Scott Bakula on "Shatner's Raw Nerve" on BIO channel

[justTripn]

Silverbullet alerted me to this. I just watched William Shatner interview Scott Bakula on the TV show "Shatner's Raw Nerve" on the BIO Channel. I watch this show anyway because I love biography, but this was a special treat. (All the following quotations are a paraphrase based on my tenuous memory of the interview)

So this show always begins, "[Special Guest] is about to expose [his/her] raw nerve" then Shatner basically tries to get the star to relate some horribly painful information (the death of a parent, rejection, a drug addiction) and Shatner will share similar information in return. This show was about the only one that broke that mold. Scott Bakula came off as a completely normal, happy guy.

First Shatner asks about his singing career. Seems Scott Bakula thinks of himself primarily as a singer! He was always singing in musicals since high school at least and when asked what he sees himself doing in the future, he said, that's what he wants to do forever. He loves it. The inverview began when Scott was young in Missouri on a "float trip" with his friends and he lost his voice and wasn't able to sing campfire songs or whatever and it ruined the trip for him. This was the show's "raw nerve" moment, such as it was. So Shatner was like, "So what did it FEEL like? You loved singing and you lost that." Bakula was just like, "Well, I don't know. It was very emotionally difficult because I was in a show, but I accepted it, and my life was so busy I didn't have time to think about it too much. And then later my voice came back." Then he describes how in Quantum Leap he got many opportunities to sing. Then Shatner asks "And what about in Star Trek? Were you going to sing in Star Trek?" Bakula says, "YES! I think we all assumed that I would eventually, but then the show got canceled after only four years." Then he is all appologetic about saying "Only four years" like he had been insentive and they both laugh and acknowledge that Shatner had only three years. Then Shatner asks "Did you ever dream you'd grow up to be a starship captain?" And Bakula lights up, like "Never in a million years did I think that would happen. I loved Star Trek!" And they are both very exuberant. Then Bakula continues with the singing story, saying, in the middle of the third season, it suddenly seemed inapproriate to fit in an excuse for Captain Archer to sing, what with fighting the Xindi and saving Earth etc. Then that is the end of the Star Trek discussion. Then Bakula talks about how he quit college for his music career and how his father disapproved but didn't beat him over the head about it. After a year living at home, he took off for New York City, not knowing a soul and within a week had a job touring with a musical and everything clicked for him from there on out. Then Shatner asks about Bakula's children: What do they want to do? Bakula mentions that his oldest son wants to be a boxer and make jewlrey. Shatner is shocked and says, "So how do you explain to him that this is a bad idea?" And Bakula with this glowing smile says there is nothing he can do. He says he advises his son, and his son listens politely and probably ignores the advice. And that's all one can do. Just like his father couldn't talk him out of singing. You can tell he loves them and respects their choices.

At the end of the show, the guest always brings an object that means something to them. Well Bakula has brought a 10lb weight that was custom made, because "It represents health, and as you know in this job we have to be concerned about that."

End of show.

[Elessar]

I just realized this didn't get any replies, but that is so cool! I wish I had seen it! So I guess it sounds like Bakula and Shatner get along ok - he really rubs a lot of Trek actors the wrong way. I guess in a lot of situations they start to act like divas and the egos probably take up a lot of room on stage at cons.

[Cogito]

This makes me think of the painful convention scenes in Galaxy Quest. Not because either of the actors are like Jason Nesmith, but because the characters they play are.

I feel a bit sad to realise that I have to correct that to played now.