Danny Elfman Interview 2002

Adam Weissler talks to composer Danny Elfman about his Spiderman score, what he misses, and doesnt miss about Oingo Boingo.. and more, 2002, Malibu.

[@stageluvr91]

Danny Elfman is so incredibly talented and down to earth. This interview is so enthralling. I’d love to sit down and have a conversation with him. One of my most favorite musicians!

[@tracer740]

I am captivated by not just this man's talent but also mesmerized by his ability to make every word and thought become one of the most interesting interviews I've ever viewed. I honestly can't say why but I never expected Elfman to be so articulate and ... interesting.

[@alexkije]

One great interview.

[@capitantilapia]

And he's very open, too. Most of the artists just want to end the interview as quick as possible, Danny even goes to the piano to make a point.

[@mrmagoo8956]

Oingo Boingo is criminally underrated.

[@dandweller]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@gogoyubari366]

What makes you believe they're underrated? They sold millions of albums and sold out concert venues all over the globe.

[@mrmagoo8956]

@@gogoyubari366 They we’re a prominent band in the 80’s and than got lost in the either, so to speak. Most people I talk to don’t know of their existence and that’s sad. Because they have a great catalog of music. Only a lad is a perfect album IMO

[@patrickfrancis1877]

Oingo boingo music is awesome....seeing them live. Is way better. I've seen them 20 times going back to the 80's

[@gogoyubari366]

What makes you believe they're underrated? Did you travel the globe taking a survey from every citizen of the world? Please explain.

[@likeitornotbut616]

Danny Elfman is genius whether he believes it or not. I love the fact that he answers questions in such depth and description of the feeling he needed in order to write a given score. It seems that Danny does nothing without extreme detail whether just talking or of coarse writing music.

[@Jamgizzle-pch1hi]

His films scores are criminally underrated!!!!!!!!! Every Bingo fan ever, except me. 😂 Also, He's switched places with Trent Reznor.

[@waxeater112]

my taste in men is terrible jesus christ. hes so hot

[@hezzipoint2005]

I'm binge-watching interviews and I've seen you EVERYWHERE- thank you for your contributions to the danny elfman is hot club

[@mummifiedgoose]

Seconded! Its not terrible, it's *refined* cause he is a DISH

[@devinrodriguez3530]

No that’s Danny elfmen your taste is great

[@robinandrew1223]

I've always LOVED Danny Elfman as one of my absolute favorites since 1981 and the early days of Oingo Boingo when he first played at the Living Room in Providence, RI and I have so much respect for him - Yes, most definitely, he is an absolute genius!! **XOX, Danny!**

[@conniesambrook]

wow my sister and I went to the LIVING ROOM DURING THAT TIME.

[@OZRIC1985]

Danny is a brilliant guy, and composes such great, memorable music. :)

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

Danny: “I don’t know nothing about music theory” Also Danny: *proceeds to explain what a microtone is in language that a 5 year old can understand*

[@preechermanz1]

The face of Genius!

[@alexkije]

A hard worker.

[@patrickroe8426]

A true musical genius.........will always be my Favorite!

[@JackiePhillipsTheSocialPet]

So much fun watching him work out each question in his head, almost like a math problem. He is mesmerizing to watch. So much talent. So glad he is willing to share his talent with the world!!!

[@shawndaheisser489]

What I love about Danny is his honesty. I am always amazed by his talent. The future is the future and the past is in the past. Great work ethic.

[@Zenjedi99v2]

Oingo Boingo IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

[@scottthompson9720]

Danny's score for OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is the most underrated masterpiece of his entire career. His music enhances every film he touches but 99% of his scores have made movies LEGEND.

[@Jamgizzle-pch1hi]

Two things OB fans will always say, they underrated, and he's Trent Reznor. Which is redundant, cause NiN is fvkin overrated, and I don't care for film music. I love Danny's voice and music and old image. Punk, to Effeminate looking, to Ween looking, to "winning Grammys" Michael Bolton Office space, alas. Still a huge fan, just don't care for movie music. Sorry😢

[@iceomistar4302]

21:07 He talks about Jerry Goldsmith, my alltime favourite film composer and it seems like Danny shares that sentiment.

[@VAMPSTRA]

I wish he wasn't so humble... He needs to accept the fact that he's a genius!

[@JackiePhillipsTheSocialPet]

Totally fascinating to watch him describe everything!!

[@unscripted3209]

This man looks different in every interview

[@JackQAnimations]

19:00 minutes "What a fucking way to die!" lol

[@JackQAnimations]

17:44

[@alexkije]

One great interview! Thanks so very much for sharing.

[@devarodgers4676]

wonderful

[@gurgisjones1120]

Great, enormous talent, obviously. I just wish he had more of the fun in him like the good old days, instead of this seriousness. He used to act like he'd never grow up, and that was a great thing.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

He just made a new punk album so... he’s mostly just too afraid of cancel culture or fascism coming to the US to be as fun as he used to.

[@steveminer3972]

Wow 18 and knowing what you're passion was.

[@ultramimo]

Excellent interview.

[@djmylesmatisse]

Watching this makes me wish Danny Elfman had gone the route of Trent Reznor...Score films while keeping the group that put you on the map alive as well. Trent scores films and records and tours his NIN brand. In a perfect world, Danny would have embraced both talents as well...Film Scorer and frontman/primary architect for Oingo Boingo. How wonderful would that be to get film scores and full Boingo albums and tours. Nobody ever said life was fair and perfect. And even though Oingo Boingo's catalogue hasn't been remastered and reissued with bonus tracks as well as DVDs with all their videos and live performances, we're very fortunate to have their original pressings available to cherish.

[@victoria7t]

He did not leave on go Boingo because he wanted to go on to score movies. He left because like so many musicians of the time he wasn't so smart about protecting his hearing and now he has bad hearing and playing with the band anymore was difficult because of his bad hearing and that is why he left.

[@jflesh8673]

NOW he has remastered and reissued his back catalog, something he said he’d never do …

[@skaneverdies]

Good interviewer. Good interviewee. Good interview.

[@darrenjerome8710]

this is a wonderful interview! :)

[@sseltrek1a2b]

fascinating interview...his score for the Spiderman movies was ridiculous (the main theme had the vibe of a spider weaving a web...)...

[@logiclust]

o2r was the first digital board i worked on and 'broken speaker' was by far my favorite distortion.

[@tomgrzywacz6135]

Pure genius!

[@ewasazon5806]

DANNY I love you

[@rainym4321]

Simply Obsessed.

[@pfunkballer]

BOINGO!!!!

[@NickHoad]

There's a really high-pitched whining in this video and it's really pissing me off.

[@jcruminski]

+Nick Hoad Agreed, got 2 minutes in and had to stop watching

[@Simba______]

Nick Hoad ~ Oh, yeah...now, I hear it..... .... meh.

[@alexkije]

Stop whining. ahahaha

[@jflesh8673]

Dark at the end of the tunnel, dopest dope I ever smoked…

[@danielgudinojuarez6729]

Never knew he had a goatee for a short time

[@rainbowroadthekilljoy8]

I love him but I feel personally offended by that facial hair...

[@tStevester83]

Adam Savage

[@budmb2]

21:07 so sad to hear, Goldsmith passed away probably months after this interview.

[@gina-mariezzii]

Ah back in the day when we were young and animation was still an art... These things used to require talent, passion, beauty, and virtue. You'll never see another clay-mation film again. Even actual artwork is all too rare in present-day animation. Think of the first time we saw Beauty and the Beast, the Hunchback of Notre Damme, or The Prince of Egypt. Now imagine if it's aesthetic were stripped to a cold computer animation version. It would look something like Madagascar, or Shrek. Yet another step towards turning the future generations into soulless automatons.

[@DanielEBurnette]

A block of clay or a blank sheet of paper are just as cold as a computer. These are just material causes, medians for us to express art. There's nothing more inherently artistic about one over the other. They're inanimate, with artistic potentiality, but without human input, they are equally bland.

[@ThemeParkChomp]

Daniel Burnette I agree but computer has many tools and preset systems to help you along, it takes a lot more raw talent to create things with practical media. And often has a more human feel to it, even if its just an effect. But for some styles and effects, computers are the only possible way

[@davidhoffman4641]

Nowhere in this does he talk about his Spider-Man score, which I consider to be his best work. C'mon man, that's false advertising. Not cool, man. Not cool.

[@ytowndroog5940]

HOWMUCHDOESEVERYONELIKETHEQUESTIONS??????

[@lexie.ward.]

7:50 5:42

[@MrGhouL-qt2kw]

And magic from the hand we're making

[@thecatfromgarfield2595]

@@MrGhouL-qt2kw wEiRD sCIeNCE *wooo*

[@northyland1157]

wow Ron Howard has really changed.

[@johnunderwood3132]

You need to just have a conversation with Elfman. I’m not thrilled with a lot of the questions

[@octangula7914]

HE LOOKS LIKE THE NOSTALGIA CRITIC IN THIS OH MY GOD

[@waxeater112]

NOOOO

[@waxeater112]

IT COST U NOTHIN TO NOT SAY THIS

[@branscombe_]

why is this sped up?

[@vegastiki]

it is not.

[@brianoneil9662]

Talking about how brutal and grueling composing is, well, he's never worked in a machine shop or on a construction crew in summer. I respect his creativity, talent and intelligence but comparing composing to physically taxing, and eventually debilitating, labor is pretentious. If 90 percent of composing is so miserable, why do it? Go back to Boingo, start another group. He's got enough money to create on his own terms. Hell, put together another group and just play small clubs and lounges if you need to express through music.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

He built a Geiger counter when he was like fourteen if that counts.

[@matthewjames3553]

Assuming you haven’t ever worked 120 hour weeks for months on end before ? He’s referring to the isolation, extreme deadlines, massive budgets (with massive expectations, constant picture changes and no union to protect you from being fired at any moment or any idea of when your next gig comes. As a person who has merely assisted on 4-5 multiple network series all at once, you want to die. Your body and mind starts to fall apart and you have literally no life. Not to mention the ear damage, CTS, neck and back problems that start to develop from years of playing , programming and sitting ... Clearly you’re not up on “the life” - figured I’d elaborate. P.S. - I worked construction and assisted electricians for years. These are very different types of grueling/brutal , but definitely agree “brutal” isn’t tough enough of a term.

[@eddyray666]

It's still hard work. The misconception is that it's a fun job all the time. I do this for a living too. I haven't had a single day off in 7 months.

[@Jamgizzle-pch1hi]

As a massive OB fan myself, you outta know you can't disagree with him in anyway, as other fans will get butthurt. 😅 I hate looking back at him in his punk days, us festival, and seeing the establishment Danny of today, constantly getting his arse Kissed, no more a brat. On the inside. And how fans never stop comparing him to NiN, I fvkin get it, he's weird and use a drum machine, "ew he switched places with Trent reznor!" Fans