Danny Elfman discusses some of his more well-known film scores

[David Emm]

I got to see Oingo Boingo years ago, so I've always been a major Danny fan. The orchestral title opening from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a masterwork, made even more impactful because there are no people in sight, just machinery packaging candy. Its a pleasure to hear about some of his compositional twists & turns. Very enlightening. Notice the loverly Wurlitzer EP on his right. 16:55.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YPv1F5sGBs

[ElmerJFudd]

I watched this the other day.  He threw himself into the profession 110%, had success, made mistakes, learned a lot along the way.  All the while developing a unique sound and workflow that continues to get him jobs.  Taking on an assistant/co-composer for the Wednesday series, both smart and mature of him to share credit. 

[Docbop]

I'm a huge fan of Oingo Boingo going back to the original band before Danny was a member.  Back then it was The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo and they were kind of a 30's-40's small band with a singer who dressed like Billie Holiday so cool.   I like the later Rock Oingo Boingo and Danny was an amazing front man for the group and did some wild antics on stage.   Then Danny's move into film composing with Steve Bartek guitarist from Oingo Boingo as his orchestrator.    There was good  Chinese restaurant a not too far from my house in LA and a lot of actors and such would be there.   Many times I'd go there and see Danny and Steve with a score out on the table having lunch.   One of the things I like about Danny's score is he uses lots of percussion and tuned percussion to add some uniqueness to his sound.

 

Thanks for posting this interview. 

[16251]

Instant classic.

 

 

 

[Stokely]

He's got some great ones.

 

One that kind of stood out for me, mainly because I disliked the movie as it unfolded but it started so great with the opending credits, is the main titles of Planet of the Apes.
 

 

[ABECK]

Huge fan of Both Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman scores.

My all time fav is his early work on Midnight Run.  Great job of blending action and sentimentality.

 

 

[ProfD]

Danny Elfman has been killing the film/TV music for a long time now.  He made a wise decision to leave playing in a loud Rock band and suffering more hearing damage.  Using his musical abilities behind the scenes turned out to be far more lucrative than playing live in a band.  He still gets to perform his original music with orchestras too.😎

[Stokely]

Ah, how could I forget A Nightmare Before Christmas?  One of my all-time favorites, bought the cd immediately after seeing the movie.

[CHarrell]

Danny Elfman's approach to movies has been commodified for almost 20 years now, which is a real bummer, but I still have so much respect for him. Love that over the last few years he's really been thriving in the concert world, seems to be much more rewarding for him now than modern Hollywood.

 

Some of my favorites of his are the usual suspects: Batman Returns, Nightmare Before Christmas, Mission:Impossible, Spider-Man 2, etc.

[mauriziodececco]

Wasn't Danny Elfman to write a column on film music on the Keyboard magazine in the late 80s ?

Maurizio