Danny Elfman: From Oingo Boingo to American Composer

I asked Susie Lindau if she would write a guest post for me after her comment on a recent post in which I asked about the impact certain musicians have on us. Until her comment I didn’t realize that Danny Elfman the movie composer was the frontman of the 80s rockin’ band Oingo Boingo. My affection for Oingo Boingo boils down to two songs–Dead Man’s Party (I used a cover version in this video) and Weird Science, the title track for one of my fave 80s movies. You’ll understand how much of Danny Elman’s work you are familiar with once you see the list of films that have been impacted by his musical genius.

Susie has put together a great post about an oft unknown celebrity who is connected to us through more entertainment than we know. I love me some Gen X eduClaytion and got a great dose right here. Turns out Susie also has a neat personal connection to Elfman’s music in more ways than one. I hope you’ll check out Susie’s blog and find her on Twitter after you read this guest offering from her.

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Danny Elfman – From Oingo Boingo to American Composer

In the spring of 1981, I sat in the kitchen of an LA stoner’s bungalow and heard Danny Elfman’s band Oingo Boingo for the first time. My friend and I had escaped from a snowy Wisconsin winter and were visiting her brother next door. I was hooked within a few pounding beats of Only a Lad. The catchy rhythm and blending of guitar with brass instruments was radically different from anything I had ever heard. Back home, I quickly memorized the lyrics of the song Nasty Habits and would break into a rousing rendition at any moment.

Little did I know when I sat in that cramped LA bungalow that Danny Elfman would have a memorable impact on my life many years later in Colorado.