the most unhinged.
“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. It’s one of the most exciting performances that I’ve ever done,” William Shatner added. “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.”
(Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
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