Dec 30, 2025
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Nic Bearde Never Says Die
by Tom Donald
Nic Bearde on the mic at Disher Sound. photo: Miikka SkaffariPLEASE support our GoFundMe campaign to cover research expenses for our articles and rebuilding the cineSOURCE site.
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I DECIDED
to write a song and, ultimately, shoot a video about what is probably an overly fussed-about subject these days, especially among—ahem—elderly types like myself: Getting older and how the hell do we approach it.
It occurred to me that like almost everything else the boomers have ever tried, we’ll just head on and hope for the best. Everyone knows the end is nigh, but what the hell, let’s shoot the moon, grab a beer and wait it out. But then I realized there could be some purpose, some reason beyond that not-so-youthful-anymore pretense.
It’s become fashionable to bash boomers for all of the world’s ills: we’re too selfish, we’ve had it too easy, we never faced down a Depression or a world war. But somehow we managed to change the world, sometimes in ways that didn’t exactly turn out as we hoped. But we were there, we were on the scene and much of what people take for granted these days is because, as an albeit oft-fractured group, we made things happen.
Like music, for one. The rock’n’roll revolution spread into and influenced so many other modes, like jazz, country, even symphonic music. And art, or really, the creative arts in general. Or how about the Internet, an institution that’s become indispensable to virtually everyone? We did those. Not alone, of course, and not without the requisite roadblocks and difficulties. But if ever there was to be a collective tombstone for us, the phrase “We were there” would be inscribed on it.
Nic and background singer Jeanie Tracy. photo: M. SkaffariSo how about if I try to write about all that? Holy cats, big subject. But what kept going through my head was “Let’s not stop.” At least until we have to. And so was born, “Never Say Die”. The initial groove incorporated one of my of favorite musical forms from my Boomer past, ‘70s funk, and meshed it with more current modalities, like hip hop and modern sectional horn orchestration. I’d always heard my old friend Nic Bearde and his gorgeous baritone doing the vocal and so, I approached him about it.
“Tom, I’ve never done rap and I’m not about to start.”
“It”s not rap, Nic, it’s spoken word, and there’s a difference.”
When we got into Disher Sound in San Francisco, Nic proved my point. He took those lyrics, that Dylan-esque narrative, and made it his own. To a point that, as the author, I can’t imagine anyone else.
Almost in tandem, it seemed right to make a video for this record, as if to signal what I felt was to be a seminal release for hiTrecords. But what to shoot? We went through several treatments, from a cliché we laughingly labeled “windswept, rainy urban streets at night” to a dance sequence. And a few others. Ultimately, it was clear we needed to portray how this musical statement was produced, and so, the decision was made to shoot a performative video (see it here).
The production crew at Disher Sound. photo: M. SkaffariBack to Disher Sound, a gorgeously-designed and -outfitted studio in North Beach, run by my pal Tom Disher. The pre-production went well, and in early July last year, Frazer Bradshaw, a favorite DP from my director days, along with star producer Michele Dennis and a small company of 20 crew and musicians took a day to get our shots. My great and good friend Jon Francis, who also goes back to the days of Tom Donald Films, signed up to edit.
From the start of the shoot, through the first rough edit, to the final version, I knew we had something. And so did the marketplace, apparently. Upon release, the video garnered more than 660,000 views on YouTube. Not so great if your name happens to Bad Bunny. But pretty damn cool for hiTrecords. My appreciation for everyone associated with “Never Say Die” knows no bounds.
Thank you.
Tom Donald is a writer, musician, composer and filmmaker who has lived in San Francisco for almost 60 years. He and his wife Mitzi Ngim operate hiTrecords, a digital record label and content creation firm and can be reached .
Posted on Dec 31, 2025 - 01:35 AM
by Tom Donald
Nic Bearde on the mic at Disher Sound. photo: Miikka SkaffariA COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I DECIDED
to write a song and, ultimately, shoot a video about what is probably an overly fussed-about subject these days, especially among—ahem—elderly types like myself: Getting older and how the hell do we approach it.
It occurred to me that like almost everything else the boomers have ever tried, we’ll just head on and hope for the best. Everyone knows the end is nigh, but what the hell, let’s shoot the moon, grab a beer and wait it out. But then I realized there could be some purpose, some reason beyond that not-so-youthful-anymore pretense.
It’s become fashionable to bash boomers for all of the world’s ills: we’re too selfish, we’ve had it too easy, we never faced down a Depression or a world war. But somehow we managed to change the world, sometimes in ways that didn’t exactly turn out as we hoped. But we were there, we were on the scene and much of what people take for granted these days is because, as an albeit oft-fractured group, we made things happen.
Like music, for one. The rock’n’roll revolution spread into and influenced so many other modes, like jazz, country, even symphonic music. And art, or really, the creative arts in general. Or how about the Internet, an institution that’s become indispensable to virtually everyone? We did those. Not alone, of course, and not without the requisite roadblocks and difficulties. But if ever there was to be a collective tombstone for us, the phrase “We were there” would be inscribed on it.
Nic and background singer Jeanie Tracy. photo: M. Skaffari“Tom, I’ve never done rap and I’m not about to start.”
“It”s not rap, Nic, it’s spoken word, and there’s a difference.”
When we got into Disher Sound in San Francisco, Nic proved my point. He took those lyrics, that Dylan-esque narrative, and made it his own. To a point that, as the author, I can’t imagine anyone else.
Almost in tandem, it seemed right to make a video for this record, as if to signal what I felt was to be a seminal release for hiTrecords. But what to shoot? We went through several treatments, from a cliché we laughingly labeled “windswept, rainy urban streets at night” to a dance sequence. And a few others. Ultimately, it was clear we needed to portray how this musical statement was produced, and so, the decision was made to shoot a performative video (see it here).
The production crew at Disher Sound. photo: M. SkaffariFrom the start of the shoot, through the first rough edit, to the final version, I knew we had something. And so did the marketplace, apparently. Upon release, the video garnered more than 660,000 views on YouTube. Not so great if your name happens to Bad Bunny. But pretty damn cool for hiTrecords. My appreciation for everyone associated with “Never Say Die” knows no bounds.
Thank you.
Tom Donald is a writer, musician, composer and filmmaker who has lived in San Francisco for almost 60 years. He and his wife Mitzi Ngim operate hiTrecords, a digital record label and content creation firm and can be reached .
Posted on Dec 31, 2025 - 01:35 AM
