082: Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party (1985)

Buy on Amazon

"When we started out, the intention was just to have fun and rankle people, throw some little jabs and barbs out at things that annoy me. It's kind of become more a therapy for me over the years. A lot of the stuff is just letting off steam about something, and keeps me from becoming a serial killer."

—Danny Elfman

This is Halloween, this is Halloween! But instead of pumpkins screaming in the dead of night, we’re throwing a Dead Man’s Party with the help of Danny Elfman and his punk-new wave-ska-pop-rock band, Oingo Boingo. This classic album from 1985 marks a transition from Oingo Boingo’s earlier yelping weirdness into a more mature and radio-friendly sound, but never fear - they’re still just as creepy and strange as ever. The result is an album that’s intense, catchy, melodic, and fun, and has become a rightful Halloween classic. So leave your body and soul at the door and join us, because there’s always room for maybe just one more. 

Miscellany

• To give credit where it’s due: Danny Elfman’s Batman score was a close collaboration with legendary conductor Shirley Walker, who went on to compose scores for the DC Animated Universe, including Batman: The Animated Series.

• If you’re interested in learning more about zolo, check out this detailed discussion, complete with playlist!

• Amanda got the lyrics to “King of Pain” slightly wrong. It’s the blind man who is looking for a shadow of doubt; the skeleton is choking on a crust of bread.

• If you like Oingo Boingo and Halloween, Libby recommends internet songwriter, producer, and performer Nick Lutsko, whose extensive catalog includes songs such as “Where Did the Gremlins Go?” and the viral hit “Spirit Halloween Theme Song.” 

• Rich and Amanda agree that the best Supertramp song is “Bloody Well Right,” which comes right before “Hide in Your Shell” on Crime of the Century. 

• “Stay” is definitely on the Donnie Darko soundtrack but none of us can remember where it is in the movie. If you know, please tell us!

• It’s worth noting that the two young idiots in the movie Weird Science realize immediately that they’re in way over their heads. The woman they create is utterly terrifying and at no point is actually under their control, and hilarity ensues.

• There was an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called “Dead Man’s Party.” It is a bad episode and didn’t use the song, which is very annoying.  

Other links 

• Oingo Boingo's complete farewell concert (YouTube)

• “Dead Man’s Party” synched with The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride (YouTube)

• “No One Lives Forever” in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (YouTube)

• “Back to Boingo : Danny Elfman may have exhausted himself composing movie scores and TV themes, but he's getting renewed pleasure from the oddball rock band he founded and twice thought he'd retired” (LA Times via the Wayback Machine)

• The O/S/T Party

• The Shattered Shield

• Discord & Rhyme’s Dead Man’s Party playlist (Spotify)

• Discord & Rhyme’s Patreon

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call 

• Rich Bunnell (host)

• Amanda Rodgers (other host)

• Mike DeFabio (moderator)

• Libby Cudmore (special returning guest) 

Dead Man’s Party tracklist 

1. Just Another Day

2. Dead Man’s Party

3. Heard Somebody Cry

4. No One Lives Forever

5. Stay

6. Fool’s Paradise

7. Help Me

8. Same Man I Was Before

9. Weird Science 

Other clips used 

Oingo Boingo/Mystic Knights:

• Dead Man’s Party (Boingo Alive version)

• You Really Got Me

• Grey Matter

• Squeezit the Moocher (Minnie the Moocher)

• Forbidden Zone

• Only a Lad

• Skin

• Nasty Habits

• Weird Science (single/soundtrack version)

• Insects

• Glory Be

• We Close Our Eyes

• Goodbye Goodbye

Danny Elfman:

• The Simpsons theme

• What’s This? (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)

• Breakfast Machine (from Pee Wee's Big Adventure)

• Gratitude

• Clown Dream (from Pee Wee's Big Adventure)

• Love in the Time of COVID

• The Batman Theme 

Others:

• “Weird Al” Yankovic - You Make Me

• The Police - King of Pain

• The Police - Synchronicity I

• Dutch Uncles - Fester

• Supertramp - Hide in Your Shell

• The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra - Suite (from La Strada) (composed by Nino Rota)

• The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra - Psycho Main Theme (composed by Bernard Herrmann)

• New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

• Devo - Puppet Boy

• Ready for the World - Oh Sheila

• Cardiacs - Dive

Band/album personnel 

• Danny Elfman - vocals, rhythm guitar

• John Avila - bass guitar, vocals

• Steve Bartek - guitars

• Mike Bacich - keyboards

• John Hernandez - drums, percussion

• Sam “Sluggo” Phipps - tenor saxophone

• Leon Schneiderman - baritone saxophone, alto saxophone

• Dale Turner - trumpet, trombone

Credits 

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of:

• Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

• Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste

• The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...

• Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

• Herbie Hancock - Hornets

• Kraftwerk - Autobahn

• Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen

• Oingo Boingo - Just Another Day (this episode only) 

You can buy or stream Dead Man’s Party and other albums by Oingo Boingo at your local record store, or the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Twitter @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing and production for this episode is by Rich, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for the intro and original music. See you next album, and keep as cool as you can.