When Star Trek's Mr. Spock became a Rockstar in 1967.
In 1967, Leonard Nimoy was coming to terms with “Spockmania.” After narrowly escaping a mob of teenage girls at a county parade, he embarked on a promotional tour for his new musical album, Leonard Nimoy presents Mr. Spock’s Music from Outer Space. The record combined songs and spoken-word tracks. In between a “go-go boots” version of the original Star Trek theme and “Music to Watch Space Girls By,” Mr. Spock took listeners on a cosmic journey while casually remarking on the loneliness of space travel, as well as the illogicality of “star falling on Alabama.”
As part of the promotional tour, an autograph session was arranged at a local hotel. Hundreds of young women came to see Spock. As Nimoy sat at a small table, the crowd surged forward, screaming and crying for his attention with the ferocity of a Vulcan mating ritual. The only thing protecting Nimoy from having his clothing ripped from his body was a small aluminum gate surrounding the table. Soon, it began to buckle and break.
In a futile effort to pacify the unruly crowd, Nimoy stood on table and gestured for calm. Seeing him only further excited the mob. The hotel manager, fearing for Nimoy’s life and possibly his insurance premiums, grabbed Spock by the arm and yelled, “Let’s get out of here!”
They pushed their way through a small opening in the crowd and began running. Luckily, they made it upstairs to the manager’s office and locked the door before a wave of screaming teenagers caught up with them. Nimoy and the manager looked at each other and let out sighs of relief. They were safe! Then came the realization that they were also trapped, with the only way out being down through the mob.
“Wait a minute,” the manager exclaimed, “We can’t go down because of all the people. But we can go up. There’s a back stairway that leads to the roof!” A call was placed to the fire department, which promptly sent a truck and ladder to rescue Leonard Nimoy.
Only a few autographed records were signed.
The most common explanation for “Spockmania” was given by Isaac Asimov in a letter to Nimoy: “What really gets the girls is your (or rather, Mr. Spock’s) imperviousness to feminine charm. There is the fascination of trying to break you down that appeals to the hunter instinct of every one of the dear things” (Nimoy 1995: 85). Bjo Trimble, who spent months reading Nimoy’s fan mail from young women agreed. “Spock was a safe rape… [and] you could love him without risking your virginity,” she concluded (Gerold 1973:174). Apparently, Mr. Spock imperviousness to seduction, combined with his intellectualism, exotic appearance, and atypical masculinity was the ultimate combination for a “dreamy” heartthrob in 1967.
For many years, Mr. Spock was a rockstar, experiencing what Paul McCartney and others had to deal with on a daily basis, albeit on a much smaller scale. Fast escapes, personal bodyguards, and disturbed fans became a common feature of Nimoy’s travels outside of the Star Trek set. When Star Trek's popularity soured in the 1970s, things only got worse (or should we say better?) for Leonard Nimoy
