← Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read
Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read
E393 - Adam Nimoy - The Most Human, Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy
00:45:33
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- [00:02]
Adam Nimoy
That is one of my favorite episodes of the series. Yeah, it's hilarious. I think. Dr. Cooper, is someone there? Down here on your desk. Spock, I need to speak with you. Fascinating. The only logical explanation is that this is a dream. It is not the only logical. For example, you could be hallucinating after being hit on the head by, say, a coconut. Was I hit on the head by a coconut? I'm not going to dignify that with a response. Yeah. When they cut to him, they've moved his figure around a little bit. It's just hilarious. The whole premise of that show. I think my dad said that he was willing to be involved, but he would not be on camera.
- [01:04]
David
Camera.
- [01:04]
Adam Nimoy
And that's how they came up with this idea of, you know, the talking doll.
- [01:08]
David
Everyone, welcome back to Living the Next Chapter. Today is a privilege for me and an honor. I have a guest on the show today that's going to take us to a far away galaxy, far away from here, with a great history in his family and his own personal pursuits. He's on the podcast to talk about his new book that he's written about his father, and I'm excited to have him here. Adam Nimoy is on the podcast. Adam, welcome to the show. I'm so glad to have you here.
- [01:34]
Adam Nimoy
David, thank you for inviting me.
- [01:37]
David
It's exciting to have you here. I've been doing some background research and things. You have a very famous family name which many people are going to be sitting up straight going, wait a minute. Did he just say the name? Yes, we said the name. Your father is an inspiration that continues on for many of us. And it's. It's exciting to have you here. I was watching some clips from your dad appearing on the Big Bang Theory, and he's a little character on Sheldon's desk. And that was so comedic and funny of your dad. The one thing I love about your father is his voice. The sound of his voice is so iconic. That kind of deep baritone sound that just goes right through you. What a great voice. What a great representation. I love having him on that episode. That was so much fun.
- [02:29]
Adam Nimoy
That is one of my favorite episodes of the series. Yeah, it's. It's hilarious.
- [02:34]
David
I think as he was posed in different poses as he's talking to Sheldon.
- [02:39]
Adam Nimoy
I'm like, you know, when they cut to him, they moved his figure around a little bit. It's just hilarious. The whole premise of that show. I think my dad said that he want. He was willing to be involved, but he. He would not Be on camera. And that's how they came up with this idea of, you know, the talking doll.
- [02:59]
David
And you had your own chance to be on the show as well as a cameraman doing a Spot Spock documentary. That was so cool for you as well.
- [03:07]
Adam Nimoy
Right, right. I was on camera, yeah. Because, you know, I contacted them at the show and asked them if they would be willing to. If some of the principals, cast members and the showrunner, the creatives behind the show, would be willing to sit for an interview about the documentary. And I got a call back from Bill Prady, one of the producers, who said, we're going to go you one better. We're going to have you on the show filming the documentary of Sheldon in the show. If I was willing. And I jumped at the chance. It was such a great opportunity. It was very generous of them to allow me to do that. They, they wrote my, you know, the whole story arc of me making the documentary into the show with Sheldon. And it was a, it was just a lovely experience. Very lovely people. They're, you know, a real family. They knew what they were doing. They had been at it for many years and it was a very. It was a just a wonderful, orderly, you know, no snafu experience. So I'm very grateful and I really enjoyed it.
- [04:11]
David
Excellent. We're going to get into more details around your new book, but share with the audience your new book that's coming out and maybe just a little overview of that. We're going to get more into the details of that.
- [04:20]
Adam Nimoy
Yeah, the book is. I have a copy here somewhere. I've got a hundred copies here somewhere. The book is the most human Reconciling with my father, Leonard Nimoy. We got a lot of post its in here or reference things for me and typos and whatnot. Yeah, the most human Reconciling with my father, Leonard Nimoy. It is a memoir. It is basically about my complicated relationship with my father from the early years through the teen years and then my adult life with him and some of the difficulties and challenges of just fathers and sons in general and some of the complicating factors brought in by the fact that he, you know, is the embodiment of such an iconic character he's recognized all over the world and, and then how recovery for both of us enabled us to reconcile and. And form a really close bond the last years of his life. That is really the book in a nutshell.
- [05:29]
David
Amazing. What is it like to share your parent with the world? I heard you on an Interview talking that your dad somehow gave out your personal home address in a magazine article and mail was arriving at your house by the truckload from adoring fans so happy that they could reach out to him. What's it like to share your dad with the world?
- [05:55]
Adam Nimoy
Well, I mean, some of it's really lovely. You know, I was really proud of my dad. His popularity came very quickly and suddenly for us. And yeah, there was a little, there was a little mishap about the mail which was difficult for me. And that's, you know, it's a two sided situation. It's, you know, like most things in life, it was, we were really proud of him. We were really excited about those years when Star Trek went on the air and Spock became very popular. We were, I think we were very grateful that dad had made a major breakthrough in his career, that he was going to have steady work for 10 months for that season. And it turned into three seasons and then right into Mission Impossible. So there's a lot of positive, there were a lot of. It was something that my dad had been striving for throughout his whole career and it transformed us as a family. Our lives became very different very quickly. On the other side of it is I had to make adjustments and it was a little challenging because my dad and I were not that close when I was a kid. We had very different upbringings and trouble relating on that front. And when we were in public, my dad was often, you know, often asked for autographs and by lots of people and more and more people. And this went on for most of his life. And when you're out at dinner together or you're at a church carnival together, which happened with us, or, you know, when I'm just trying to spend some father son time bonding with a guy I had trouble bonding with to begin with, it's very complicated when people want his attention and he was very good with the fans, which is also kind of a double edged sword. I mean, I always admired the patience he had for them when I wasn't feeling very patient with them. But I mean, the fact of the matter is, you know, show business is a fan based business. And I think my father understood that very early on and I think followed through on that for the, for his entire life, which is why he made so many personal appearances, convention appearances and why he was just, you know, willing to give an autograph and have a picture taken with somebody. I mean, it was not very often when he would say, I'm having dinner with my family, you're going to have to excuse me, I can't give autographs right now. He was very polite about all that. So it's, you know, it's a mixed bag, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
- [08:30]
David
Yeah, so I'm picturing myself in school. I have my Star Trek lunch pail, my little thermos all branded. Everything's great. I was one of the cool kids to have that. And I just can't imagine being a student in school with something like that happening in your family, with your father and all of that, and trying to be the normal kid, trying to blend in and just be you in that environment with all of this going on around you. What kind of struggles was it like for you growing up in that kind of microscopic view of your family, by the world?
- [09:08]
Adam Nimoy
Well, you know, at school, I was pretty. Just introverted, you know, and loner, and I hung out with the nerds and the geeks that we were all very comfortable together, you know, all the people who could relate to Spock as an outsider. That's kind of the. I was not a popular person, and I, I didn't strive necessarily for popularity. You know, it wasn't such a big deal. I think the, the thing that comes to mind immediately was there's this guy in junior high and he was kind of a bully, and I had. He was in my art class, and I tried to avoid him, but he always, you know, called me ears, even from across the room. And I thought that was kind of funny. And I appreciated it because it, you know, it was either that or, or, you know, maybe. Maybe have an altercation with this guy. He was, it was kind of a rough character. And so. And there was one time in school where I, When Star Trek first came on the air and I told a kid in the class that I was, that, you know, do you watch Star Trek? Yeah. You, you know, Mr. Spock is. Yeah, that's my dad. And then he blurted it out to the rest of the class, and that was just kind of like pandemonium and mayhem and it was completely disruptive to the. And after that, I just, like, I, you know, I don't need this kind of attention. And I kept a very low profile. I never. I usually don't even use my last name if I can help it, because it's nice to be, you know, for people to make the connection. Look again, it's. It is, but I, But I don't. The problem is, you know, when you're trying to create your own identity as the child of a celebrity. Sometimes it's also good to try to distance yourself from that because his celebrity and his status is not really mine. I'm just kind of along for the ride. It does affect me. His story is my story, which is what the book's about. But I, But I, you know, I had nothing to do with, you know, his celebrity and his success and his career, all of which he put first. When I was very young, that was his priority, which was kind of the foundation of the problem I had with him, is that I was not a priority. And until much later in his life.
- [11:19]
David
The lessons you learn growing up in that environment, though, you can then apply as your. As a parent yourself. I'm a parent with three children, and we want to do our best for our kids, and we have that kind of. That pattern that's demonstrated for us by our parents. And we always want to do better, we want to grow, and we want to be a better representation to our kids. What, what did you then apply from what you learned from your father to help you as a dad?
- [11:47]
Adam Nimoy
Well, I mean, it. I didn't. I wanted a very different experience for my kids. I mean, thankfully, I had. My mother was very attentive and very loving and very protective. And she, you know, I had a really good mom and her parents, her. My grandparents had moved down to la, and we're taking care of my sister and I, so we had that modeling, you know, to. To help us along because I didn't have it with my dad. My experience with my dad was just not something I would. I would want to replicate, really. I mean, I mean, a lot of people have it worse, but it was just not. We just didn't have a really good loving connection. And I think that's really a lovely thing if you can have that with your kids. And so I bent over backwards to try to stay connected to my kids. Now, you have to understand also, my dad was born in Boston, the son of Ukrainian immigrants. They consider themselves Russian, in the middle of the Depression, and they were living in an immigrant neighborhood, and it's just a completely different lifestyle. And my dad was a hustler, and it was all about making money and survival, and I didn't have that kind of upbringing. So that was another thing that was very different from me and my dad. We were generations apart from one another. But my, you know, I was born in la, and my kids were born in Santa Monica, you know, west outside of la. And, you know, I. They had a very similar experience growing up that I did. So it Was not that hard to relate to them on a lot of levels. Plus they were just the cutest kids in the world. And I like, you know, hanging out with them and watching Sesame street and stuff like that. I, you know, and going to movies and going to Disneyland and, you know, with my son Jonah, playing music, you know, very. From a very early age we were jamming together, doing, helping Maddie, my daughter with her homework, driving them all over the place. I, I just enjoyed being with them, you know, it was a very different experience for me, but my priorities were different. I wasn't. I mean, my dad came to LA with nothing at 18, with no financial support from his parents because they didn't want him to go into the acting profession. So the mindsets were completely different. And that was just the hand we were dealt, the hand I was dealt, you know, and again, I wouldn't change anything because the ride was so phenomenal, you know, and I'm still on it. You know what I mean? It's still happening. So I love the experience. I love Spock, I love the whole Star Trek experience and a lot of other stuff my dad did. He did a lot of things that made me really proud of him. So even though I think I had a much more connected experience with my kids, I still made my own mistakes and they still found plenty of reasons to hate me. But we were able to work through a lot of that because we had a very strong connection to begin with. So I just feel like very fortunate that a lot of lessons learned and, and always learning more every day.
- [14:52]
David
Yeah. I'm on your Instagram page while we're chatting and I see your. The handwritten letter from your dad to you piloted on your page. Can you talk a little bit more about that kind of re establishing connection with your father? Because again, that's part of the book. But what was the, what was the thing that kind of made all that really kind of fall into place that this actually happened to reconnect the way you did?
- [15:18]
Adam Nimoy
Well, a number of factors had to fall into place for us to reconnect. One is I needed to go into recovery and do some 12 step work and stop relying on drugs and alcohol to get through my day. That was, you know, first and foremost. And then I had to grow up quite a bit and, and sit some. I had to set boundaries with my dad. We just, you know, later, those years before we reconcile were very tumultuous. A lot of ups and downs. I mean, again, I was very proud of him and the work he was doing. But the issues were still there. He had stopped drinking eight years before, roughly eight years before I went into recovery. But he was not necessarily working a program of recovery, 12 step recovery. And he still had a lot of anger and resentment. And I had to keep a distance from him. And I think it was very difficult for him. And that's when, you know, the letter you're looking at on Instagram, I believe is a letter you wrote me in the early 80s when I was in law school. Yeah, that was 82. Is that what it stated?
- [16:21]
David
Yep.
- [16:21]
Adam Nimoy
Okay. Yeah, that, that's. So that was a different experience. I mean, that was like. And that was a very isolated experience. I will also say, because the fact of the matter is I had my own identity, you know, I was creating my own identity. I had my own objectives, my own passion, you know, my own drive. And that way I'm just like my dad. And I was in law school. I was in the middle of law school in 82. And you know, he loved it that when people asked what was going on with, with my sister and I, my sister was at that time in motion picture production. And you know, he was, I think he was very proud to say, I've got, you know, two productive kids who are pursuing their, you know, their interests in life and they're. And they have goals. And I think that was very satisfying for him and made him feel prideful. Getting a letter like that from him was a little unusual. I did get one like that from him in 73 in which after knockdown, drag, out, fight with him, in which he was apologetic and tried to explain really the foundation of why we were having difficulty in our relationship because of his difficulty with his dad. But then, so that was 73. 82. But then back in, I think it was 08, I got the letter from him about his, you know, all the reasons why he was not happy with me. And that kind of started to precipitate the, the, the reconnection with him. It was a long letter of his, his disappointments, his, his resentment, his just mixed feelings about me, you know, and it was a lot, there were a lot of things he had in there. My screw ups, mishaps, professionally, stupid things I had said to him. It was quite a laundry list of things. And, and you know, it was a devastating to receive that letter. And then after I got over it, it was like, I'm gonna write him a 10 page letter because I've got stuff on him too, you know. But then again, you know, when I calmed down and reread the letter, it's like most of it, he was just 100% correct. It's, it's just that, you know, I mean, it was all true. A lot of it was just true, plain true. And, and I had to really, it was a point in my life where I had been in recovery for about four years by that time and learning to use some of the tools in recovery, which was like I was not, you know, to get. To give myself some space and time to not react to the letter and just learn how to let it go. Really, it was a matter of letting it go. And frankly, I, I really got to that point in my life. And in the book you're going to see this is one of the central themes is that to, to get to the point where I didn't want to, I was, I refused to engage in a negative way with my dad by arguing with him or sending him a letter. Was a large part due to the fact that I had spent a lot of time working on myself in recovery and working out my relationships. The challenging relationships in my life, particularly my mother, from whom my dad was divorced for at that point, 25 years, just about. And my mother, my, my ex, my, my ex wife. I was going through divorce and learning how to, you know, be kind and gentle and patient and tolerant with Nancy because she had thoughts and feelings of her own. And, and we, you know, we. I, I was just out with her last night. We went to a concert to see our kid play it. You know, he's in the Offspring, this punk band and they were playing in Anaheim and Nancy and I went, you know, together with another friend of ours and we're just so proud of our kid. But, you know, it took a while. I mean, there was a transition period and we were not on good terms and I had to learn how to really handle myself and grow up and be patient with her. And then. And the, and the third person, everything comes in threes that really gave me a run for my money was my teenage daughter to some extent, my son Jonah. But it was my teenage daughter who was really angry with me about splitting up with her mom and, and the divorce and, and just, you know, teenage daughter angst stuff. So it was after going through those experiences with them and really working on my relationship with them where I was kind of ready to find a new way, a new path with my dad. And even though I wasn't going to react to his letter, somebody in recovery said I should just go make an amends to him for everything in the letter. Which I didn't want to do because I didn't think he deserved it. He never made an amends to me and he's supposed to be in recovery and it was explained to me that the amends to him for that stuff in the letter is really not for him. It's for me to learn to let go of resentment towards him.
- [21:14]
David
Yeah.
- [21:15]
Adam Nimoy
And, and I did, you know, I struggled with it, but I went to make the amends and, and my dad was at a point in his life where he was ready to let go of his own resentments towards me as well. And we never kind of looked back after that. After that, everything changed between us.
- [21:31]
David
So talk about that new phase, that next chapter with your dad. Like, was it a time of healing for the two of you? Did you get like super close in that? Like, was it a totally new experience for you then?
- [21:45]
Adam Nimoy
Well, yeah, I mean, yes and no. I mean, we, the thing is that my dad had a lot of up and I had a lot of ups and downs together. We went through so much stuff together, so many experiences together. You know, family life cycle events together. You know, my dad and I had a long history together. However, when there was conflict, it was just treachery. Know, it was just, it was just. There was no resolution, no connection, no understanding, no middle ground, no negotiation was just, just nothing, nothing with him. And in part fueled by his alcoholism in the early years and, and my, you know, daily pot smoking certainly did not help any of that. And, and so that, but, but again, it, it was a mixed bag as everything else is, in that we did have some good times together and we just, our new life consisted of just being, you know, being together and, and attending having family dinners at his house were very often happened and just getting to know each other again and hanging out more together and, and then, and, and not, and leaving, you know, trying to stay away from old stuff, old issues that we were simply not going to agree on ever. We're never going to see eye to eye on, which is fine, you know, which was fine with me. Although there's a couple of occasions when they, when the conversations did steer back to that, and one of them is in the book. I, I had to try to steer things away because I just didn't want to go there, which is, you know, I, I just, I, I just couldn't go there. And I tried to do it in a way that was very sensitive and respectful of my dad's feelings. I mean, this is the other thing, you have to understand that, that throughout the Book. Even though, and throughout my life, even though I had these problems with my dad, I was always proud of him. Always. And I, and with the, with the, you know, the, the retrospective that you have, I have with memory. And in writing this book, I give him a lot of leeway for how he was born and raised, you know, in this country, in his life and the, and this, and the challenges of his life. So, you know, I have much more understanding of him and more tolerance for him now. But as we move forward, we just started to do stuff together. And then I, I, When I got remarried to Martha, my second wife, this is. I, I see. I'm so, I'm. I went sober and, and I split up with Nancy in 2004. And then Martha and I were married in 2011, January of 2011, seven years later, almost exactly seven years later, which I never quite thought of before. But then soon after we got married, she was diagnosed with cancer. And that's when my dad really stepped up to the plate and became the father I always wanted him and needed him to be. That's the way the book is laid out is all the things that, you know, the things that he did to keep me, to support me and help me through that incredibly challenging period. And then after that, and then after Martha passed, we just cons continued on our journey together, a lot of which is laid out in the book about the things we did together that, that bonded us even more tightly.
- [25:08]
David
Okay, so for our readers that are going to grab their copy of the book, can you kind of just determine for us what this book is not about and what this book is about? Because I want the people that are coming to, if they have expectations of what they might find, I just want to kind of level set for them. This is what the book is really about.
- [25:26]
Adam Nimoy
Well, it's not Mommy Dearest. It's not a tell all by any means. No, it's not. And I do, as I said, I do spill some blood on the page. There are some unfortunate incidents that happen there with my dad, but it's really the focus of the book and the whole purpose of the book is the possibility of reconciliation in a relationship that had been dysfunctional for decades with no hope in sight, frankly. Well, you know, when he wrote that letter, I thought, oh, this is, this is it. You know, he's. I think, I think we may really be done here. And I may, I may have to really detach myself from him in a more significant way. Until this other friend of mine in recovery said, no, you're going to take contrary action, do the opposite of what you think you should be doing, and you're going to take that. You're going to go into the lion's den, as it were, and you're going to make an apology to him. So the book is really about. It's not about airing grievances or, you know, or washing the laundry or, you know, he said this, I said that. I mean, there's a little of that in there. It's more of the. The problems I have with my dad are really there to set the stage for how sweet the final reconciliation with him is. It's a book about hope and family relationships that are dysfunctional. And that came to me through the process of 12 step recovery. That's just my story. The fact that it's Leonard Nimoy, not terribly significant. I believe it's a father and son story. I have many friends, just anecdotally, who've had trouble with a parent who had trouble with the. You know, a lot of us guys who were born during the baby boom have relationship problems with our dads. I'm hoping it's going to resonate with people and give them something that they can take away and maybe change their perspective on their own issues at home. Because when I share this story, and this is one of the reasons why I wrote it, when I shared this story at 12 step meetings without revealing my identity, it's all anonymous. People don't know who I am, they don't care and I don't, they don't need to know who I am. But when I share the story, it resonates with people and sometimes they come up to me after the meeting and they're like that. I really appreciate what you said. I'm going to go try to make a phone call to my, my dad, my mother, my brother or my sister, you know, so that, that is what the book is. It is a story of hope in the face of daunting challenges in family relationships.
- [28:08]
David
Excellent. That's what I love is being able to be really crystal clear so that people come with the anticipation of what they're going to find when they open that book for the first time. Is there like, is there a love letter from you as the author to the reader as they're going to open this for the first time? Is there something you want to say to them?
- [28:27]
Adam Nimoy
Yeah, what do I want to say? The reader? I hope it's, I hope it's well written enough to keep your attention. That's, that's for sure. I want to say to the reader that I worked really hard on this book for several years, and I. I actually hired somebody in New York.
- [28:43]
David
A.
- [28:44]
Adam Nimoy
Lovely editor by the name of Brenda Copeland, who stuck, you know, through this whole journey with me to. To try to get. To get some real feedback from somebody who had been in the publishing industry and had worked with a lot of writers as to where, you know, where do I need to push and what should I just leave alone and not include? Because. Very easy to get distracted. It's very hard to know when you're so close to the story. There's so much material with my dad. You know, it's just. You get myopic, and it's really hard to keep your eye on the big picture. And the same was true with the Spock documentary I made, which, by the way, is a tribute to my dad shortly after he passed away. We got that film out in 2016, just over a year, I think. We premiered it at the Tribeca Film Festival in April of 2016, 14 months after he passed away. But then again, even there, I had a woman editor. I love working with women who can teach me something and share their wisdom. I wanted a woman's perspective for this book and for that movie. And. But also, Janice Hampton, the editor, also kept me on point, on track, on theme, because, you know, I work. I work. I've been writing for many, many years. I've been a lot of workshops. I've written a lot of material, but I. I suffer from bad habits like a lot of other writers, and I. I really wanted to get to another level. And. And so I'm hoping the reader will appreciate the. The level of work that we put into it. This wasn't a mad dash, you know, it was something that we really thought about and. And rewrote repeatedly over the course of several years, actually.
- [30:30]
David
Yeah. Okay. This is so much. There's so much I want to talk about. The one thing I see as a common thread through your Instagram and your story is music. Music seems to be kind of this thread that ties between your dad to you to your son. There's just this thread that goes through here. Why. Can you put a pinpoint? Like, why is music such a big part of your story as a family?
- [30:54]
Adam Nimoy
Well, there's three reasons. It started in 1963 with the king, Elvis Presley, the Devil in Disguise. I had. My mother bought me the single. And then it was also in that year, the Beach Boys Surfer Girl. And then it was 64 baby, the Fab Four. And that just changed the whole game. I'm a Beatles fanatic. I love the Beatles and all the music that came with them in the 60s. So I. I had that background that. That was really a big part of my upbringing. My mother was very much into pop music. She took us, my. The whole family. We went to See Cream Farewell, 1968, the Englewood Forum, 10th row, in front of Eric Clapton. Absolutely amazing. So music had been a big part of my life early on. I mean, my sister and I went to the Hollywood bowl in 1965 to see the Beatles. We couldn't. Couldn't hear anything, but they were there. So that had always been a big part of my life. And my dad was in musical theater. My dad made records. Some of it's kitschy and some of it's, you know, a little cringeworthy, and some of it is fabulous. It's just fabulous. I really, really appreciate it. You know, he loved to sing, and he was outstanding in Fiddler on the Roof, you know, and Camelot music and Oliver. I mean, he was just outstanding. So that was. Also. Had a lot to do with my musical background. And then. And because of the Beatles, I started playing guitar in 1970. And then when my, you know, my kids were born, I brainwashed Jonah. Well, he kept, you know, he kept like, noodling on my guitars. And it was like, I may have to get this kid a guitar just to get him because I was afraid he's gonna break something. So we got Jonah drum kit at 8. He wasn't. His hands weren't big enough for the guitar. He started banging away on drums at 8 years old and got pretty good, pretty fast. And then when he was 11, I got him Offender Squire, and he just started shredding on it. You know, I mean, he's just. He was destined for rock and roll, which created some issues between us because his mother and I couldn't get him to do any homework whatsoever because he was going to be going into rock and roll, so what's the point? So that became a big part of our life. And Nancy, you know, my wife, my first wife, she was all about the fab four and music. And we had it on all the time at home. And, you know, Jonah just got the bud. You know, when they were. They were really little, they were. They were flipping out about the Rock and Roll Circus. The Rolling Stones DVD had come out and I was playing it, and they just. They just loved the who. They just fell in love with the who. So there was all this stuff going on, you know, and I'M playing music with Jonah. It was another way to connect with him. And then. And he went to music school. We pushed him through that experience. And then seven years ago, the Offspring, punk band out of Orange county, whom I adored, you know, with their first big major hit, the Smash album, came out 30 years ago. Exactly. You know, and Jonah's 32. He was 2 years old when it came out. And they played that whole album last night at, you know.
- [34:10]
David
Nice.
- [34:11]
Adam Nimoy
Yeah, it was insane. It's insane. It's insane. I mean, I adored those guys. When they came out, if you listen to alternative radio, it was. They were in heavy rotation, the Offspring, all the time. And they picked him up seven years ago, and I was in Europe with them last year. And Jonah's just been on. He's on guitar, percussion, and keyboards. And they're just a. It's just a fabulous. We just love. It's a bonding experience. You know, it's about connection. It's really about connection. And we just, you know, my, my. My ex, Nancy and I are just jumping around like lunatics.
- [34:49]
David
Good.
- [34:50]
Adam Nimoy
So that's kind of where the music really kind of has woven its way through our lives together.
- [34:57]
David
I love it. So, beyond the reconnection with your dad, the items you've been sharing on your Instagram page, which are amazing, by the way, to kind of get a little sneak peek into what you feel is valuable to share with us. I really appreciate that. What else did your dad leave you? Like, what else. What other memories, what other things do you kind of go to when you have quiet time to kind of contemplate as the book comes out? What other things did he leave you that stick with you as a. As a son?
- [35:27]
Adam Nimoy
Well, I mean, I learned a lot from my dad. I mean, I'm a lot like my dad, and I hear him sometimes inside of me when I. Just talking, you know, I. That sounds like something my dad would say, you know, I mean, look, I'm. I'm just so lucky to have known him and I learned so much from him. When I went into directing tv, I relied heavily on him for a very fast crash course education, and he taught me a lot about what filmmaking was all about. That's another way that we were able to connect for a while, you know, because it was on his turf and something that he knew well and. And he appreciate. I think he very much enjoyed the experience. So, you know, there's a lot that I got from him. There's a lot about his interests, very much like mine. I mean, I talk about the book is, you know, I love photography. I love music. I love film. I. You know, I love great storytelling. That's what he was all about. You know, I love all that. There's just many. We have. We have. We had a lot in common. We really had a lot in common. And it's unfortunate that we lost our way through so much of it and had so much trouble connecting with one another. One of the other memories that I was been kind of thinking about lately is an incident that happened to me. You know, this is retrospect. This is what happens when you have retrospective memory. And the memory was. I was on the. I was on the set. I was on the set a lot during the first season for about four different episodes, and then one episode on season two of the original series. And I was on set early on, and I had my dad sign a couple of photographs for me as a fan, and one was him and Bill together. And the very first promo. This is very early on, the very first promos they put together, and he was in. And my dad was sitting in a makeup chair by a. One of these kind of like vanity mirrors with. With lights all around it. And I came up to him and he signed the thing, and he. And he's full on Spock, you know, and he signed the thing, and he says to me. Then he said, okay, that's enough, in a very gruff way, which was typical of him. That was kind of my relationship with him. It could be very gruff and even more so when he was trying to stay focused, because then he went all introspective, all in character, all trying to remember his lines and the work they had to do that day. But the weird thing is, David, is that in retrospect, it's like, number one, it was. It kind of, you know, he brushed me off a little bit, and, you know, I. You know, it kind of didn't feel that great. But the fact of the matter was, I was with Spock.
- [37:57]
David
Yeah, I'm.
- [37:58]
Adam Nimoy
I'm with Spock. In my mind, I'm still there with him. And. And now that I know the impact that this guy has had, this character has had across the world for 60 years. Now. We're. We're. We're. You know, at the end of this year, it'll be 60 years since they started shooting the pilot. It's just phenomenal. It's just phenomenal that I had the opportunity that I had, that I was with him. I was there. I was a witness. And it becomes much more meaningful, more impactful, more Mind blowing, frankly, that I had that kind of. That I was that close to him because, you know, because everybody wanted a piece of Leonard and Spock. You know, I mean, everybody loves Spot. I mean, the band freaking loves Spock. You know, the Offspring, they love Spock. You know, my son told me that Dexter, who is a lead singer, and I love Dexter. I love his music, I love his professionalism. Just watching him and Noodles are the original members of the band. The two of them performed is just unbelievable. But Dexter said to Jonah one time, he said, okay, now do we know each other well enough that I can ask you about your grandfather? It's just. It's just amazing that, you know, people from all walks of life were affected by what my dad did create it, helped create with the help of Gene Roddenberry, the genius of Gene Roddenberry. Yeah. And that. That's a leg. That is, I think, the biggest, most impactful thing about his legacy that I really appreciate, I enjoy. I just. I'm very proud of. You know, when I go to the convention and people shake my hand, they're like. It's like, Sheldon, there's like. They feel like they're shaking some of the DNA from Leonard, you know, and they get. They get all crazy excited and I. That's just lovely. To me. It's lovely.
- [39:49]
David
That's a gift from your dad, I think, and I'm glad that you're sharing it with it through the book, through being here with me. I really appreciate your time. This is amazing. And like, yeah, like Sheldon said with the napkin, that he had your dad's DNA on that napkin and that he kind of looked at you as well. You have half of his DNA, so you're kind of like, second napkin, right?
- [40:10]
Adam Nimoy
You're.
- [40:11]
David
You're a good close second. But yeah, that was a funny moment as well. I love that. Adam, I'm so happy to have you here. And again, thank you for making time to do this again. Let's talk about the book. Let's send people to the book and the release date and everything. And as well, let's get your connection as well. Like, we can go to your website. We can connect with you. I know there's a lot of people who would love to reach out and have a little time with you as well. So, again, remind us about the book and the launch date and your website.
- [40:39]
Adam Nimoy
The most human reconciling with my father, Leonard Nimoy. And the official pub date is going to be Tuesday, June 4th. I will be promoting the book in the. In LA. An event in Culver City where. Which is pretty much sold out at the mine. It's not sold out but every. We're booked up with reservations. I'll also be back in LA on July 11th. All this will be on my website, www.adamnemoy.com which will also link you to my social media on Instagram and on X formerly Twitter. I'm going to be in the New York area next week. Barnes and Noble on June 6, Upper west side, 7 o'. Clock. Would love to see people there. I'm going to be. And looking for the other dates. I'm on Long Island Public Library. I believe that's on the fifth. And then bookends a bookstore in Ridgewood, New Jersey. I believe I said that correctly. And that I believe is on the 7th. So don't. Don't trust me.
- [41:44]
David
I.
- [41:45]
Adam Nimoy
Sorry, I don't even have in front of me. Yeah, no, actually I do. So David, let me just make sure I got this correct. Barnes and nobles, Thursday the 6th at 7:00'. Clock. That's 81st and Broadway. If anybody's in the city, I would love to see you. And. And I don't have the others in front of me. So there you go.
- [42:03]
David
Okay. We can go to the website and we'll be able to track all that information as well. I love it.
- [42:08]
Adam Nimoy
Very good.
- [42:08]
David
Excellent. So my last question for you before you go, Adam. My name, the name of the podcast is Living the Next Chapter. We're celebrating the launch of the book, but I need to ask for you, what is your next chapter? What are you excited about in the future? What's coming down the road?
- [42:23]
Adam Nimoy
Well, promoting the book. It's going to be a long road. Yeah, we've got a lot of interest in the book, which I'm really grateful for and it's going to take me into the fall. I have another book that I am determined to also produce more quickly, I think than this one is. I'm going to be back the Next Chapter. I don't know. I mean I want to go back to doing some directing. I am definitely going back to teaching. I taught for eight years at the New York Film Academy in Burbank. There's a good chance I'm going to go back in some capacity to do that. It's incredibly rewarding. There's some of that. Of those episodes have shown up in the book and I'm really grateful to the film academy for, for allowing me to be there and the privilege of working with students. So there's a lot there's a lot going on, you know that I'm just going to continue moving forward and learning and continue with my recovery one day at a time, which I really love and enjoy. And I will be traveling around the world with the Offspring. I'm also very, you know, proud of my daughter. She is in production at Paramount. She's a vice president of production in Paramount Television. That is Paramount, which made all things Star Trek. So we're going to be following her career moves as well. So there's a lot to look forward to.
- [43:39]
David
Amazing. Awesome. Again, Adam, thank you for sharing your father with us through the book. Thank you for allowing us to have a little piece of him with us and for his story to carry on. It's amazing to have this time with you. Really appreciate it. Thank you for making time for this.
- [43:56]
Adam Nimoy
I really appreciate you inviting me. David. Take care and as always, live long and prosper.
- [44:01]
David
Awesome, everyone. All the information's in the show notes. As always. Go there and make sure you follow up with Adam. He's a great person to talk to and be in contact with. Follow his Instagram page. Some beautiful things there to share with you as well. Adam, thank you so much.
- [44:13]
Adam Nimoy
Take care.
- [44:21]
David
Hey, thanks for listening all the way to the end of the podcast. That's a big signal to all of the players, the YouTubes, the apples, the Spotify's that you found value in this episode of Living the Next Chapter. Just by you listening to the end, you just sent a huge bat signal out to the app saying this was a great podcast, a great conversation. So you listening to this point, you've done your job. I have one more ask of you if you know anyone, anyone that would benefit from this conversation. Would you share this episode with them? Would you just get on, send them a message, send them the episode, tell them about this episode, tell them, do a living in the next chapter.com to get all the information about the podcast. Can you do that for me? Because the more people that hear this message, this episode, the better I want to support these amazing authors and I know you do as well. So sharing this episode really helps and I appreciate you. See you on the next episode. And thank you for listening to Living the Next Chapter.