Get A Life!

by Chris Kreski (Author & Narrator), Chris Kreski

For years, William Shatner's attitude toward Star Trek conventions was strictly he'd typically fly in the day of his appearance, go straight from the airport to the stage, and then leave as quickly as possible. But when he went on an extensive tour to promote Generations, he became "Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas morning." Soon he was talking to fellow cast members, convention organizers, and the fans themselves, discovering how love of a science fiction show had helped create a tight-knit community. In the course of this book, Shatner gives us a short history of Trek fandom, reveals the thinking behind Paramount's decision to kill off James T. Kirk, briefly explains the origins of the infamous Saturday Night Live sketch that gives the book its title, holds a seminar with the three other starship captains, and even takes lessons on the proper way to imitate Kirk from the master, Kevin Pollak, an actor/comedian. (Among the insights those dramatic pauses in Kirk's speeches were the result of Shatner trying to remember his next line.) And there are plenty of jokes at the expense of Leonard Nimoy, as well as a few skewering Shatner. (The "elephant story" is a classic in itself. Once, when Shatner was on a photo safari in Africa, an elephant did number two on his head. He tells the story at cons, and the fans seem to love it, for some reason.) But the most touching segments of Get a Life! are Shatner's interviews with the fans, particularly those to whom the show and the fan community have given a social and emotional lifeline. Once you've read the conversations with the shy veterinary student who made friends by dressing his cats in Star Trek uniforms, or with a young woman whose severe emotional and sexual trauma had led to the development of multiple personalities that included three healing presences in the form of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, you will never be able to make a Trekkie joke quite so readily again. --Ron Hogan

Genres: Nonfiction, Star Trek, Biography, Autobiography, Humor, Memoir, Audiobook

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Nathan Shumate]

The best way to experience this book is as an audiobook, read of course by Shatner.

[John Bruni]

The very idea of this book is ludicrous. Wonderfully, hilariously ludicrous. Shatner, in an attempt to understand why STAR TREK is so important to people, goes undercover at conventions and interviews fans. Seriously, he put on a rubber mask so no one would know it was him, and he changed his voice, and he talked to all of these fans about why they dress up as Klingons, Romulans, etc. This book is also filled with the inside story of why Kirk was killed in STAR TREK GENERATIONS and other various anecdotes, including countless good-natured jabs at Leonard Nimoy. (There is even an account of a practical joke he TRIED to play on Nimoy by using a ton of fans from a convention.) If you love STAR TREK, this is a must-read for you.

[Joe Gibbs]

I just listened to the audiobook of this, read by William Shatner himself. I must say, I will be seeking more of his narration work because he really is very entertaining.

The book itself, while short, is an amusing and good natured journey through Shatner's Star Trek career, particularly how he came to terms with being the subject of fandom, interacting with his fans, appearing at conventions and the like.

I enjoyed it immensely and only wish it had been a more meaty publication.

[Josanne]

Listened to the audiobook read by William Shatner himself! It was very entertaining.

[Michelle]

In this period of his life, Bill is on the fan floor in an anonymous, obnoxious, monster mask at Sci-Fi conventions. Touching ending, I won't spoil it..

[Cashmere]

I enjoyed this book.

This is yet another book that was sitting, gathering dust in my apartment for over a decade, waiting to be read "someday."

Well, someday recently came and I breezed through this interesting little tome. I enjoyed the first two books written by William Shatner and Chris Kreski (Star Trek Memories and Star Trek Movie Memories), but I read them at the time of their publication. Now, over two decades later, I'm finally reading this third.

In this one, Shatner and Kreski explore the world of Star Trek fandom, which in turn is a look at communal fandom in general. Am I a diehard Trekkie/Trekker? I would have to say no... but I've always had a very soft spot for The Original Series and its cast, and even attended a few Star Trek conventions many eons ago as a young pre-teen. It was especially fascinating to learn the history of Star Trek conventions and I very much appreciated the sincere effort made by the authors to understand Star Trek fan psychology and experience.

The book is written in a breezy, very down to earth, very honest-sounding tone, but it explores its subject intelligently and with affection. Upon reading it, one feels that Shatner really has come to love and embrace Star Trek fandom which he avoided doing for so long.

I could have done without the interview excerpts concerning non-original-cast Star Trek, but at this point, I guess they are somewhat inseparable.

I am a passionate fan of many subjects, many far lesser know than Star Trek. This book caused me to reflect on my fandom of such subjects, and in many cases I realize that there is no "fan community" of any note associated with some of my passions, and that's unfortunate in a way. Star Trek fans will forever be part of that large, global community of Trekkies/Trekkers and clearly, their lives are enriched by it.

Anyhow, I did enjoy learning about all of it, and this book was a fun (and long overdue) read.

One bit of obscure random trivia that I learned from reading this book: Actor Bob Odenkirk (of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" fame) was the writer of the famous "Get a Life!" "Saturday Night Live" sketch from which this book received it's title.

[Michele Brack]

#26 A book by an author from a country you've never visited

Another book on the shelf that I have been waiting to get out of the running. I've read nearly all of his other books so I figured, why not this one, too? And Canada is somewhere that I have never visited. So there.

Having been to Comic Con a few times as well as some other fan convention similar to it, I can pretty much feel where he was trying to go with this book. It's completely different from a fan's perspective than it is for the celebrities. Though I can't tell you who has the better side of the deal (unless you're talking money-wise, and then it is DEFINITELY the celebs. Cons are EXPENSIVE AF!)

Hearing about him going around cons with a rubber mask was kind of hilarious.

[Robert]

The title was off putting, Thinking it was going to be a put down to all trekkies, Which is the kind of comments I had heard about William Shatner from different people at conventions. But I went ahead on the read any way. I was surprised and delighted to find that what I heard was Crap. This was a great book that took me on an emotional roller coaster of some of my best memories of going to some of the early Si-Fi conventions, I had almost forgot how exciting those days were to me. I am once again a fan of Captain Kirk and enjoyed his book very much. This was a Good Read.

[Janine]

I absolutely adored this book. I laughed so many times reading about his experiences with fans and what he didn't know about conventions. It was genuine, amusing, heartwarming and FUN! If you're a Star Trek fan, I think you'll enjoy reading it. I learned so much about the early days of the original series. The book is full of stories from fans, as well as other people involved in the series. It's a fun read.

[Justin Stepney]

Anna & me getting all into shatner's hilarious musesickal cds she recommended I hear her book by him, thought it was hilarious this man wrote a damn book in the 1st place. So far so good, but I will say I am more so reading it now to finish it. Funny parts but also many parts that get into star trek shite that don't interest me as much..

[Cassa]

Surprisingly riveting; I was up until 3am reading because I literally could not put this book down until I'd finished it. Fascinating history of Star Trek conventions and fans in general from an unusual perspective.

[Ed Nemo]

I love this book. I have read it quite a few times and it never fails to make me laugh. Silly stories and interesting people set to the background of a popular sci-fi show. Love Star Trek? Read this book. Hate Star Trek? Read this book. It's really that much fun!

[Jono Carney]

Really well written, in a classic Shatner style. I like how he is able to take the piss out of not only others but himself too. Shatner is a legend and this collection of stories centred around his, and other's, experiences of Star Trek conventions is just a good read.

[Kristen]

I don't know why I read this at the time because I hadn't seen any of the original series episodes yet. I don't remember a lot about the book but I DO distinctly remember reading it on my way to work, sitting on the MBTA Red Line, and laughing out loud so much that people were giving me side eye.

[Ietrio]

Even after layers of cosmetics and the usual Shatner lies the guy still manages to come across as an extremely unpleasant personality.

So hear the Kirk authority how he magically embraced the fan circuit once his second rate actor career was setting.

[Lane Wilkinson]

hilarious

[Heather]

Hilarious! And a frighteningly accurate view into Fandom!

[Kim]

If you have ever wondered how Sci-Fi/Show Con's got started, this is the book for you. It is well told, and very enlightening.

[Bron]

Highly enjoyable, heart-warming and good fun.

[Tiberius63]

Great stories by Shatner of his discovery of what Star Trek fandom is like.

[Bee]

As much as I loved Star Trek Memories, this one was better.

[Grace Jensen]

It's actually pretty illuminating.

And I love Star Trek.

I don't need to give you reasons...

[Craig MacKinnon]

William Shatner is always an entertaining figure, whether it's his acting, his promotional interviews, or, especially, his personal memoirs. This is the third in a sort of series - this book follows logically from Star Trek Memories and Star Trek Movie Memories. Now that James T. Kirk is dead, Shatner's connection with the Star Trek universe is primarily as an author and conference attendee. This book gives a personal and inside look at the Trek phenomenon from the man most responsible for the success of the franchise.

Shatner prowled the floor of many conventions, met fans and merchandise dealers, and quizzed organisers and his castmates. It is all arranged in a series of short chapters, each telling a specific story about a fan, an actor, etc. Shatner (and coauthor Kreski) keep the pace moving, and each individual story is amusing, entertaining, and/or informative, shedding a little more light on the extended Star Trek family. Personally, I wanted to hear more from his fellow actors - the emphasis is certainly on the fans and stories about/from them. Shatner's position at the heart of Trek's mythology gave him a special position to reveal the thoughts and stories of his fellow cast members, but there are precious few of those. All the original cast members (save Doohan) contributed to his Star Trek Memories books, but for this book, only Nimoy has any presence from his old "crew" (Voyager's Jeri Ryan and DS9's Terry Farrell round out the actors' contributions). However, this is a minor quibble, and overall the book is illuminating, entertaining, and very enjoyable.

[John]

If, like me, you love STAR TREK but were never a hardcore Trekkie, this book offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of TREK conventions, memorabilia, and fanzines. Shatner himself was willfully oblivious (even somewhat derisive) to these aspects of the TREK phenomena until very late in his career, after he'd already agreed to kill off his Captain Kirk character to help make STAR TREK GENERATIONS a must-see movie event. Turns out that, despite having thought of TREK as just another acting gig, permanently hanging up the 'ol tricorder delivered an unexpected emotional gut punch--one that resulted in a Road to Damascus moment as to how Shatner viewed the show and its dedicated, often eccentric fans.
With Kirk out of the picture and TEKWAR in the process of getting cancelled, Shatner decided to fill his schedule with convention appearances, this time hanging around to experience what these events were really all about. The result is GET A LIFE!, a book that chronicles Shatner's change of heart regarding the franchise he helped create, while also providing insightful answers as to why TREK has fostered such a rabid fan base. It's an entertaining read, perfect for flipping through on an airplane, but certainly not something with widespread appeal. For me, it works best as a fun reminder of the quasi-Beetlemania level of enthusiasm TREK enjoyed during its peak decades.

[DLB]

This was pretty interesting. Shatner talks of his career. How it began, how it evolved and how he ended up as Captain Kirk. It was ok, but I must admit that the rumors of his being quick to ask for money for his autograph, or being less that kind to fans, may have tainted my reading process. However, it was a good read, and I found him to be pretty darn open, honest and therefore likeable. Would I recommend it....eh, maybe.

[Christopher]

This is a good book if you are interested in Star Trek and curious about the culture of Star Trek conventions. The title comes from a classic SNL sketch where William Shatner was the host. If you loved that sketch, you might like this book. It's a loving tribute to Star Trek fan culture. It might take a minute to get used the writing style: breezy, cliche laden, ironic sarcasm typical of late 20th century comedy writing. But once you get used to it it's fine.

[Donna]

Shatner interviews convention attendees to better understand the heart of Star Trek fandom.

I quite enjoyed this. It feels like Shatner is sincere in coming to enjoy Trekkers more after he mingled (including wearing a rubber alien mask so he could be anonymous). The stories that will stick most in my head are non-Star Trek related with tales of Shatner being doused by a skunk and pooped on by an elephant.

I attended three Star Trek cons and enjoyed every one of them!

[Scott Smith]

The premise of this book is to discover what makes Star Trek fans, and by proxy any fandom, so ravenous and dedicated. It boils down to love, as shown through stories from conventions and fan interactions. If you're a Star Trek fan, convention goer, or really any nerd who considers themselves deep in a fan base I'd recommend this book. You will see parts of yourself.

[Cynthia]

Enjoyed this thoroughly. Mr. Shatner goes undercover with an alien mask at ST conventions to get the low down, and learns Valuable Lessons About Life. I like his style and always enjoy his insider stories, his interviews, and his seemingly absolutely genuine joi de vivre.

[tyRonE hArDing]

Excellent. Full of funny and interesting stories about creating the show/movies/what its like to be famous. (audio)