Sir Patrick Stewart: Is He A Cowboy Singer Or Is It Just An Internet Joke? [Video]
Sir Patrick Stewart. Shakespearean actor, Star Trek icon, knight, feminist… cowboy singer?
Maybe you’ve seen it on Facebook or YouTube: a video advertising “P Stew’s Cowboy Classics,” an alleged collection of country/western songs by “England’s premier cowboy singer,” Sir Patrick Stewart, OBE. If so, you’ve probably wondered if it was real or just someone being silly on the Internet.
Slate compared it to the old K-Tel or Time-Life record collections. First, Sir Patrick sings some cowboy songs in front of a green screen, with stock footage superimposed behind him. Then Sir Patrick sings on stage with a back-up band. The video advertises Patrick Stewart’s Cowboy Classics, Vol. I and Vol. II., a double album with 27 alleged smash hits. Then the viewer is told if they order now, they’ll get Songs for Lonesome Lovers. Next, the viewer is told if they order in the next 15 minutes, they’ll get Duets Out West in addition, with duets with Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Gillian Welch, and Sunny Ozell (Lady Stewart, his real life wife). But that’s not all! Order in the next three minutes, and you can get Cowboy Pat’s Christmas on the Range. Call now! It’s marked down from $59.99 to $29.99, too good a sale to resist.
Is it real? Is it some videographer with too much time on his hands, editing together footage from old western movies to pretend to make a Patrick Stewart record album?
It’s both. According to Good News Network, Sir Patrick filmed the parody commercial to advertise a real CD.
“Patrick Stewart trades in his Star Fleet uniform for a ten-gallon hat in his latest role: ‘Cowboy Pat’ — a parody video of a country-western singer, with songs for sale that actually rustle up some cash for a good cause.”
Get #Stampede ready with Patrick Stewart's new country album! Yippee ki-yay y'all! https://t.co/cWofxHbrht pic.twitter.com/SUivil2Hxl
— CJAY 92 (@CJAY92) July 6, 2016
Patrick Stewart’s Cowboy Classic Sampler includes the following songs:
- “Buttons and Bows” (made famous by Bob Hope)
- “Don’t Fence Me In” (recorded by Roy Rogers, Bing Crosby, and Gene Autry)
- “Ringo” (made popular by Lorne Greene)
- “I’m An Old Cowhand” (recorded by Bing Crosby)
- “Here Comes Santa Claus” (originally written and performed by Gene Autry)
Fans of country/western music will note that these songs are all “Hollywood cowboy” songs. “Buttons and Bows” and “I’m An Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grande)” were both written in 1947. “Don’t Fence Me In” is from 1934, and “Here Comes Santa Claus” was written in 1936. “Ringo,” the youngest song on the album, is from 1964. “Rawhide,” which appears on the video to the accompaniment of a whip-wielding, cowboy-clad Sir Patrick Stewart, but unfortunately is not on the actual CD, was written in 1958. None of the songs date back to the 19th century.
“I’m An Old Cowhand” is performed as a duet between Sir Patrick and Lady Stewart (Sunny Ozell). She is a singer/songwriter who performs country music, as well as pop, jazz, and soul.
Technabob called the video “both terrible and awesome to behold.” They predicted that Sir Patrick singing Gene Autry’s “Here Comes Santa Claus” would become mandatory listening for science fiction fans every Christmas.
“The sampler includes the Christmas classic Here Comes Santa Claus, destined to be played at every Christmas party a geek attends from the rest of time.”
Sir Patrick Stewart is an award-winning actor, as well known for playing Ebenezer Scrooge and Othello as Professor Xavier and Captain Picard. He has a knighthood and three honorary doctorates. Sir Patrick is a social activist who has raised funds and awareness for battered women and PTSD victims. And now, he adds another role to his resume: cowboy singer.
[Photo by Denis Makarenko/Shutterstock]
