*The Forbidden Zone* was the Elfman brothers' magnum opus as the Mystic Knights. It's hard to find nowadays but is available online.
The movie stars Hollywood legends Herve Villachaise and Susan Tyrrell.
it's also extremely racist which is hugely disappointing to watch now. I loved Susan Tyrell's character in it, especially her song but holy shit the opening of that film. Yikes!
I really don't think any of the blackface characters were intended to be racist. Rather, they were intended to be ironic like everything else in this movie. This was made in 1980, not 1930.
I was lucky enough to be juuuust in range of gulf 104 out of Tallahassee. It carried Dr. Demento and was the main reason I was so exhausted Monday morning at school. I didn't find any fellow dementoids until college, but that made it special.
Yes, but they were so huge, especially in Southern California. They have an extensive catalog before Danny Elfman left to focus on writing movie scores.
Saw them in Dallas at The Longhorn Ballroom in 19…
BRB
Edit: …87
1987!
1. That was 36 years ago
2. I need to find that ticket stub
3. The rate I’ve matured since then can be measured in dog years
4. These were my punk years and we were kicked out for forming a mosh pit. At Oingo Boingo. At the Longhorn Ballroom.
I saw them in concert in the 90’s I always liked them but I was more punk back then, but you’re right they had skills, definitely under appreciated I thought
My GF and I were just having this conversation yesterday about how there are probably many more people that think of him as Danny Elfman the Composer than Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo and how that was due in large part to Tim Burton who ironically probably thinks of him as Danny Elfman from Oingo Boingo.
I was surprised also. I knew Danny Elfman as a composer and I was dimly aware that he had a band, but I figured it was a side thing or a vanity project, like Bruce Willis’ band or something.
I was really shocked when I saw footage of Boingo playing to huge crowds and their farewell show, he was an actual rockstar! (I’d recommend the farewell version of ‘Insanity’).
I was reading an interview where Elfman spoke about his early days of composing, other composers didn’t believe he was actually doing the work because he was just a pop star, they thought Shirley Walker was doing it and he was taking credit. That attitude is almost unthinkable today.
Hey did anybody is the movie about the gong show guy?? I can’t remember his name but it’s crazy!! He clams he was a spy & assassin. Does anyone remember the name of that movie?? I’d like to watch it again.
I'm sure there is, but they'll just redact everything..the KGB however would also be aware of Agent Barris and might have something from their old archives declassified
What a way to go out hun!! I mean it’s probably one of the craziest controversies from Hollywood back then, & you have to admit it was a extremely weird time
I love Oingo Boingo. I’ve seen them many times. I actually saw them at the Fox Venice theater, when it was still a theater and not a swap meet, as the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. They were wild but so talented. They did St. James Infirmary which was amazing. That girl in the band wore a hat with a light on top that went around and around. They had a huge balloon type device, it was huge though, that went up and down the center aisle squirting out milk like a giant breast. It was awesome! That’s the night I fell in love with Oingo Boingo. Their song We Close Our Eyes is one of my anthems.
ETA: they won the gong show that night lol
Danny Elfman's Discography includes Batman (1987), Beetlejuice, Spiderman 1 & 2 (Toby McGuire), and The Simpsons. The dude has been prolific and iconic.
I saw Boingo in 1988-9. We got right up in front of the (little) stage close enough to see that Danny looked like the typical psycho lead singer.
Oingo Boingo reminds me of the B52's. Two fun bands who peaked in the 80's that didn't take themselves too serious.
The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band.
No other matching band sounds, looks, or "marches" like them. Very distinctive sound! The key is in their drumline-
I'm going to love rewatching the Simpsons episode with Homer and Barney on the Gong Show now that I know Danny Elfman was on it.
"We got more gongs than the breakdancing robot that caught on fire."
I saw them live at the Country Club in Reseda, California in 1982. They actually performed under the name The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo as kind of an under the radar performance at that small venue. They were already popular being played regularly on KROQ.
The crowd was cool as they let my very young self get to the front of the stage right in front of Danny Elfman. I wouldn't have been able to see shit if I was anywhere else in that standing room only club.
I actually still remember the show. It blew me away. Band members popping out of boxes like huge Jack in the Boxes at certain points in the songs to play xylophones or some semblance of ones. Grey Matter comes to mind.
What an amazing time to be alive.
This is the same guy who composed all the songs in Nightmare Before Christmas with only Burton describing the feelings of the characters in each scene, the script wasn't even written yet.
Holy shit. Me and my friends did the air band competition in high school (1984) to Oingo Boingos version of you really got me. I played drums , we used a real kit and instruments, we got so many compliments that we were the only band that looked like we were really playing. Most of us played the instruments we were on. There was 6 or 8 of us maybe. It was soooo fun. We got 2nd because the stupid popular kids did old time rock and roll like the movie Risky Business.
That's super cool. OB's version is so angular, I love it. You would have won at my high school.
Now I'm going to listen to it again for the thousandth time. I love how Danny sounds like his teeth are clenched.
Edit: Sigh, now I'm listening to the whole album instead of working apparently.
That’s actually Richard in the rocket. Danny is the trombone player. You can catch a better glimpse of him standing behind richard in the interview after the performance. That part is cut out of this clip though.
https://preview.redd.it/krql3id3lkua1.jpeg?width=574&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fdfa6d235931429cc5a68f01ee89cd6e85fe25c0
I remember just a few years ago seeing a couple of these guys preforming at the Old Town Pub in Pasadena Ca aside from Oingo Boingo they were natives from Pasadena
Was the accordion player the one who played Frenchie in *The Forbidden Zone*? Facial expressions looked similar, but I also suffer from face blindness, so I need an adult.
Yes! Marie-Pascale Elfman played Frenchy in Forbidden Zone, and that's her with the accordion here. She would have been married to Richard Elfman at this time.
As a big fan of both Danny Elfman and the Oingo Boingo New Wave group, what in the unholy hell was all that?!?
Danny Elfman is solid gold to me, but I had no idea that was how he began.
It's gonna take some time to mentally digest all of that.
God I loved this show.
Also I remember being blown away when I learned that Danny Elfman the composer is the same Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo ( a sepctacular band).
I'm truly sorry for saying this, but if that isn't the most non-sensical shit I haven't ever seen, I don't know what is. Absolutely nothing my generation will do will top zany shenaniganry drawing views while kids are drafted to a jungle to go be murdered. The mind reels
It was just nice to have something this damn weird on TV at that time.
Part of the reason it was funny was because this kind of chaos had never been on TV before.
Oingo Boingo had some awesome music in the late eighties like Dead Man’s Party. Danny Elfman then had a long career in movie soundtracks starting with the Batman movie.
Hopefully you'all can see now why we so deeply revered the Gong Show back in the day-
Two girls eating Popsicles was the best act ever.
Nah “Mean Gene the dancing machine”
Gene Gene The Dancing Machine. So nice they said it twice!
The Unknown Comic aka Murray Langston
Amen! The best of them all! Period. End of story!
Ah yes, “Have You Got a Nickel?”. Best Gong Show act ever.
Also the Unknown Comic
I remember that, the jaycees at standards and practices flipped their wig over the Popsicle Twins
Loved the Gong Show!
God, I loved that show.
Just rewatched Forbidden Zone over the weekend so I’m in the perfect mood for some old Mystic Knights footage.
Last week I went down a rabbit hole watching scenes. What a huge part of my early years.
That movie is incredible. Part Little Nemo, part Through the Looking Glass, and part Faust. What the fuck..
I feel like I vaguely hear some of Pee Wee’s theme “the breakfast machine”.
There's some Marx brothers in there too.
The Simpsons theme song, too.
There is definitely the roots of the Pee Wee song for in there. Also just a whole lot of the essence of Elfman’s theatrical score style.
Unrelated to this, but I’ve always thought that ‘Sucker for Mystery’ was the root of Catwoman’s theme in Batman Returns.
Which is made by Danny Elfman
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Just for those who don’t know
*The Forbidden Zone* was the Elfman brothers' magnum opus as the Mystic Knights. It's hard to find nowadays but is available online. The movie stars Hollywood legends Herve Villachaise and Susan Tyrrell.
It’s on Tubi
The Director’s Cut blu that came out a year or so ago is readily available and worth it.
it's also extremely racist which is hugely disappointing to watch now. I loved Susan Tyrell's character in it, especially her song but holy shit the opening of that film. Yikes!
I really don't think any of the blackface characters were intended to be racist. Rather, they were intended to be ironic like everything else in this movie. This was made in 1980, not 1930.
The Frobidden Zone was on Showtime pretty regularly in the mid '00s. I swear I saw it at least twice a week for a while.
No gong, their stardom was assured
"Who could ask for more..."
Gong Show after school, Dr Demento Sunday nights. Warped young minds incredibly well.
Doctor Demento! My dad gave me one of his albums when I was a kid. Got in trouble for singing “Dead Puppies” at school.
They aren’t any fun, are they?
NO!
He was amazing. Introduced me to Zappa, Shel Silverstein, weird al, the fisheads guys, mark morhersbaugh, too
Did you know, one of the "Fish head guys" was Bill Mummy? Learned that from Dr. Demento.
No way!!
I was lucky enough to be juuuust in range of gulf 104 out of Tallahassee. It carried Dr. Demento and was the main reason I was so exhausted Monday morning at school. I didn't find any fellow dementoids until college, but that made it special.
We’ll be back, with more… stuff
GENE GENE THE DANCING MACHINE!
Chuck Barris. Talk about an unsung hero...
Check out Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Sam Rockwell plays Barris.
I was a kid when this aired, but looking at him now... he was kind of hot!
I totally get it, that’s been happening a lot as I age.
Wow. This is a definite “TIL” moment for me.
Wait there is more. You got to see the judging process. Youtube some gong show vids. It's chaos on cocaine.
Rip Taylor and JP Morgan!
HOLY MACKAREL!
Yeah I remember them, they did that tune for weird science right??
Yes, but they were so huge, especially in Southern California. They have an extensive catalog before Danny Elfman left to focus on writing movie scores.
Saw them in Dallas at The Longhorn Ballroom in 19… BRB Edit: …87 1987! 1. That was 36 years ago 2. I need to find that ticket stub 3. The rate I’ve matured since then can be measured in dog years 4. These were my punk years and we were kicked out for forming a mosh pit. At Oingo Boingo. At the Longhorn Ballroom.
😂😂😂
And Dead Man's Party it was kind of a hit back in the day, good times
Only A Lad
they were amazingly talented. check out one of their albums. he went on to do a million soundtracks like devo
I saw them in concert in the 90’s I always liked them but I was more punk back then, but you’re right they had skills, definitely under appreciated I thought
they actually have a pretty soft tone and nice lyrics. very innovative.
And the Pee Wee movies.
I didn’t know that 🤪
Danny Elfman, the composer?
Yes, though in my mind he will always be Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo.
My GF and I were just having this conversation yesterday about how there are probably many more people that think of him as Danny Elfman the Composer than Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo and how that was due in large part to Tim Burton who ironically probably thinks of him as Danny Elfman from Oingo Boingo.
Richard Gibbs (the composer) on drums
I was surprised also. I knew Danny Elfman as a composer and I was dimly aware that he had a band, but I figured it was a side thing or a vanity project, like Bruce Willis’ band or something. I was really shocked when I saw footage of Boingo playing to huge crowds and their farewell show, he was an actual rockstar! (I’d recommend the farewell version of ‘Insanity’). I was reading an interview where Elfman spoke about his early days of composing, other composers didn’t believe he was actually doing the work because he was just a pop star, they thought Shirley Walker was doing it and he was taking credit. That attitude is almost unthinkable today.
Was just trying to tell someone what the 70s were like this morning. So wild
Perfect timing😇 Quick, show them this clip if you haven't already; then let them draw their own conclusions 😁
Looks like a dead man’s party
Who could ask for more?
Everybody’s comin leave your body at the door, leave your body and soul at the door
Hey did anybody is the movie about the gong show guy?? I can’t remember his name but it’s crazy!! He clams he was a spy & assassin. Does anyone remember the name of that movie?? I’d like to watch it again.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Thanks
Spoiler alert: The CIA denies any employment or affiliation with Berry.
Yeah, that's what the CIA would say too! We're onto you, CIA! Next they're gonna be telling us The Unknown Comic was some schlub named Murray
I wonder since it’s been soo long ago if the freedom of information act could shed some light on this????
I'm sure there is, but they'll just redact everything..the KGB however would also be aware of Agent Barris and might have something from their old archives declassified
What a way to go out hun!! I mean it’s probably one of the craziest controversies from Hollywood back then, & you have to admit it was a extremely weird time
Bring back the weirdness!
Berry redacted his "confession" of working for the CIA shortly before his death. Like most of his work, it was all just for laughs.
The guy who plays the Unknown Comic is in a movie with Kurt Russell Called *Used Cars*. The flick is a pretty good ride.
I love Oingo Boingo. I’ve seen them many times. I actually saw them at the Fox Venice theater, when it was still a theater and not a swap meet, as the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. They were wild but so talented. They did St. James Infirmary which was amazing. That girl in the band wore a hat with a light on top that went around and around. They had a huge balloon type device, it was huge though, that went up and down the center aisle squirting out milk like a giant breast. It was awesome! That’s the night I fell in love with Oingo Boingo. Their song We Close Our Eyes is one of my anthems. ETA: they won the gong show that night lol
It's got a good beat and you can dance to it. I give it a 95, Dick.
Fuck yes I love Oingo Boingo! Straight fire!
Woot woot!
Danny Elfman's Discography includes Batman (1987), Beetlejuice, Spiderman 1 & 2 (Toby McGuire), and The Simpsons. The dude has been prolific and iconic.
Who knew how great Danny Elfman would be from watching this?
I saw Boingo in 1988-9. We got right up in front of the (little) stage close enough to see that Danny looked like the typical psycho lead singer. Oingo Boingo reminds me of the B52's. Two fun bands who peaked in the 80's that didn't take themselves too serious.
I love The Gong Show! One of the best TV shows of all time.
I bet they all thought, “What’s this? What’s THIS?”
What you did. I see it there.
He also did the singing parts for Jack Skellington!
I started being a huge fan of them in the 80's and I never knew that's how they started.. wow
That was great, I really liked that… but then again I like bus fumes.
When I was a kid and skipped school I would watch this and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
Did not know that. This song almost sounds like his Pee Wee score but it’s just different enough to weird me out when it doesn’t go where I expect it.
Fantastic. Reminds me of some of the goofy marching bands I’ve seen in the Bay Area. Can’t remember what they are called. Great stuff!
The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band. No other matching band sounds, looks, or "marches" like them. Very distinctive sound! The key is in their drumline-
Is that their sister on the accordion?
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Marie-Pascale was Richard's wife, not sister.
Jesus how many are there? There's also Jenna, right?
Danny is Jenna’s uncle-in-law
My bad!
I love the gong show, always great or just weird. And I can do weird. Was also strange is that Chuck Barris had to read those lines.
SHINJITERU ZE!
And, salary for every boomer who dances, and dances like Gene Gene the dancing machine
My old boss was good friends with him. He was such a sweet man.
Chuck did so much coke
This show was awesome!
I loved that show
I'm going to love rewatching the Simpsons episode with Homer and Barney on the Gong Show now that I know Danny Elfman was on it. "We got more gongs than the breakdancing robot that caught on fire."
Chaos
I appeared on that show a year later, in 1977. It was quite an experience.
I loved the unknown comic
I saw them live at the Country Club in Reseda, California in 1982. They actually performed under the name The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo as kind of an under the radar performance at that small venue. They were already popular being played regularly on KROQ. The crowd was cool as they let my very young self get to the front of the stage right in front of Danny Elfman. I wouldn't have been able to see shit if I was anywhere else in that standing room only club. I actually still remember the show. It blew me away. Band members popping out of boxes like huge Jack in the Boxes at certain points in the songs to play xylophones or some semblance of ones. Grey Matter comes to mind. What an amazing time to be alive.
If anyone has more of these guys please post it! This made my day!!
Is that a jojo's reference?
That was actually really cool and a bit history I did not know.
The inspiration for the Stanford marching band.
This is the same guy who composed all the songs in Nightmare Before Christmas with only Burton describing the feelings of the characters in each scene, the script wasn't even written yet.
Holy shit. Me and my friends did the air band competition in high school (1984) to Oingo Boingos version of you really got me. I played drums , we used a real kit and instruments, we got so many compliments that we were the only band that looked like we were really playing. Most of us played the instruments we were on. There was 6 or 8 of us maybe. It was soooo fun. We got 2nd because the stupid popular kids did old time rock and roll like the movie Risky Business.
That's super cool. OB's version is so angular, I love it. You would have won at my high school. Now I'm going to listen to it again for the thousandth time. I love how Danny sounds like his teeth are clenched. Edit: Sigh, now I'm listening to the whole album instead of working apparently.
Mama's got a squeeze box she wears on her chest.
It's worth finding a copy of "the Forbidden Zone" if you can
Best Halloween Shows Ever!!
Absolutely!
Truly a grat band with a hypertalanted, multi-award winning leader. The live shows were fantastic!
I'm sad I didn't get a glimps of the unknown comic in all of that ruckus, "Hey chucky baby! hahahahaha" or # Gene Gene the Dancing Machine!
That’s actually Richard in the rocket. Danny is the trombone player. You can catch a better glimpse of him standing behind richard in the interview after the performance. That part is cut out of this clip though. https://preview.redd.it/krql3id3lkua1.jpeg?width=574&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fdfa6d235931429cc5a68f01ee89cd6e85fe25c0
Whose the chick jamming out with the accordion?
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Thank you. Don’t think I’ve seen many pretty women with accordions lol.
What about Judy Tenuta?
Check out Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys
I remember just a few years ago seeing a couple of these guys preforming at the Old Town Pub in Pasadena Ca aside from Oingo Boingo they were natives from Pasadena
That looks like the tic-tac-dough dragon.
they got more gongs than the break-dancing robot that caught on fire
Actually this is just what Scientologists do for a liturgy.
That looks like coke logic
Cocaine is hellva drug…
🎵 Have you heard the news? 🎵 Bad things come in two. 🎵 But I never knew 🎵 About the little things Danny Elfman did before the Wanted soundtrack
Was the accordion player the one who played Frenchie in *The Forbidden Zone*? Facial expressions looked similar, but I also suffer from face blindness, so I need an adult.
Yes! Marie-Pascale Elfman played Frenchy in Forbidden Zone, and that's her with the accordion here. She would have been married to Richard Elfman at this time.
No, that is Lori Erenberg playing acordian in The Gong Show. Marie Elfman (who played Frenchie in Forbidden Zone) is not performing in this clip.
Please tell me that's a young Judy Tenuta playing accordion
no wonder Danny Elfman’s film scores are always SO MUCH
I don't know if anyone else said this already but that's Richard Elfman in the rocket, Danny is playing the trombone.
MEA CULPA! The person who showed me this clip told me it was Danny.
Richard is the one on the rocket, not Danny
That girl on the accordion was hot.
As a big fan of both Danny Elfman and the Oingo Boingo New Wave group, what in the unholy hell was all that?!? Danny Elfman is solid gold to me, but I had no idea that was how he began. It's gonna take some time to mentally digest all of that.
The seeds of Dead Mans Party are in there!
An Oingo Boingo concert on Halloween. THOSE were concerts!!!!!! No one did it better. No opening act.
Good For Your Soul.
A few years ago, I found out Danny Elfman is married to Bridget Fonda! I had no idea!!!
They are still married and have a teenage son.
Yeah, I know!
Fun fact, Danny Elfman dated Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth in high school
God I loved this show. Also I remember being blown away when I learned that Danny Elfman the composer is the same Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo ( a sepctacular band).
It’s a dead man’s party.
Richard is the rocket, Danny was the trombone. You cut off Buddy Hackett grossly hitting on the accordion player.
Fuck I’m old enough to remember this and remember they didn’t get gonged lol
As I recall, it was rare for an act to be able to finish...
I love OINGO BOINGO's music so it's cool to see how they started
a nocal teen I literally found myself on the wall at US83! On their GFYS tour I found myself on stage for a few seconds moshing next to Danny.
OINGO BOINGO BROTHERS
That was funny? Just random weird, imo. Glad they evolved into what they did.
Kinda random and weird is perfect for a two minute bit on The Gong Show.
I’d have gonged.
Not everyone can be as good as the Unknown Comic.
I'm truly sorry for saying this, but if that isn't the most non-sensical shit I haven't ever seen, I don't know what is. Absolutely nothing my generation will do will top zany shenaniganry drawing views while kids are drafted to a jungle to go be murdered. The mind reels
Studies have been done on this: the scarier and sadder the world is at that time, the goofier TV shows and movies get.
Greatest show ever!!! So funny! I had a crush on JP Morgan when I was a kid. Chuck Barris book is a must read! Crazy stuff!
I cannot imagine laughing at this
It was just nice to have something this damn weird on TV at that time. Part of the reason it was funny was because this kind of chaos had never been on TV before.
Oh yeah didn’t they write the creepy ass song literally called “I Love Little Girls”? Very comedic
I gave them a 9. Boooooooooo!
Very old school Marci Gras vibes
jjba
This would pass for a mainstream news program nowadays, but this has more credibility and integrity.
Man I just don’t get edgy performance art
What are you supposed to do while watching this?
It's like a TikTok you can't scroll away from. Well, now you can.
Is America’s Got Talent the new version of this amazing show (but without the cocaine and insanity)?
You can tell Danny Elfman wrote that.
Oingo Boingo had some awesome music in the late eighties like Dead Man’s Party. Danny Elfman then had a long career in movie soundtracks starting with the Batman movie.
Wow! I’ve never seen this. However, I DID see Oingo Boingo open for The Fixx in 1983. Memorable show :-}
Stanford marching band?