Spoken Nerd finds inspiration in Christmas and The Batman.
December is a month where we generally look back at songs and films from the rest of the year that we enjoyed. If an artist does release a new work, it is often a holiday song as kind of a “bonus track” or a precursor to the releases that are to come in the following year. As I was trying to decide which Christmas movie I wanted to draw inspiration from I kept coming back to the 1989 Batman movie directed by Tim Burton. Although Batman is not necessarily a “Holiday” story it holds a special place in my memories.
Let’s go back to 1989. It was Christmas Eve, Taylor Swift was born earlier in the month and my family had driven all day to visit my grandparents in Illinois. When we arrived at their house my Dad handed me a box wrapped in the finest of holiday cheer and told me to open it. Inside the wrapping paper was a black box with the bat symbol on it and although I didn’t understand what it was, I knew that it was special. This was my first VHS tape, which would go on to be one of my favorite movies for years to come. This picture had everything going for it. I’m talking about Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Billy Dee Williams, ect. I’m also talking about a script with a dialogue where almost every line is memorable, like a hot bar from your favorite rap song. This movie is equal parts Superhero origin story and mafia flick in one package, meanwhile staying within the parameters of a PG-13 rating.
My latest song, “I’m Jack Napier,” was produced by my friends and fellow film lovers, Otem Rellik and Shocker Mom. This song dives into the mind of the man who became The Joker as the hook references the final battle between him and the Bat. “I’m Jack Napier” is accompanied by another track entitled “Batman 89 VHS” (produced by just kidding) which serves as a narrative of the city of Gotham.
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