You know Danny Elfman as the creative mind behind some of the most iconic, recognizable music over the last half-century, fronting Oingo Boingo in the early '80s and scoring his first film in 1985, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, followed soon by other iconic movies like Batman, Beetlejuice, and Mission Impossible.
LISTEN NOW: Bullseye with Jesse Thorn: Danny Elfman
Last year, Elfman released his first rock album in over three decades: Big Mess, and gave fans anxiously waiting to see him live throughout the years separately from his Nightmare Before Christmas live specials an eye-popping performance at Coachella earlier this year.
Related
Danny followed up his 2022 release with another offering, Bigger, Messier, featuring remixes of songs from Big Mess from artists like Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, experimental outfit Xiu Xiu, and the iconic Iggy Pop to name just a few. In today's episode of Bullseye, Danny talks with podcast correspondent Brian Heater about all of that and more. Also, crustaceans.
Danny knew straight out of high school that he wanted to be involved in filmmaking, but the thought of either acting or composing seemed to be the most unreachable dreams, since there would be a good deal of training involved. Danny says he often describes his ventures into film scoring as a basketball fan suddenly being tossed a ball and being told to "go" without any preparation. "Hopefully after 38 years, some of the mystery of the process kind of does go away, other than there's a mysterious part of the process of where to find ideas that mystifies me as much now as my first score. It's always to me like lowering a bucket down into a well and having no idea if I'm gonna hit water, and if so when or where? Am I gonna have to lower it for ten minutes or ten days? I have no idea."
Listen to the full episode with Danny Elfman -- now streaming on Audacy -- and follow along with Bullseye from NPR, your curated guide to culture, as Jesse Thorn hosts in-depth interviews with brilliant creators, culture picks from your favorite critics, and irreverent original comedy. Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ, and McSweeney's, which called it "the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world." (Formerly known as The Sound of Young America.)
As an added bonus, this Halloween, Elfman has a special concert planned for fans at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Dubbed a "special Coachella-Plus concert," that promises to be "insane," Elfman dropped the news via his social channels on August 22, saying it will be the "same show as Coachella but with MUCH MORE added."
Fans can expect songs from Oingo Boingo, more songs from his Big Mess release, including some that were "never before played live on this planet," and film score highlights, "all performed with the same great band and a full orchestra and choir onstage! If you were at Coachella you’ll still love it." Danny adds, "If you saw it online, then you REALLY want to catch the full live performance, which is WAY more than what the cameras picked up."
"Sorry to say this Halloween, my show is NOT for the kiddies," Elfman ended his post. "Expect the unexpected and see you there!"
Tickets for the two-night From Boingo to ‘Batman’ to ‘Big Mess’ to Beyond! concert experience on October 28 and 29 will be on sale beginning Friday, August 26 at 10AM PT via Ticketmaster. AmEx cardholders can take part in a presale that begins Tuesday, August 23, and runs through 10PM Thursday.
Listen to more of your favorite music on Audacy's all-new Alt Now, Rockternative, Drivin' Alt, New Wave Mix Tape, '90s and Chill, Alterna 00s, and ALT Roots stations -- plus check out our talent-hosted Kevan Kenney's Music Discovery, Megan Holiday's My So Called '90s Playlist, and Scott Lowe on the Go's Post Modern Music Box!
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram