Danny Elfman

From my heart down to my hand, why don't people understand ... my intention? 

   Do you recognize the name? No? How about Jenna Elfman... the cutie/hottie from the late 90's sitcom Dharma & Greg? Now I've got your attention? Good, but this is not about her. It's about her uncle.

   Danny Elfman is a singer, songwriter and composer, and if you've seen the 1985 movie Weird Science, you've heard his work. Do you like The Simpsons? Desperate Housewives? Then you've heard his work. Were you ever a fan of a very unique rock band in the 80's and 90's called Oingo Boingo? If that was a yes, then you've definitely heard his work and you're probably a fan. But do you know just how much he's done, and does, in the entertainment industry?

   Born Daniel Robert Elfman, May 1953 in Los Angeles, California to Milton Elfman (teacher, ex-Air Force) and Blossom Elfman (American writer), he is of Jewish ancestry. He grew up in Baldwin Hills and spent much of his time at the local movie theater, where he learned to adore the works of such composers as Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxman.

   Elfman entered show business fresh out of high school, at age 17, when he joined the European circus "Le Grand Magic Circus," a touring show in which his brother, Richard Elfman, was already a member. Danny and Richard did a violin and percussion opening number for the show in which Danny played violin -- and brother Richard believes "was Danny's very first musical composition." Then Danny left the circus, making his way from West Africa across the continent to East Africa. In the meantime, brother Richard came back to Los Angeles and created the musical-theatrical troupe The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. When Danny returned from Africa he was installed as the troupe's musical director.

   When Richard left the troupe to do films and other theater projects, Danny took over as both musical director and singer. Shortly thereafter, he cut the members down to eight, transformed it into a heavier, rock format and shortened the name to Oingo Boingo. It was a far cry from anything which could be considered pop or mainstream. This new group used a wide variety of rarely-heard-from percussive instruments, complex time signatures and instrumentation. There were no "hooks," none of their songs were the radio-friendly three and a half minutes and they had odd lyrics and vocals. But, as strange as these guys were - and Elfman played it up for all it was worth - there was no denying the formidable musicianship of the band. Says Richard, "I never really saw Danny have any rock influences at all growing up - no garage bands, no rock albums, no guitar, no rock concerts... no music lessons. We did have classical music in the house." He listened to Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Mozart, Orff and movie scores, so he incorporated that rich musical background into his band's compositions to give them a fresh and unique sound.

   Oingo Boingo were catching on!

With the original Oingo Boingo line-up

   Oingo Boingo were together from 1981 to 1995 and, during the 90's, the name had formally been shortened to Boingo. They recorded eight studio albums (including Dead Man's Party, which went gold) with A&M, MCA and Giant records and have scored ten movies together. Their last recording, simply titled Boingo, is my personal favorite.

Tim Burton

   In 1985, Tim Burton and Paul Reubens (Pee-wee Herman) invited Danny Elfman to write the score for their first feature film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Elfman had no formal training and was doubtful of his ability to take on such a project, but with orchestration help from Boingo guitarist Steve Bartek, Danny was successful in emulating the mood, as childhood hero Bernard Herrmann would have done, and he later described the feeling of hearing his music being played by a full orchestra as one of the most thrilling moments of his life.

   Burton and Elfman formed an immediate, long-lasting bond and Danny has gone on to score all but two of his major studio films: "Ed Wood" and "Sweeney Todd."

Orchestral scoring: 

Conducting the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra for "Charlotte's Web."

Honorary Doctorate

June 2, 2007 from North Carolina School of the Arts, and provided the commencement address.

Elfman also dabbles in the classical music world. He co-composed  Serenada Schizophrana  for the American Composers Orchestra.

   Elfman has two children from a previous marriage: Lola (adopted) and Mali. He has been married to Bridget Fonda since 2003 and they have one child together: Oliver.

   When asked in 2007 if he would ever perform again with Oingo Boingo, he answered with an immediate 'no' and said that he had begun to develop significant and irreversible hearing damage. He sites frequent exposure to high noise levels and also states that the damage is due in part to a genetic predisposition to hearing loss. He says he will never return to the stage for fear of worsening the condition.