MEDIA

“Spelling” was inspired by several ideas. One was from the 1920 film, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", which was based on script by two pacifists who were left distrustful of authority after their experiences with the military during World War I. The film is complex but the gist of it is that people are easily duped, held captive and spellbound. Hence “Spelling” is about the current nihilism of the world and the darkness that today’s autocrats thrive on to dominate and hold people “in their power”, so to speak. That’s why a sonambuilist (a combination of sleep and wakefulness, a sleepwalker) is central to the song’s arc. If you look closely, there are images of Fool#45-47, the wolf ‘trickster,’ etc., all illustrating the absurdity of life/death.