This week, I have chosen to write about Danny Elfman. I feel that he has contributed a great deal to popular music of today. From the band Oingo Boing to working as a film composer for many popular movies and television shows, Danny Elfman has inspired many musicians and composers, including myself, to reach beyond the norm and not fear the dark and quirky.
Born on May 29, 1953 in Amarillo, Texas, Danny Elfman was the son of children's novelist Blossom Elfman. He and his brother, Richard, grew up in Los Angeles. Danny then moved to France at 18 to learn about orchestration and theater (Marx). He often played his violin in the streets, and joined an avant-garde musical theater group called La Gran Magic Circus. Danny then moved to Africa for a year, learning Highlife, which is African pop that combined raggae and salsa with horns. With all this musical knowledge, Danny returned to Los Angeles to reunite with Richard and start the band Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, which was later shortened to just Oingo Boingo (Yahoo).
Oingo Boingo was originally put together for a movie Richard was writing called "Forbidden Zone." With Danny as the vocalist and front man, this quirky punk/new wave band began playing in the L.A. area, and when the "Forbidden Zone" was finally released in 1980, they instantly got noticed. A&M Records sought them out and they signed a recording contract, producing singles such as "Only a Lad," "Nothing to Fear," and "Dead Man's Party." (Prato)
In the mid 1980's, a fan of Oingo Boingo by the name of Tim Burton made Elfman's acquaintance. Burton asked Elfman to write the score for his work, "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure." From here, the relationship and friendship became solid, and the two continued to work together on numerous other films, such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. This solidified Elfman's career as a film composer, and he continues to this day working with directors, including Tim Burton, on scores (Marx).
Elfman has won numerous awards for his work. He earned a Grammy nomination for Best Original Instrumental Background Score for Batman. He earned an Emmy nomination for the main title theme music of the Fox animated series, The Simpsons. He earned Golden Globe and Grammy nominations for Best Original Score for The Nightmare Before Christmas. He received his first Oscar nomination in 1997 for Best Original Score for Good Will Hunting, and a Grammy nomination for Men in Black. In 2001 he earned a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Planet of the Apes. He received a Golden Globe, an Academy Award, and a Grammy nomination for Best Original Score of Big Fish. He earned a Grammy nomination for Best Song in Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He earned in 2010 a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Alice In Wonderland, and was nominated for the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score - Motion Picture for the same film (Yahoo).
Danny Elfman is an inspiration because he went from having no classical training to becoming one of the most prolific and respected film composers of our generation. He used influences from his travels to help him build from a small, quirky band, into this film composer with scores full of passion and emotion. Bits of Africa can be heard in his large use of percussion and brass instruments. As a listener, I love hearing his unique sound. It is very dark and intense, and can be very intricate and fun.
As an industry professional, I love hearing how an adult can go from having little musical knowledge to becoming a huge deal in the industry (Yahoo). There isn't a person in the business who doesn't know Danny Elfman and his works. He is one of the the biggest film composers of our time, along with John Williams and Hans Zimmer. My biggest dream is becoming a film composer, so I look up to these people as my idols and inspirations. I want to continue my research on these film, tv, and video game composers to hopefully learn how they got to where they are, and set myself on a similar path. My goal is to finish my degree at Full Sail University, and while still working on music and producing, I want to apply at Berklee University into their film scoring program. One can never have enough education in a field they love. I want to experience multiple different learning environments like Danny Elfman, so I can grow as a person and a professional, and be able to reflect my experiences in my music.
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