“Dead Man’s Party” - Oingo Boingo

In June of ‘85 Sheraton transferred me to San Diego and the Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel. A young lady on my team there was very much into music like I was. She had different tastes than I did for sure, and turned me on to many new bands that I had never bothered to listen to. Some of her favorites were R.E.M., U2, Duran Duran, Talking Heads and INXS. We listened to 91X on the radio in the office.

Probably her favorite of these ‘80s bands was Oingo Boingo. At first I was a bit “meh” about them. And then Dead Man’s Party dropped in October ‘85. It didn’t take long for me get on the bandwagon. Turns out, this band was right up my alley. Phenomenal musicianship coupled with a sardonic lyrical approach. I just absolutely loved their enigmatic front man Danny Elfman. His music is a distinct mix of ska/punk/alternative, high energy, frenetic and hard to categorize. His film scores were no different. Over time I could tell he had scored a movie in the first minute just by the opening theme. Elfman has scored over 100 films. The list is long and impressive. Nearly all of Tim Burton’s films, plus Men in Black, Good Will Hunting, Spider-Man (1, 2 & 3), Mission Impossible and Silver Linings Playbook.

Boingo released just three more albums after Dead Man’s, and with each release Elman explored different musical styles and arrangements. It was almost as if he was bored with anything approaching normal. The result was some Boingo’s best music: “We Close Our Eyes”, “Try to Believe”, “Insanity”.

In 1995 Elfman announced the end of Oingo Boingo due to permanent hearing damage. Terri and I were able to see them at San Diego State’s outdoor amphitheater on a warm summer evening in ‘94. It remains one of my favorite concert experiences ever.

“If we listen to the voices that were silent for so long. If you thought they went away, well you couldn't be more wrong. If I tell you there is something that we've lost but can retrieve. If I tell you there is hope, if we try to believe.”