>> Neil: THIS ONE TWEET.
I CAN’T BELIEVE HE’S 82.
>> I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M 82
EITHER.
IT IS GENETIC AND KEEP YOURSELF
OPEN, I GUESS, AND FIND YOURSELF
A THOUSAND DOLLAR STOCK.
>> PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN AND YOU
MROD.
>> Neil: IS THAT YOUR
PHILOSOPHY, JUST KEEP GOING AT
IT?
>> I DON’T KNOW.
THERE’S NO PHILOSOPHY.
I FEEL GOOD, I CREATE SOMETHING,
THINK OF SOMETHING TO DO,
SOMEBODY SAYS HEY, I’LL DO THAT
AND WE’RE OFF.
>> Neil: WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE
TO BE UP THERE FOR THE TEN
MINUTES YOU WILL, WHAT’S THE
FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO?
>> I’M GOING TO LOOK OUT THE
WINDOW, NEIL, AND SEE THE
VASTNESS OF SPACE AND FRAGILITY
OF THE EARTH, AND I’M GOING TO
CONTINUE THAT THEME IN MY
THINKING AND IN MY WORK.
>> Neil: YOU KNOW, IN MY WORK,
ONE OF THE GREATEST DELIGHTS IS
TALKING TO PEOPLE I ALWAYS
ADMIRED AND AS A KID, CERTAINLY
WILLIAM SHATNER WOULD BE THAT,
BUT IT WENT WAY BEYOND AS A KID
BECAUSE IT WENT WAY, WAY AFTER
HIS FAMOUS ROLE AT CAPTAIN KIRK
ON STAR TREK.
IT IS HOW HE CARRIED HIMSELF
WITH THAT FAME, HOW HE SHARED IT
WITH THE WORLD AND HIS PASSION
FOR KEEPING THE WORLD THE
BEAUTIFUL FACE IT IS AND BOLDLY
GOING INTO SPACE QUITE LITERALLY
ABOUT A YEAR AGO, AS A MATTER OF
FACT, ON BLUE ORIGIN, JEFF
BEZOS’ ROCKET SHIP.
HE WAS 89 AT THE TIME, 91 TODAY.
KIND ENOUGH TO JOIN US.
WILLIAM SHATNER, GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU, PLEASURE TO
TALK TO YOU AGAIN.
YOU WERE PLAYING THAT YEAR OLD
DIALOGUE, I HAD LONG SINCE
FORGOTTEN I HAD SAID THAT, BUT
TURNED OUT TO BE TRUE, THIS BOOK
BOLDLY GO WHICH I AM TALKING TO
PEOPLE ABOUT NOW BECAUSE IT IS
JUST OUT.
I THINK IT IS ABOUT OUR
ENTANGLEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSE
AND I TRY TO PORTRAY IT IN MY
OWN LIFE, STORIES ABOUT YOU WHO
I THINK THE UNIVERSE HAS BEEN
TAKING CARE OF ME, ESPECIALLY IN
A MUSICAL PATTERN, BUT MORE THAN
THAT THIS INCREDIBLE CON JOINING
THAT WE HAVE WITH NATURE AND
PEOPLE TAKE IT FOR GRANTED,
SOMETIMES THEY DON’T THINK ABOUT
IT, SOMETIMES THEY DON’T BELIEVE
IT, BUT WE ARE INTRINSICALLY
INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING IN THE
UNIVERSE, AND NOT TO KEEP THAT
IN MIND, NOT TO BE AWARE OF HOW
FRAGILE OUR EARTH IS, AND AS YOU
AND I ARE SPEAKING NOW, SO MANY,
MAYBE MILLIONS, OF ENTITIES ARE
GOING EXTINCT, I DON’T
UNDERSTAND.
SO THAT’S WHAT MY BOOK IS ABOUT.
AND I THINK IT IS ENTERTAINING,
HAS GREAT NEWS AND REVIEWS AND
ALL THAT, I AM DELIGHTED WITH
THAT, DELIGHTED TO TALK TO YOU
ABOUT IT.
EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT,
MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT IS
THE CONCEPT THAT WE’RE LOSING
OUR EARTH.
AND WE NEED, I DON’T UNDERSTAND
WHY THERE ISN’T THE MANHATTAN
PROJECT, WITH ALL OF THE
INCREDIBLE INDUSTRIAL MIGHT THAT
WE HAVE AND THE WORLD HAS,
SCIENTISTS HAVE, WHY THERE ISN’T
A MANHATTAN PROJECT TO DEAL WITH
GLOBAL WARMING.
>> AND BY THE WAY, THAT’S ONE OF
THE THINGS, YOU CAME BACK, YOU
WERE EMOTIONAL FROM THE FLIGHT.
I FOUND IT FASCINATING THE
REASON.
YOU WROTE ABOUT THAT I HAD A
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE.
I DISCOVERED THE BEAUTY ISN’T
OUT THERE, REFERRING TO SPACE,
IT’S DOWN HERE WITH ALL OF US.
LEAVING THAT BEHIND MADE MY
CONNECTION TO OUR TINY PLANET
EVEN MORE PROFOUND.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU LOOK BACK,
YOU SAID IT IS FRAGILE, IT IS
HANGING BY A THREAD.
>> INDEED.
AND IT DOES HANG BY A THREAD,
AND IT IS A GOES MANAGER THREAD,
NOT A ROPE OR ANYTHING LIKE
THAT.
SO HERE WE ARE IN A BUSINESS
SEGMENT OF YOURS AND I JUST
PUZZLE WHY THERE ARE INDUSTRIES,
AND THERE ARE A FEW, WHY THERE
AREN’T SO MANY MORE STRIVING TO
DO WHAT THEY CAN TO TAKE THE
CARBON DIOXIDE, METHANE,
POLLUTION, OUT OF THE WATER AND
THE AIR BECAUSE IF WE DON’T DO
THAT, WE’RE GOING TO BE SEVERELY
EFFECTED AND IT WOULD SEEM TO ME
TO MAKE GOOD BUSINESS BECAUSE
WE’RE GOING TO NEED IT, TO BE IN
THIS INSANITY ABOUT A WAR AND
PEOPLE THAT CAN’T COME TO SOME
CONCLUSION ABOUT OUR MUTUAL
FATE, IT’S JUST INSANE.
>> THAT’S WHAT CAUGHT ME WITH
THIS BOOK.
I WAS THINKING, A LOT OF PEOPLE
THINK IT IS A REAL UPLIFTING
BOOK, NO OFFENSE TO YOU, IT IS
PROFOUND IN THAT IT IS NOT THAT
KIND OF BOOK.
IN FACT, IT IS SAD.
YOU TALK ABOUT THE FRAGILITY OF
YOUR OWN LIFE.
YOU START SAYING I’M AWARE IT IS
MY FINAL DAY WHEN IT INEVITABLY
COMES AND I WILL BE FILLED WITH
SADNESS AND QUESTIONS.
DID I SPEND ENOUGH TIME WITH MY
FAMILY, WITH MY FRIENDS, WITH MY
HORSES, MY PRECIOUS DOG, AS IF
YOU SENSE SOMETHING, THAT THIS
IS ALL ENDING, AND YOU’RE IN
GREAT SHAPE, YOU LOOK FANTASTIC,
ARTICULATE AS HELL.
PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE NOT DOWN
AND DEPRESSED HERE.
>> NO, NO. I FEEL AS VITAL AS EVER, BUT I
I FEEL AS VITAL AS EVER, BUT I
DO KNOW THAT 91, COMING 92 IN A
FEW MONTHS IS A SENTENCE.
I LOOK AROUND ME, PEOPLE ARE
FALLING AWAY.
WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIANE I’M
GOING TO DIE A LOT SOONER THAN
YOU, NEIL.
>> I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THAT.
YOU SURVIVED EVERYONE.
BUT I’M WONDERING, THAT WHOLE
EXPERIENCE OF GOING INTO SPACE
AND THE WAY YOU LOOKED AT
THINGS, AND I’M GOING BACK AND
REMEMBERING, YOU KNOW, YOUR
CAREER.
YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT THIS
GOING FULL CIRCLE ON SONG
WRITING AND SINGING, HONORED AT
THE KENNEDY CENTER.
I REMEMBER SOME DECADES BACK
WHEN IT WAS HARDLY THE CASE.
SO THINGS THAT WERE DISMISSED
YEARS AGO IN YOUR CAREER ARE NOW
HIGH WATER MARKS FOR YOU.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
>> I JUST THINK THAT WE
UNDERSTAND THAT THE UNIVERSE IS
VIBRATING, WE’RE PART OF THE
UNIVERSE VIBRATING AND THE
ENTANGLEMENT WITH EVERYTHING.
I THINK THERE ARE WAYS
COMMUNICATING TO THE VIBRATION,
WHETHER IT IS PRAYER, WHETHER IT
IS THOUGHT, WHETHER IT IS
AWARENESS, WHICH I THINK IT IS,
BEING AWARE ALL THE TIME OF HOW
WE ARE CONNECTED AND
COMMUNICATING WITH NATURE AND
THE UNIVERSE.
IT SOUNDS CRAZY ANDBUT I THINK I
APPLIES TO OUR EVERYDAY LIFE,
AND ESPECIALLY TO THE EARTH AND
OUR POSITION WITH THE EARTH.
>> Neil: DID YOU EVER THINK THAT
YOU WOULD BE THIS ICONIC, I
MEAN, IN THE HOLLOW END SERIES,
I LEARNED THE MICHAEL MEYERS
CHARACTER WAS A CAPTAIN KIRK
MASK.
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU GET
RESIDUALS FROM THE MOVIES,
THAT’S PRETTY AMAZING
>> IT IS AMAZING IN ITS WAY, AND
AS I UNDERSTAND IT, HE SENT
SOMEBODY TO BUY A MASK, WHOEVER
IT WAS GRABBED A MASK, BUT THE UNIVERSE TAKING CARE OF IT.
UNIVERSE TAKING CARE OF IT.
BUT THE FACTS ARE THAT, WE ARE
INTRICATELY LINKED AND WE HAVE
TO RECOGNIZE THAT, AND COMING
FROM A BUSINESS POINT OF VIEW,
THERE ARE COMPANIES, STARTUP
COMPANIES TRYING TO DO THINGS
LIKE TAKE THE CARBON OUT OF THE
AIR.
THESE ARE WONDERFUL COMPANIES
WORTH LOOKING FOR AND INVESTING
IN AND TRYING TO MAKE THEM WORK
BECAUSE THE ONES THAT USE ALL
THE RESOURCES OF THE EARTH ARE
LIMITED BECAUSE OUR RESOURCES
ARE LIMIT.
>> IT HAS BEEN YOUR LIFE
MISSION.
GENE RODDENBERRY, HIS ASHES WERE
RELEASED IN SPACE, YOU’VE BEEN
IN SPACE, NOT INTERESTED IN
THAT, ARE YOU?
REAL QUICK.
>> THE SPACE, I WAS UP THERE AND
SAW THE CURVATURE OF THE EARTH,
SAW THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH, SO
I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT IT, AND --
>> YOU DIDN’T NEED THAT.
I WISH WE HAD MORE TIME.
BOTTOM LINE, YOU PREFER YOUR
ANSWER BE BURIED HERE, A TREE
ATOP YOU AND LIFE GOES ON.
>> I WANT TO BE BURIED WITH A
TREE ON TOP OF ME.