This week on their Fly on the Wall podcast, hosts Dana Carvey and David Spade welcome Captain James T. Kirk himself, Mr. William Shatner, to the program to discuss his favorite Saturday Night Live memories and a whole lot more.
LISTEN NOW: Fly On The Wall: William Shatner
While perhaps best known for his role as Star Trek's Capt. Kirk, veteran of the SNL stage, William Shatner, has provided hosting duties twice on the long-running program throughout his storied career, although counting all of the impersonations done of him over the years by numerous hilarious cast members would prove to be impossible to count. Show alum Dana Carvey says he's long considered Bill, as he's known by friends, his favorite host not only as a 'Star Trek' fan himself but also after seeing how "light and fun" his attitude was during his time on the set.
Remembering at the time Shatner asked him in return, "Well how else would you do this?" It was the perfect attitude Dana feels, confronted with the "impossible" task of running a show with no rehearsal and confusion abound.
"The other part that is butt-tightening," Shatner admits, "is the words... you gotta remember the words. In this case they're all in front of you so you're not gonna forget the words. The only thing is, you're riveted looking at the cards as against trying to get looser... give it a little juice."
Confidence and simplicity, Shatner believes, are important dynamics in comedy. "In a joke, the more you can cut superfluous material away from the words, hone it down to its basic simplicity... The more simple you are as an individual, as an artist, as a person in a relationship, the more honest and simple, it becomes then just being," he says. "You don't make the crowd work."
Now 91 years old, William Shatner, of course, is no mere man of manufactured stage, screen, and galactic conquest. Before this interview, recorded back in 2022, he took his now legendary and admittedly overwhelming trip into space aboard Blue Origin's second crewed mission.
Be sure to check out the full episode with William Shatner above -- now playing on Audacy -- as Cadence13 invites you to be a Fly on the Wall with Saturday Night Live alumni Dana Carvey and David Spade behind the scenes as they reminisce about their most memorable stories and moments with friends of the show. In each episode, you’ll hear from your favorite cast members, hosts, writers, and musical guests as they share never-before-told stories about their careers.
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