Like the majority of mankind, I’ve been heavily listening to Daft Punk’s latest effort Random Access Memories.

I find the seventh track, Touch, particularly astonishing.

For those that haven’t heard the song, think of it as an eight minute exploration of music history. It features a choir, an orchestra, keyboards, a synthesizer and even the obscure electronic instrument, the ondes Martenot.

The extraordinary soundscape is bookended by the theatrical vocals of Paul Williams.

Williams, short in stature but of large achievement, is a songwriter, composer and actor who peaked in the seventies.

Since then, this Academy Award winner has appeared on a number of television shows including Hawaii Five-O, The Love Boat, The Muppet Show and most intriguingly, Batman: The Animated Series.

BTAS, as it’s commonly abbreviated by geeks including myself, was the Saturday morning staple for boys of the nineties.

Developed by Warner Bros., it first aired in the United States in 1992. The initial series ran until 1995, when it became The Adventures of Batman & Robin.

Jean MacCurdy was the executive producer, and she coordinated the talents of artists Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski, and producer Alan Burnett.

Timeless

They concocted something truly special.

It is a timeless world of elegant art deco buildings, complex characters, dangerous villains and an abundance of shadow.

The plots are surprisingly intelligent for a children’s cartoon, chiefly, because it isn’t purely for kids.

Timm and Radomski delivered a mature rendition of the caped crusader’s world, one much closer to Michael Keaton than Adam West.

This maturity is reflected in the superb talent utilised behind the microphones.

Batman is played by Kevin Conroy. A Julliard-trained New Yorker, Conroy is generally considered to be the definitive voice of the character, and has appeared in a number of subsequent series, films and games.

The Joker is voiced by none other than Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. Like Conroy, Hamill’s interpretation of the iconic villain (particularly his maniacal laugh) is held in the highest regard.

Andrea Romano, casting director for the series, hired distinguished actors to play Gotham City’s various inhabitants.

Silver screen stars including Tim Curry, Ed Asner, Roddy McDowall, Ron Perlman, Ed Begley Jr. and David Warner all featured on the show. 

They were joined by character actors like George Dzundza, Robert Costanzo, Treat Williams, Michael York (Austin Powers) and Leslie Easterbrook (Police Academy).

There was even a role for Back to the Future’s Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) as the lowly thug Tony Zucco.

Among the motley crew of voice talent you’ll also find Boston Legal’s René Auberjonois, Star Trek Voyager’s Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and even the Nazi playwright from Mel Brooks’s The Producers (Kenneth Mars).

Finally, special mention should go to Joseph Maher, who played Dr. Emile Dorian in the first season.

Born in Westport, Co. Mayo, Maher had a prolific career in North America on stage and screen.

He received a number of Tony nominations for his work on Broadway, and worked right up until his death in 1998, aged 64.

No matter where you go in the world, you’ll always find an Irishman.

Even in Gotham City.