# Questions about Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 21, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071 "2021-09-21T18:00:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bananabug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Bananabug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bananabug)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/1 "2021-09-21T18:00:29Z")
Anyone else here a Danny Elfman/Oingo Boingo fan? Got a few questions for anyone in the know. Might sound weird. Lol. Is he actually a Scientologist or is it just the rest of his family? Why did his wife Bridget Fonda suddenly disappear from the spotlight, her career, and pretty much everywhere pretty much immediately after they married? Has anyone here ever met or worked with him? Or know anyone that has? And what exactly was the extent of his association with Harvey Weinstein? Only the fact some of the movies he scored were made at the Weinstein studios or? Were they friends at all? ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/2 "2021-09-21T19:27:13Z")
I am looking forward to see the responses as I was a huuuuuge Boingo / Elfman fan. Except for noting his many credits for scoring movies and tv shows I really haven’t followed him over the years. I did not know he was married to Bridget Fonda, for instance. And I would be very surprised (and somewhat saddened) if he is, indeed, a Scientologist. His [Wiki entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Elfman) entry says he’s a _cynicologist_(?) Since you asked, I’m going to stealth brag that I have met him several times( I worked with Boingo member Johnny Hernandez’s wife and got lots of tickets to events) but I in no way know / knew him. They as a group and he as the lead are by far the best live performers I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/3 "2021-09-21T19:48:25Z")
> [@Bananabug](#): > > Why did his wife Bridget Fonda suddenly disappear from the spotlight, her career, and pretty much everywhere pretty much immediately after they married? I don’t know if she’s ever spoken publicly about it, but I suspect she decided to retire and be a stay-at-home wife and mom. Elfman makes millions of dollars a year from film scoring, so there’s no need for her to work if she doesn’t want to. It isn’t unusual for actors to walk away from successful careers—[there was a thread about that recently](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-tv-stars-who-stepped-away-from-the-limelight/948997) and Fonda was mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/4 "2021-09-21T20:01:45Z")
Dead Man’s Party just started playing on the iPod. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/5 "2021-09-21T20:19:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Dead Man’s Party just started playing on the iPod.  Weird Science played on my YouTube earlier. Thanks, bananabug, I never knew Elfman was in Oingo Boingo until I read this thread. I always thought he was just a TV and film composer. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/6 "2021-09-21T20:20:25Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I never knew Elfman was in Oingo Boingo until I read this thread. Dude. Way to make me feel old. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/7 "2021-09-21T20:30:14Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > > > I never knew Elfman was in Oingo Boingo until I read this thread. > > Dude. Way to make me feel old. 😢  Nah. Coming up, my crowd liked denim and leather and hair, hair, hair. We had an open disdain for any group that might call itself Oingo Boingo. It was only later in life that I came to appreciate them. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/8 "2021-09-21T20:33:27Z")
Ah. I was definitely more New Wave than Hair Band. Got some nice Psychobilly on now (The Cramps). ETA: And now The Catholics Are Attacking. Always loved that one. What really makes me feel old is that the newest albums on my iPod (yes, iPod) are from… 1997? A Green Day album, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/9 "2021-09-21T20:39:46Z")
Are you thinking about Scientologist Jenna Elfman? She is married to Danny’s nephew, but he converted as an adult according to wiki - I don’t think its a family thing. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/10 "2021-09-21T21:56:39Z")
Mark Maron Interviewed Danny Elfman on his WTF podcast recently. Very interesting guy. > **[Episode 1232 - Danny Elfman — WTF with Marc Maron Podcast](http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1232-danny-elfman)** > > Danny Elfman did not set out to become one of the most prolific film composers in history. He was a distractible kid who couldn’t focus on much of anything except music, loved jazz, loved Stravinsky, taught himself how to read, write and play music,... ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/12 "2021-09-21T23:08:20Z")
His brother Richard produced and directed a film called [Forbidden Zone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_Zone) in 1978. I have it on Blu-ray, and it’s a wacky film. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/13 "2021-09-22T04:43:59Z")
Wow, I was not aware that Richard Elfman was a Scientologist. Upon reflection, one can see how the creator of **Forbidden Zone** might be taken in by the consistent internal logic of the Xenu origin story. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/14 "2021-09-22T18:01:10Z")
One of my faves. I have at least a couple of copies on VHS, and one or two DVDs. (Seems like I kept buying better versions as they were available.) ‘The Queen said she was going to ream us with a 20-inch cattle prod, and I’m still waiting!’ ♫ Give 'er all the juice! Give 'er all the juice! Twenty-thousand volts in her caboose will make her see the errors of her ways! ♫ (Frenchy is going to tell. Frenchy is going to tell…) ‘Johnny just shot Billy!’ ‘Well, the man was cheating so I just had to do away with him. And that’s all there was to it.’ ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/15 "2021-09-23T15:56:26Z")
Of course his early movie appearance in [Back To School](https://youtu.be/VCZy-U0_1X8) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/16 "2021-09-23T16:19:15Z")
Or a later appearance in The Gift. A great movie and his brief scene might be one of the creepiest parts [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MToIW6DgOe0/hqdefault.jpg "Danny Elfman in "The Gift"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MToIW6DgOe0) I just realized this clip is not the entire thing. You kind of need to see it in context. ---
**Author:** ![Bananabug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Bananabug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bananabug)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/17 "2021-09-30T14:46:21Z")
Turns out its just the weinstein studio only that Tim Burton , who danny was scoring for, used and weinstein owned it but nobody was directly involved. Its supposedly used by almost everyone. Freaked me out at first. ---
**Author:** ![Bananabug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Bananabug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bananabug)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-danny-elfman-of-oingo-boingo/951071/18 "2021-10-04T13:06:47Z")
Also, found out he is not a Scientologist. He is athiest. I was not sure of that was correct or not. Only his brother and nephew are Scientologists.