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A podcast that takes a look at the development of alternative music in the 80's with a focus on post-punk, electronic, dark wave, goth, synth, industrial, and indie genres. The podcast episodes feature stories, background, and discussions of artists, contributors, music, themes, and events of the early alternative era.
The title of our podcast is based on the alternative song from 1988 by The Church, "Under the Milky Way".
Jeff (00:01)
Welcome to Inside the Milky Way, a look at early alternative music. I'm Jeff and I'm your host, and this is the story of Oingo Boingo. Before Danny Alfman became the legendary film and television composer of scores and songs for movies and shows, including multiple scores for some great directors like Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant, he was the leader and the frontman for the band Oingo Boingo.
Starting during the days of the band, he has scored over a hundred films, achieving a Grammy, three primetime Emmy Awards, seven Saturn Awards, and four Academy Award nominations. And his resume includes a wide range of classics and cult favorites.
From everything like The Nightmare Before Christmas to Beetlejuice to Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and even the theme for the television show The Simpsons. But before all of that, the band Oinko Boinco had formed in Los Angeles by songwriter Danny Alfman in 1979 as a ska and punk influenced new wave octet gaining a following in Southern California. The band had emerged from a surrealist musical theater troupe called
The band had emerged from a surrealist musical theater troupe called the Mystic Nights of the Oingo Boingo. During their years from nineteen seventy nine to nineteen ninety-five, oingo boingo was known for their high energy live concerts.
and their eclectic and experimental music, which combined elements of various genres. Over the years the band put out eight studio albums and that included the nineteen eighty five release, Dead Man's Party. This album included well-known songs such as the title track Dead Man's Party, Weird Science, and Just Another Day.
All part of this album that has become associated with Halloween over the years. The band continued until 1995, when they performed their farewell concert on the night of Halloween of 1995. This episode will tell the story of Oingo Boingo. The band continued until they
The band continued until they performed their farewell concert on the night of Halloween, nineteen ninety-five. This episode will tell the story of Oingo Boingo and the beginning for Danny Alfman. For Spotify listeners, this completes four years of our podcast and
We get started soon with season five coming up. Thank you all for listening over the years. We've had a number of Halloween episodes. Actually, our first episode four years ago was a Halloween-related episode. That's how we kicked this all off. So thanks for listening for over these four years. I hope you continue. And ⁓ let's get on with the podcast. The Mystic Nights of the Oinko Boinco began as
The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo began as a Surrealist street theater troupe in Los Angeles, founded by Richard Elman in 1972. The name was inspired by a fictional secret society on the Amos Nandy TV series called The Mystic Knights of the Sea. The early version of this band employed as many as 15 performers at any given time, playing over 30 instruments.
Some of which were built by the band members themselves. Danny Elfman joined his brother Richard in the band as the musical director in 1974 and would become the leader of the band by 1976. The group gradually moved away from its street theater origins and tran and transformed
The group gradually moved away from its street theater origins and transformed into a the group gradually moved away from its street theater origins and transformed into a dedicated musical theater act. The group performed an eclectic repertoire, including songs from like cabaret.
The group performed an eclectic repertoire ranging from cab calloway covers to instrumentals in the style of a Russian ballet music.
The group gradually
The groom performed an eclectic repertoire at ranging from Cab Kelloway
The group performed an eclectic repertoire, ranging from cab calloway covers to instrumentals in the style of a Russian ballet music. And eventually Danny Uffman began creating original songs with this group. Steve Bartek, later guitarist in Oigo Boigo and a co-producer of some of their later work, joined in 1976 as the musical co-director. That year the troupe appeared on the TV talent show, The Gong Show, hosted by Chuck Barriss.
Which they won the episode that they were on. If you're not familiar with that show, check some of the stuff out from The Gong Show. It's a crazy show. Daniel Robert Elfman, or Danny Elfman, was born May 29, 1953, in Los Angeles, growing up in Baldwin Hills, spending time discovering classic sci-fi fantasy and horror films, and he first noticed the music of such film composers as Bernard Herman and Franz Waxman.
In his early school days, Elfman exhibited an aptitude for science, and he wasn't really interested in music. And in elementary school, in the elementary school orchestra, he was even rejected as he was told for having no propensity for music. Elfman left school to follow his brother, Richard, to France when he performed.
Danny Elfman ended up leaving school and he followed his brother Richard to France, where he performed violin in an avant-garde musical theater group. He then embarked on an almost year-long self-guided tour across Africa, collecting a range of West African percussion instruments until a series of illnesses ended up me.
until a series of illnesses forced Danny to return home. When back in LA, this is when his brother started forming the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. By nineteen seventy nine, Danny Elfman reformed
LA. This is when his brother started forming the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo in the early 70s. By 1979, Danny Elfman reformed this group into a dedicated rock band under a new shortened name Oingo Boingo. At which point most existing members left. A few members, including Steve Bartek, and the brass trio of Dale Turner, Sam Sluggo Phipps, and Leon Schein.
And Leon Schneiderman continued with the new band, along with the drummer percussionist Johnny Vatos Hernandez. Various reasons were given for this restart as a rock band, notably as Danny's emerging musical interests, and there were a lot of transportation issues that the band was going through with the whole troupe, and multiple stage sets and props and all the stuff that went with the troop work.
Various reasons were given for restarting this as a rock band. Some of the key ones were because Danny had new inter There were various reasons for switching this from the troupe to a rock band. Most notably Danny's interest in other music and music styles and wanting to focus more of the band to one direction.
Also reducing the need for transportation and setup of the multiple stage sets and the props that all went with the troop work. And he wanted to start a sh he was in sp
Various reasons were given for restarting this band as a rock band and getting away from the troupe.
There's various reasons why this direction various reasons were given for restarting this now as a rock band, most notably Danny's emerging musical interests, and also the reducing of the need for transportation and the setup of multiple stage sets and props, all that stuff that came along with the mystic nights of the oing-boingo.
Elfman also had a shift in his music styles and inspirations, and he was inspired by ska revival bands such as The Specials, Madness, and The Selector, and also new wave bands like XTC, Devo, and Funboy 3. All of this he wanted to create in this. These were his new inspirations, and he wanted to mix this in with the energy and speed of punk rock music.
An early song, I'm afraid, appeared on the Rhino Records Los Angeles Rock and New Wave Up and Coming compilation called LAN.
Danny Elfman is dead.