Danny Elfman and His Many Personas

-


Image result for oingo boingo logo
Oingo Boingo's most popular logo
Throughout Danny Elfman's lucrative career (most know him as Jack Skellington or that one guy who composed the na-na-na-na Batman theme) he has played satirical roles of so many kinds of people. He has played the role of a devout Christian man, a pedophile, a government skeptical, a strict follower of the government, a recluse, a stalker, a romantic, and quite a bit more. The thing is that he's not a visual actor— he does all this through fronting his (former) band Oingo Boingo.
                                                                      Image result for oingo boingo
Easily my favorite  band, Oingo Boingo provides so many perspectives in their music that every song is something you can think about. For example, in Wake Up (It's 1984) the lyrics attribute Elfman to a well intentioned class of government skeptics while on the same album, the track No Spill Blood directly counters the previous track by being about conforming to the government."Big brother's watching, we watch him back
We see right through his disguise"
Wake Up (It's 1984)

"The rules are written in the stone
Break the rules and you get no bones"
No Spill Blood

These opposing views exist throughout the eight Oingo Boingo albums. Two more tracks that are running in separate directions are Fill the Void and Private Life, though these are from two separate albums. The main theme of Fill the Void is to convey the idea that you should not just follow the crowd and what is shown, while Private Life gives the perspective of a recluse who simply wants someone to pull him out of his own individualism.

"They want to fill the empty spaces
But I won't let them consume me
With the rest of the lifeless faces"
Fill the Void

"This is my private life
I have no friends to fear
I've got no problems no cross to bear
If you can find me
Come and get me out of here"
Private Life

Image result for little girls oingo boingo
Scene in the music video for Little Girls, one of the few music videos produced by Oingo Boingo
                                                        
Fill the Void came before Private Life so I have always enjoyed thinking that perhaps they're the same character wanting to fill the empty spaces" now. Many conflict comes from Danny Elfman's lyricism as you go through his discography. It may be political or absurd, as in Oingo Boingo's Little Girls that quite literally depicts him as a pedophile, but I feel most tracks have a good message or are attempting to make you think about your situation by Danny simply performing as a .

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dogglegängers & Doubles

-
Image
If they were the same color I would most definitely get them confused though. It's as if they're doubles... just a slight differentiation in color. Pixie (left), Garlic (right)  They like to wait for people at the door, Garlic specifically enjoys showing her stuff as a real rootin' tootin' guard dog. No napping involved at all. Pixey will even keep the toads in check. Color really doesn't seem to be much of a differentiating factor here, so why should it be anywhere else? *stock image labeled for reuse ( https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1428403 ) Using my dogs as an example, though a crude one, color does not stop two individuals from sharing a similar personality, way of thinking, or habits. In this manner of thought, it's not hard for me to imagine interracial doubles. Pixey and Garlic are the same breed, but differ in color. Despite that they act virtually the same and like and do, once again, virtually all the sa
Read more

Cucumbers are like people

-
Image
Have you ever met someone who seemed spiteful? Rude? Angry at the world? I have, and I have also seen them transition into that sort of individual. A sad process and sometimes cannot be helped by you because you do not hold that sort of connection with them. That's what makes people like cucumbers. Everyone starts off plain and kind of sweet (I had a cucumber once, I think it tasted sweet?). They live this way until one day they're soaked in foul events, similar to how a cucumber is soaked in vinegar to eventually become a pickle. It's tragic and one would rather not see it occur, but what is one to do? You can't exactly just pull them out of the 'pickle jar' because this new personality (or attitude) will permeate from within them. At the same time you can't just leave them in the 'pickle jar' otherwise they just continue suffering and might even make cucumber into a pickle. This is the duality of humans as there is a wrong you feel the need
Read more

Mannequin by HMLTD

-
Image
Mannequin  is a song I enjoyed even before attending Dr. Mintler's doubles and doppelgangers class, but I gained a new appreciation for it afterward. Cover for the HMLTD EP album which Mannequin  is on Beforehand I imagined it was a literal mannequin in the song with verses such as: " I found her in the parking lot By high-end fashion boutique bins And ever since We fell in love, I've had the urge To profit her a wedding ring But it's the strangest thing If she were made of flesh and bones And hair and skin and keratin Oh, is it such a sin? But plastic eyes, and plastic limbs And metal joints and fingertips Oh, she's a mannequin" Following expository writing, I've come to realize it may be a metaphor for a prostitute with various cosmetic surgeries. My reasoning is that to give her a wedding ring would imply she's more than a literal, motionless mannequin. I feel this line of thought helps explore the idea th
Read more