Eighty-eight year old William Shatner is sharp, sassy, and says whatever is on his mind, no matter how weird or wonderful. He is the latest guest on my James Beard Award nominated podcast, “Your Last Meal” and will be speaking in Seattle on June 10 at McCaw Hall.

Perhaps most famous for playing Captain Kirk on Star Trek, I asked Shatner about the “Plato’s Stepchildren” episode from 1968, where he kisses actor Nichelle Nichols. Many say it was the first scripted, interracial kiss on United States television. So, I wanted to talk about it.

“Oh, please, you don’t want to do that,” he scoffed at my question. “She’s a beautiful lady and she tasted something of camellia. The camellia flower, you know how intense that scent is.”

Shatner is always creating. He’s currently working on a blues album.

“I’ve been asked to do a blues album so I’m trying to find out what numbers I should sing, or speak, because I don’t really sing. And at the same time I’m thinking this will make a great documentary as this white guy from Montreal explores the blues from the south. It’s a marvelous American type of music to explore and it has been explored, but not from the point of view of somebody who knows nothing about it and is going to attempt to perform it, and what should he do.”

Shatner has a new television show coming out this fall, and he’s conceptualizing a show called MILF: Mothers I’d Like To Feed. I asked him what it would be about.

“What do you mean what would it be about? Mothers I’d Like To Feed is the title of a cooking show that we’re kind of organizing and trying to sell. I’ve gotten both positive and negative reactions,” he laughed. “You’d cook something and a mother would eat it and enjoy it. Well, if she was lactating we’d feed her something else. I’ll tell you, I have a dog and she’s in heat. I mean, really in heat. Today, tomorrow. And I don’t want her bred and we have a male dog at the house as well. She’s gotten weird about her food and I guess women who’ve gotten pregnant get weird about her food. So maybe that is something that we would address in MILF.”

If you’d like to hear more, and I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t text ‘SHAT’ to 98973 and we’ll text you the episode. Or you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or at www.yourlastmealpodcast.com

For tickets to see William Shatner speak in Seattle on June 10, 2019, click here.