My brother is a big fan of the original Star Trek series and I love Shatner's spoken word interpretations of song lyrics. Mostly I love to laugh at them.
But I have to say I came away from the experience with a new understanding of Shatner the man. Here is an actor of questionable skill who nonetheless has had a career spanning half a century. He indicates in his show that his longevity is due to his ability to say "Yes."
In his ending monologue he extrapolates on the power of saying yes, how it's too easy to say no, and the possibilities of risk. It is nothing new or groundbreaking, but there is something compelling about these ideas being spoken in the voice of Captain Kirk.
It was also poignant because I was sitting next to my oldest brother, who gave me a piece of advice 10 years ago as I was about to partake a nine-week wanderlust odyssey in Brazil. He said, "Say Yes to everything."
I took it to heart and try to apply it to travel, music and life.
Last year a group of kids in a jazz ensemble that I coach all graduated at the same time. I had worked with these guys every Saturday for 4 years, and we had a great rapport. I felt I wanted to say something to them as they headed out into the wide world to seek their fame and fortune. I gave them the same advice that my brother had given to me - say yes to everything - but with one caveat as I told this story.
I was traveling in Brazil on this "Say Yes to Everything" trip and was in the great city of Belo Horizonte. I called an acquaintance named Fernanda whom I had met the previous year when she had stayed with me and my roommate in Chicago on a visit (she was the friend of a friend of my roommate.) She had said to call her if I was ever in her town and we'd do something. I was with an American friend and she picked us both up in her car and we went out and heard some music.
She was kind of crazy, calling to the drummer (she didn't know him) during the set that she wanted to smoke some weed with him. Fernanda was also erratic, saying strange things in Portuguese that in my limited translational abilities didn't make any sense.
After the show, the three of us were driving around and Fernanda said, "You know what we should do? We should pick up a transvestite prostitute and take her to a motel and do coke with her. Yeah!"
I immediately thought of my brother's advice, "Say Yes to everything."
Fernanda said, "What do you think?"
I said, "Ummmm, you can just let us out at the next corner."
"No, no, no, no, no," she said. "This is going to be great. You'll see."
Immediately, as if there are transvestite prostitutes arrayed on the sidewalks of Minas Gerais like fruit stands, she pulls over and invites a tall prostitute with a very short skirt into the car. As the car now loaded with the four of us speeds away Fernanda says, "Hi, I'm here with two Americans and we want to take you to a motel and do coke with you."
I said, "Fernanda, really, please let us out at the next corner."
My friend, who spoke even less Portuguese than I, was really confused and was asking me every five seconds what was going on. I was trying to translate for him and think about how I was going to get us out of this situation.
I felt the prostitute's hand rubbing my thigh as she explained how she was saving up to move to Rome and be a transvestite prostitute there. The car was speeding through the narrow streets like a bullet. I pushed her hand away as she said, "I like you, you don't like me?"
Fernanda said, "Oh, sweetie, you're going to be such a successful transvestite prostitute in Rome. I'm so happy for you. Let's pick a motel and do some cocaine."
I don't remember exactly how, but somehow I got Fernanda to stop the car, and my friend and I got out. The car sped away with Fernanda and the prostitute and I never saw either of them again. We took a cab back to the place where we were staying. I don't think we said a word.
"And so," I said to my group of graduating jazz students, "my advice is to say 'Yes' to everything... except doing coke with a Brazilian transvestite prostitute."
