Editing Has Been (section)

==History==
Joe Jackson explained his involvement in an interview, saying, "That came through Ben Folds, who's a big fan of mine. You’d have to ask him how he got hooked up with Bill Shatner, I don't remember. But I think he did a really great job of putting an album behind Shatner that is fun and not completely cheesy, though when it is too cheesy, it's deliberately so. (laughs) It's just a very musically satisfying record, and when he asked me to be a part of it, why would I not?  How could I refuse? I went to Nashville for a few days and hung out with the two of them, and we created a couple of masterpieces."<ref name="huffpo">{{cite web |last1=Ragogna |first1=Mike |title=Chatting With Joe Jackson And Earl Klugh, Plus Mick Harvey's "The Ballad Of Jay Givens" Video |date=July 2011 |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chatting-with-joe-jackson_b_888406?guccounter=1 |publisher=Huffington Post |access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref> He ultimately said about working with Shatner, "He's wonderful, very musical, and very funny, because he's so obviously in on the joke".<ref name="joe jackson toronto star">{{cite news |last1=Quill |first1=Greg |title=First he loved Manhattan - now he loves Berlin |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2008/03/30/first_he_loved_manhattan_now_he_loves_berlin.html |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=30 March 2008 |access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>

Originally, [[Weezer]] and former U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] were set to be featured on the album but by the time Weezer responded, Clinton had already backed out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/aug/18/cult-heroes-ben-folds-the-bespectacled-piano-man-forever-flouting-convention|title=Cult heroes: Ben Folds, the bespectacled piano man forever flouting convention|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=18 August 2015}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/uU6T4bEXLAA Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20211201172053/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6T4bEXLAA Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6T4bEXLAA| title = Ben Folds on Getting William Shatner, Bill Clinton & Weezer on the Same Stage {{!}} The Rich Eisen Show | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2007, a [[ballet]] called ''Common People'', set to ''Has Been'', was created by [[Margo Sappington]] (of ''[[Oh! Calcutta!]]'' fame) and performed by the [[Milwaukee Ballet]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milwaukeeballet.org/about-us/artistic-director/blog-archive/william-shatner-ballet|title=The William Shatner Ballet|work=[[Milwaukee Ballet]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404152139/http://www.milwaukeeballet.org/about-us/artistic-director/blog-archive/william-shatner-ballet|archive-date=2015-04-04}}</ref> Shatner attended the première and had the event filmed. This footage became ''[[William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet]]'', a feature film which premiered at the [[Nashville Film Festival]] on April 17, 2009.  The documentary also features interviews with Shatner, Folds, and Henry Rollins.