DANNY ELFMAN
Sometimes rock musicians go into an entirely different line of work: Danny Elfman for instance has become one of the leading writers of Hollywood movie scores. He has written the music for the majority of the films by Tim Burton, beginning with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and including the 1989 Batman movie, for which he won an Academy Award (he has been nominated three other times). Elfman has also done a lot of television work, including the theme song for The Simpsons. Beginning in the early 1970’s and through the mid-1990’s, he was also the front man for the quirky band Oingo Boingo. Only a Lad, their first full-length album came out in 1981 and is the one that I have; the title song, “Only a Lad” was a minor hit. Elfman’s bombastic musical style turned out to be ideal for certain kinds of films. (September 2012) |