Shatner's Palin Poem Rocks the Web
by Mike KrumboltzJul 28, 2009
Sarah Palin's recent departure speech left some snickering at its seemingly unfocused delivery. Others felt it was a heartfelt and honest farewell and a legitimate precursor to the 2012 primary. But only one dude was inspired enough to turn the performance into a hipster beat poem. That man was William Shatner.
The actor, writer, singer, and all-around Renaissance man visited the set of "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" on Monday where he delivered his own interpretation of Palin's farewell. Shatner took the stage and sat on his stool. The lights dimmed, and then he recited Palin's speech verbatim while bongo drums echoed from behind. It was a scene, man.
Naturally, Shatner's poem quickly became a Web phenomenon. Searches on "sarah palin speech," already high from Sunday, soared an additional 89%. Additionally, look-ups on "william shatner poem" and "william shatner does palin" both jumped from nothing into breakout status. We even noticed a few searches on one of Mr. Shatner's other famous poems -- his epic 1978 interpretation of Elton John's "Rocket Man."
Still, even though Ms. Palin's speech on "Cheechakos" and "merciless rivers" was mocked by many, some political insiders framed it as a first step toward Palin reinventing herself. You can watch Shatner's interpretation below. Not quite the Beatles on "Ed Sullivan," but definitely a moment to remember.








