This week, Mr. Throwback ate an Oreo cookie inside of another cookie and hung out with Kid Cudi. He also selected the theme song from Space Jam as his throwback pick of the week. The 1996 live-action/animated cinematic masterpiece stars Michael Jordan as Michael Jordan (it’s the part he was born to play), who in 1993 retires from basketball to attempt a career as a baseball player (which, unfortunately, actually happened).
Here’s where things get fictionalized. In Tune Land, the evil alien Mister Swackhammer has ordered his teeny tiny alien minions to capture Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes chums so he can put them on display at his struggling amusement park. Bugs challenges the aliens to a basketball game to win back their freedom, and enlists the help of Jordan and, later, Bill Murray. (Fun Fact: The original Space Jam website is still in tact, and we can say without hyperbole that it is probably the most amazing thing on the Internet.)
The song “Space Jam” by the Quad City DJ’s captures the very essence of this beloved film. Here’s what Mr. Throwback has to say about it (in partial third person, no less):
This song pumps Mr. Throwback up! Every time he hears it he jumps and waves his hands like he’s at a Bar Mitzvah in the ’90s – that’s how nuts he gets.
I also do a mean running man to this jam. Great song to wake up to. Gets me right outta bed. This song hits home because Michael Jordan is my favorite basketball player ever.
Here’s a secret: Mr. Throwback collects Space Jam memorabilia, including the original sneakers, Jordan’s champion Tune Squad jersey and a leather jacket from the movie. In fact, this Friday in his store he is doing a custom sneaker release called The Space Jam 5s – one side is dedicated to the Tune Squad and the other is dedicated to the Monstars.