There aren't too many recording artists who directly reference comic books. Maybe that's because they've never read them, or perhaps, they just can't relate.
Whatever their reason, I grew up with comic books, including the greatest of Marvel and DC. Since I suffer from dyslexia and also a special kind called dyscalculia, (means I struggle with numbers), I loved reading comics. They were more interesting and memorable compared to the junk I read in school. And they were fun! Violent, yes. But great stories were told there.
One of the greatest stories was "The Killing Joke". In the book, Joker puts Barbara and Jim Gordon through a horrific time. Batman comes to the rescue. At the end, Batman reaches out to Joker trying to convince him he's not beyond redeeming. Joker admits it's too late for him, he's too far gone to trust Batman's light. So, Joker tells a joke about two lunatics trying to escape an asylum. I won't ruin the story. Read it for yourself. But Batman laughed!
Joker has always been a source of inspiration to comic book fans. He's complicated and twisted. He makes a mockery of all things we hold sacred. So his crimes are always made to prove some point about how the best of us can be taken down circumstances permitting. He does it with a sense of humor, and no remorse. In Joker's mind, life's only meaning is proving everyone's a sucker. Everyone will make the easy choice, he thinks. Batman, however, is unmovable.
And that's why the Killing Joke, the quintessential story of Joker vs. Batman, stands the test of time. Their relationship, how Batman created Joker by accidentally making him fall into a vat of chemicals, how Joker's family was destroyed because of one bad day of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and how Joker takes revenge is the stuff of legend. Joker toys with Batman, and the Gordons before going in for the kill, And more than that, summing the whole thing up into a "fuck it" moment is brilliant. We see on TV every time we see a new story about a family annihilator. We humans are fascinated by bad news and extremes.
Today comics are movies. Heath Ledger's Joker is legendary. Batman is still a huge draw. And the stories are violent and fascinating. But no live action movie of The Killing Joke exists.
Still, who hasn't had a moment when during the height of frustration, you just wished you could kill anyone who stands in your way? I certainly have. But I also wished I could play Major League Baseball, and win a Grammy!
That's why I wrote "The Killing Joke" song. I wanted to dive into Joker's head. Crawl around in there and see things from his point of view, as unreliable and creative as he is. Joker has a genius level intelligence. Lyrics below:
You send shivers down my spine
You chose your way, I chose mine
Had one bad day, I guess
Really, there’s nothing to confess
You wanted reason, I gave you rhyme
Any fool can see
The Joke’s On Me
Rooftops stretching out across town
You want me to jump, but I'm no clown
Afraid you'll shut off the beam of light
We're Dancing with the Devil in the pale moonlight
Ashes to ashes we all fall down
Any fool can see
The Joke’s On Me
Madness and gravity
Punchlines and trageties
Immoveable objects, unstoppable forces
A couple of rejects on suicide courses
Ah...(guitar solo)
Dance with the Devil in the pale moonlight
A house of mirrors on a rainy night
Forget the naked and paralyzed
You're the hero in disguise
Any fool can see
The Joke’s On Me, Baby
The Joke’s On Me, Honey
The Joke’s On Me, Baby
THE Joke's On Me, Baby
THE JOKE'S On Me, Baby
THE JOKE"S ON me, Honey
THE JOKE'S ON ME
You're the hero
I'm the zero
I can't wait for you to hear this song. I think it captures the moment Batman and Joker have in the book. But I think it also captures where we question our own sanity in a moment of uncertainty. Do we take a risk on faith, or don't we?
I want my friend, Mike Rozon, to produce the song. I hope he agrees to it.