Danny Elfman in brief (not briefs... Ok, bad joke on my part)
Danny Elfman's musical career started in the 1970's after he graduated from highschool. He left early, going to France to meet up with his brother and perform in the Le Grande Magic Circus. A year of that (or perhaps less) he went on a trip to Africa and was heavily influenced by the pop music they had. He learned how to speak pidgin french and how to play the violin and beg for food and medical supplies from missionaries. His favorite country in Africa was Mali, (probably why he named his daughter Mali, but that's speculation on my behalf). After that journey, he returned to states to have his brother Richard Elfman (Father of Bodhi Elfman, married to Jenna Elfman. Jenna Elfman is famous for playing Dharma in Dharma and Greg) almost bully him into joining another musical troupe, this one called The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. (This was around 1972) Danny agreed, and after getting healthy from his bouts with hepatitis and Malaria from Africa joined and was one of the singers, the trombone player, and the fire breather. He was the musical director and taught himself to read and write music. (He wrote his first mini concertina Piano Concerto One and a Half during this time. Sadly however, no one but him to my knowledge has ever heard it. He just references it in interviews)
In the 1980's he took over the Mystic Knights, shortened the name (and the people involved) to Oingo Boingo with their single Only A Lad. Also during that time he did his first movie score to his brothers cult film, Forbidden Zone, in which he also played a role as the singing and dancing Satan who is lusting after the Princess.
Anyways, Oingo Boingo continued for 15 years (17 if you count the transition from Mystic Knights to Oingo Boingo) till 1995.
In 1985, Elfman made quite a few leaps in his career. He began to score major films starting with Pee Wee's Big Adventure, directed by none other than Tim Burton. Burton was an avid Oingo Boingo fan, and called him in to score it. Danny did a test and submitted in the clip of the score to see if he got the job. Sure enough, he did and that demo became the Theme to the entire movie. From that point on until 1995 he was juggling his scoring work and his work in the band Oingo Boingo.
In 1995 Oingo Boingo dissolved and Danny focused exclusively on his film work.
Also in 2005 Danny performed a concert made for Carnegie hall in February. The concert (called Serenada Schizophrana) was played twice (to my knowledge) once in Carnegie hall, and once in the Redwood Theater. Supposedly it will come out on CD sometime in the next few months, and it has been reworked to go as the score for the film Deep Sea 3-D, an Imax film narrated by Johnny Depp and... I forget who else, but the film comes out in March.
Now, the songs that Oingo Boingo is known for is: Dead Man's Party and Weird Science. If you were in the LA area in the 80's and listened to KROQ you probably would have heard Only a Lad quite a bit as well.
And as for his scores?
He has done every single Tim Burton movie except for Ed Wood (they had a fallout and Howard Shore scored that film), He is also responsible for the first two Spiderman movies, The Hulk, Family Man, The Men in Black movies, Sommersby, Black Beauty, thingy Tracy, Spy Kids 1, Wisdom, Proof of Life, Dolores Clairborne, Nightbreed, Good Will Hunting, Flubber, Mission Impossible, Freeway, Darkman, and more.
He did the theme songs for (off the top of my head so I might miss a few):
The Simpsons (which he is most known for)
Dilbert (A rehash of the title track to Forbidden zone)
Desperate Housewives
Fable (the video game)
The Simpsons theme he did in about one or two days. He was called to do that theme as Matt Groening was also a Boingo fan and asked him to pretty much. He had fun with it, was inspired by watching the opening. He also makes $11 every time that theme song is played. Not to shabby eh?
And there was more I was going to say, but I forgot. ^^;; Sorry bout that. Probably something to do with how crazy he is, and all the little tiny anecdotes I've read and seen and heard.
Oh, and if you really care (I know you don't but I do ^^
He was born on May 29, 1953 most likely in California. (not Texas) And he's married to actress Bridget Fonda at the moment, has a child who is, well, one now named Oliver. His other children are Lola (stepchild from his first wife) and Mali (his from his first wife). Jenna Elfman is his neice (by law).
If you have any other questions or I left something out or said something wrong, please correct me ok? Thanks.
(made by insaneboingo) (weaselwoman13 @lj for ava)
He was born on May 29, 1953 most likely in California. (not Texas) And he's married to actress Bridget Fonda at the moment, has a child who is, well, one now named Oliver. His other children are Lola (stepchild from his first wife) and Mali (his from his first wife). Jenna Elfman is his neice (by law).