MFT: Shatoetry - William Shatner Sound Bite Collage Magnet Poetry Generator

Shatoetry is an application developed by Blindlight Apps and featuring William Shatner (the man, the myth, the legend). It is poetry writing application that gives you an opportunity to compose a short poem from a selection of words. All you need to do is to select the words and put them into a sequence. The selection of words is limited so you need to make a significant effort in order to make the text click in any comprehensive way. Basically, it is digital approximation of magnet words concept. After the text is finished you can listen to a result. That is where William Shatner kicks in. 

The catch is that the selection of words was recorded by William Shatner. As you know, he is known for his very particular manner of line delivery - highly melodramatic, borderline overacting, (simply irresistible). It is so over the top and dubiously unnatural - it just can't be taken seriously. Combining his signature style with sound bites and text collage seems to be a natural fit.

Usually, the resulting text sounds incredibly clumsy but strangely affecting. Sound bites do not fit together perfectly - there are many noticeable seams. This makes the result very disjointed and awkward. There are several intonation available for every word - soft, loud and clear and even louder. None of it really helps, customization is minimal and mostly multiplies awkwardness. But it doesn't matter.In a way, it is this awkwardness is by design but it goes beyond simply

But even like that, it is magnificent extension of Shatner's personal brand. This application is charming in its innocuous nature. While it is designed for more or less traditional poetry - it is doubtful anyone will use it in a straightforward manner. The temptation to abuse app for humorous purpose is too high. And why not? Since Shatner is self-aware about this - he amps it up even further. And that makes a perfect transcendent tool. Because of that it is perfect for Dada-inspired streams of nonsense.

Another curious element are the word packs itself. There are plenty of packages on a variety of topics. While you need to purchase them if you want to use them in app - you can read the lists on on the official site. They can be helpful on their own as there are enough variety to inspire your own collage.

William Shatner is a kind of man who is not afraid of doing anything. For once, he embraced his ironic appeal and ran with it. That is not something you can do with ease. Shatoetry is a fascinating example of how man can commodify his ironic appeal.