"Are you talking to me?"

If I were making a top five albums of all time list, I think William Shatner's Has Been from 2007 would be on it.

There are too many great moments on this album to enumerate. My absolute favorite "song" (Shatner doesn't sing, he recites, but the music is exquisite) is "That's Me Trying," which is written by Nick Hornby, with music by Ben Folds. The song is about a man trying to reconnect with his daughter after years apart.

After years of self-analysis, I've concluded that a large part of what makes me a Shatner fan is that he reminds me of my Dad. He's about the same age as my Dad, and they have other things in common, including thinning hair, thickening other parts, and a good sense of humor. In my imagination, the story Shatner tells in "That's Me Trying" is a story that could be about my Dad. It's not that bad, but there are parallels. And he's trying.

Other highlights on the album include "Together," a psychedelic tour de force with minimalist lyrics, and a cover of Pulp's "Common People," which sounds even more militant when recited by Shatner and sung by guest vocalist Joe Jackson.

Producer Ben Folds brings his melodic mastery to all the songs, making this a beautiful collaboration that I only wish could be rekindled. As it is, this is the penultimate moment of Shatner's stellar career. And yes, I know what "penultimate" means: It's a great moment just before he's done.

Companions in Adventure

With nothing else to do one night in the winter of 2010, I turned on Masterpiece to watch an updated version of Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, and was immediately hooked.

I'd never had much interest in the Victorian detective before, but something about this 21st-century interpretation intrigued me. Part of it was that I knew the creators of this series had also worked on Doctor Who. In fact, Cumberbatch was considered for the part of the 11th Doctor.

Although I really knew little about the character of Holmes, either from the stories or the numerous screen adaptations, I was impressed with Cumberbatch's approach. It was also interesting that Dr. Watson was portrayed as a British Army physician who had served in Afghanistan, linking him directly to the Arthur Conan Doyle character.

Anyway, I watched the three episodes of the series on three successive nights (on the web), and then went searching for more. Within the next three months, I read all of Doyle's works featuring Holmes.

For me, it was easy to get comfortable at 221b Baker Street. What I enjoyed most was the camaraderie of Holmes and Watson. I probably imagined myself sitting in a well-used chair by the fire, smoking, reading, and always having someone with whom to discuss an idea. Someone who expected nothing from you but integrity and consistency.

Next, I may track down the previous BBC adventures featuring Jeremy Brett. I'm also somewhat intrigued now by the Robert Downey, Jr.-Jude Law movie, which I hadn't been previously. In addition, I now see the connection to the TV show House: House/Holmes; Wilson/Watson - they even live together sometimes! Although he never played Holmes (that I know of), Hugh Laurie had a long career on British TV before House. And that leads me back to another connection: Doctor Who. Like Holmes, the Doctor is always the smartest guy in the room, and he needs a companion in his adventures, even if he can never really show that companion how much he cares.

There are probably a lot of other examples out there - I'll keep looking!

I've written reviews of all the books, including a summation of my thoughts on Holmes, on my site at LibraryThing.