William Shatner is 95 years old.

He has been Captain Kirk. He has acted in movies and television shows, written books, recorded albums, raised horses, traveled to space, and built a career that has lasted more than 60 years.

So what is he doing now?

Starting a heavy metal band.

Yes, really.

Shatner has formed a band and, on September 20, he is scheduled to make the band’s live festival debut at Riot Fest in Chicago.

At 95.

I’m not sure heavy metal is the direction most of us would have predicted for Captain Kirk. But that is also what I like about the story.

Why This Matters

There is a tendency as we get older to slowly make our world smaller.

We know what music we like.

We know what food we like.

We know where we like to vacation.

We know what we are good at—and perhaps more importantly, what we are not good at.

There is nothing wrong with being comfortable with who we are. In fact, that can be one of the gifts of getting older.

But there is a difference between knowing yourself and deciding that you are finished trying new things.

Shatner apparently knew very little about heavy metal when the idea was presented to him.  Then he started learning.

He became interested in the emotion behind the music. He started experimenting. And somehow that curiosity turned into an album featuring some legendary rock musicians, including Brian May of Queen and Rob Halford of Judas Priest.

His live band includes experienced rock musicians Marcus Nand, Phil Soussan, Britt Lightning, and Fred Aching.

And because apparently starting a heavy metal band at 95 wasn’t unusual enough, Shatner has been having some fun with his requests for Riot Fest.

His wish list has included fire breathers, a DeLorean instead of a golf cart, four feet of Polish sausage, a bowl of sauerkraut, and adoptable puppies from a local animal rescue.

You have to admire the sense of humor.

But underneath all the fun is something worth thinking about.

Shatner doesn’t seem particularly interested in acting his age.

He seems interested in living it.

There is a big difference.

Simple Lesson

We sometimes think of life in stages.

There is a time to learn. A time to build a career. A time to raise a family. A time to retire. And eventually, a time to slow down.

But maybe those lines don’t need to be quite so firm.

Staying curious as we age does not mean chasing every trend or pretending to be young. It means refusing to let your past decide the limits of your future.

It means being willing to say, “I don’t know much about this,” without adding, “and I’m too old to find out.”

That may be the most important part of Shatner’s story. He did not need heavy metal to prove anything. He simply encountered something unfamiliar and allowed himself to be interested.

That is how a life stays open.

You can learn something new at 70.

You can take a trip somewhere you’ve never been at 80.

You can make a new friend at 90.

And apparently, at 95, you can start a heavy metal band.

The goal isn’t to pretend we aren’t getting older. We are.

The goal is to make sure that getting older does not turn into quietly deciding that the most interesting parts of life are behind us.

Curiosity is a way of keeping the door open.

Action Step

Think of something you’ve always wanted to try but have dismissed because you thought that time had passed.

Maybe it is learning something new. Taking a trip. Starting a hobby. Writing something. Reconnecting with someone. Or simply doing something a little outside your normal routine.

Then take one small step toward it this week.

Look up the class. Send the message. Borrow the instrument. Visit the place. Ask the question.

You do not have to become an expert. You do not have to be good at it immediately. You do not even have to decide whether you will keep doing it.

Just give yourself permission to be a beginner again.

You don’t have to start a heavy metal band.

But William Shatner is a pretty good reminder that age may close some doors—but curiosity can keep you looking for new ones.

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