George Takei has no secrets.
Mr. Sulu from the original "Star Trek" grew up in an internment camp in Arkansas. He has long been honest about his homosexuality, and last year wed his longtime partner Brad Altman. In recent years, Takei has had a cold war brewing with "Trek" co-star William Shatner. All of the above are fair game during his frequent appearances as narrator and all-around good sport on Howard Stern's satellite radio show.
View Larger ImagesTakei, who two years ago rode on the Google float in the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade, returns to the Bay Area for Saturday's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular with the San Francisco Symphony, where he will narrate the event. We spoke to Takei by phone earlier this month.
Q: Are you a fan of the Symphony?
A: I'm very excited about it. You know, another parallel career has opened up for me over the past six or seven years. I've been invited by symphony orchestras throughout the country and Canada. From the Honolulu Symphony in Hawaii to the Long Island Symphony in New York, and all points in between.
Q: How does your narration gig work?
A: Many of them are sci-fi-oriented, and "Star Trek" is obviously an integral part of it. But with the Honolulu Symphony, I did Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." This Dutch composer Johan de Meij has composed a symphonic piece on "Lord of the Rings." That's a wonderful piece, because I get to play so many different parts, including ... oh dear ... I forget the name ... the creature.
Q: Gollum?
A: Yes, Gollum! Gollum is a lot of fun to do.
Q: This is going to bother me all day if I don't ask. Could you do a little Gollum right now?
A: Oh yes. Myyyyy precioooooooous. Ohhhhhhhhh. My precious! (Takei laughs.) I love doing that, and the audience eats that part up.
Q: Do you get tired of hearing the "Star Trek" theme?
A: No, no. Actually I'm very proud of my association with "Star Trek." And music of symphonic quality is so integral to the success of "Star Trek." I certainly respect the anthemic, soaring piece that Alexander Courage wrote for the TV series. That will be part of the evening with the San Francisco Symphony.
Q: You're a country music fan. There's a YouTube clip of you singing ...
A: Oh dear. (Laughs.) I'll never live that down. I went on TV and sang Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again," which I do in the shower. It was the first time I did it in front of the public with my clothes on and dry.
Q: How did you get into country music?
A: When I was growing up in an internment camp, I saw the guns aimed at us, and I saw the barbed-wire fences, but they became part of the landscape. It wasn't until we came out that I realized how hated we were and what those barbed-wire fences meant. ... But then we moved to East L.A., and that's when my parents bought a radio. And one of the tunes I heard was "Don't Fence Me In." (Takei sings.) Oh, give me land lots of land under starry skies above. Don't fence me in. ... I must have related that to the internment camp barbed wire. I'll always love that song.
Radio Disney Presents: Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular with the San Francisco Symphony. 8 p.m. Sat. Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. For ticket information, go to www.livenation.com.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/02/DD1V18AFU1.DTL
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