As Danny Elfman was growing up in the Los Angeles area, he was largely
unaware of his talent for composing. It wasn't until the early 1970s
that Danny and his older brother Richard Elfman started a musical troupe while
in Paris; the group "Mystic Knights of Oingo-Boingo" was created for
Richard's directorial debut, Totaler Sperrbezirk (1980) (now considered a cult classic by
Elfman fans). The group's name went through many incarnations over the
years, beginning with "The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo" and
eventually just Oingo Boingo. While continuing to compose eclectic,
intelligent rock music for his L.A.-based band (some of which had been
used in various film soundtracks, e.g. L.I.S.A. - Der helle Wahnsinn (1985)), Danny formed a
friendship with young director Tim Burton, who was then a fan of Oingo
Boingo. Danny went on to score the soundtrack of Pee-wees irre Abenteuer (1985), Danny's first
orchestral film score. The Elfman-Burton partnership continued (most
notably through the hugely-successful "Batman" flicks) and opened doors
of opportunity for Danny, who has been referred to as "Hollywood's
hottest film composer".
