“Rocket Man”
So I watched the William Shatner rendition of Elton John’s Rocket Man, a sort of epochal pop cultural kitsch moment, off of “the You Tube”. I find myself wondering about the audience. The audience probably just as yet do not know the significance of what they were witness to, so you may excuse a little flat-footedness in terms of reaction. Still, if I were sitting in the audience I would not know what my proper and expected response would be. If I were to start laughing, would I be kicked out of this science fiction convention? Am I surrounded by William Shatner uber-fans who take him so seriously that they would give me the stink eye if I acted with anything less than reverence? Is this a situation where everybody around me would be having the same tight-lipped close-to-the-vest can’t say anything reaction, ie: we are all in the same boat, wondering if we are the only ones? It is a sort of mind-game William Shatner has everyone in.
The Chris Elliott take off is upstaged in popularity and pop culture cachet by the Family Show Stewie take-off. The Family Show is a horrible television show, sort of distilling the essence of the worst aspects of The Simpsons without the benefit of the mediocre to excellent aspects of The Simpsons. Further, judging by youtube comments, there is a whole generation who believe that the Family Guy invented the mocking of William Shatner’s Rocket Man send-off. Such is the way of the world, I suppose.
Hm. Chris Elliott does William Shatner does Elton John does Ray Bradbury? Derivatives of derivatives.