Danny Elfman is a rock star now thanks to Nightmare Before Christmas

Danny Elfman is the last person who ever thought Danny Elfman could play Coachella.

The legendary composer of projects such as Batman, Spider-Man, The SimpsonsTim Burton wore no shirt and was ready to tear up the stage in the desert. Those who witnessed the spectacle of Elfman’s performance were blown away — “Nobody else even came close to bringing that level of chaotic pageantry,” wrote Vulture at the time — while images of the roaring composer were quick to go viral on social media.

Most movie buffs knew Elfman as Burton’s bespectacled, goth-adjacent music pal.

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In 2022, many movie lovers did a double-take. Wow, yes, that’s frickin’ Danny Elfman.

Elfman’s rock turn may not have surprised those who were clicked into the alternative scene of the late 1970s and ’80s; before he established his macabre staccato identity in Burton’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, BeetlejuiceThen, Edward Scissorhands, Elfman was a member of new wave band Oingo Boingo, which hit its hardest with the 1985 single “Weird Science” (featured in the film of the same name). Founded by Danny’s brother Richard, the band steadily toured and cut records through the early ’90s. Members of the band continue to tour today. When Elfman left the band to pivot to composing, he also left behind his live music career — for so long that many of his younger superhero-movie-watching/Hot Topic-shopping devotees never knew his lineage. And even in the Oingo Boingo days, the musician wasn’t going as hard as he did at Coachella.

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What brought him back then? What rebirthed him as a man who could share a stage with Billie Eilish and Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland? To my mind, it’s Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Produced by Burton, the stop-motion project was a black sheep for Walt Disney Animation that blossomed into a cult favorite, and based on the last few years in Elfman’s life, a transformative milestone for a musician born to shred on a stage like no other rocker ever has.

Elfman was a key player in the early development of Burton. The Nightmare Before ChristmasThe loose pitch was transformed into a Disney Renaissance-worthy musical. And after recording demos for Jack Skellington’s big numbers, Elfman became the obvious pick to record the final versions (while The Princess Bride’s Chris Sarandon was hired to match Elfman’s baritone vocals in the spoken dialogue). Elfman won numerous awards after his debut. NightmareWork, and this soundtrack was a staple for every holiday from October to Christmas.

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Elfman has not reached its peak NightmareIn 1993, he received four Oscar nominations. The four Oscars he received for Good Will Hunting, Men in Black, Big FishThen, MilkIn the following years, he won numerous awards for his film work. The highly baroque Serenada SchizophranaIt is his first piece composed for concerto. In 2008, he wrote the music for the American Ballet Theatre’s Rabbits and Rogue balletThe following are some examples of how to get started: in 2011 composed for Cirque Du Soleil’s $100 million Iris show. But it’s bops like “This Is Halloween” and “Jack’s Obsession” that will be engraved on his future tombstone, and he’s never been ashamed to play the hits — unlike Disney, which had no clue how to release the movie to an audience weaned on The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the BeastThe parts have been used in everything from 3D releases to theme parks, to the Disney Dreamlight Valley sim. And unlike his work as a film composer, The Nightmare Before ChristmasAllow him to perform on stage.

The former Oingo Boingo singer returned in 2014 to perform the scores of Tim Burton films with an orchestra. It included some of the songs from The Nightmare Before ChristmasThe concert was such a success that Disney invited Elfman to appear alongside his co-stars Catherine O’Hara (Sally) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for a night devoted exclusively to their songs. The concert appearance was such a hit, Disney invited Elfman to appear alongside his co-stars Catherine O’Hara (Sally) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for a night purely dedicated to The Nightmare Before Christmas. The concert was such a hit, the group has performed it on the regular every October — and will do so again this Halloween.

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Burton’s various Burton products are a big deal. Nightmare Before ChristmasCoachella programmer’s were influenced by Elfman to consider playing alongside current pop artists. Elfman claims that there was an immediate hesitation from his side: He wasn’t a star of hip-hop, pop or rock. But after watching Childish Gambino and Janelle Monáe unleash pure theatrical mayhem at Coachella 2019, he saw his way in. In the year 66, he began work immediately on a show that would mix his Oingo Boingo hit songs with experimental music fit for a rowdy audience.

As he put in a video for the music festival, “Coming out and doing something as myself, not as Jack [Skellington], was terrifying and exciting.”

Coachella 2020 had to be cancelled due to COVID-19, but Elfman remained active and continued creating. His new album was released as a solo studio project. Big MessIn his now-famous 2022 Coachella performance, he performed a mix of well-known tunes and weirdo grooves. Elfman’s revue, as envisioned, bounced between known tunes and weirdo grooves. All backed up by animated graphics which matched well with, um, extracurricular drugs. It was a complete surprise, but there was room at Coachella for Mr. Skellington.

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Elfman seems to have a new lease on life in the post-show interviews. While the show hasn’t realigned the trajectory of his career — he went on to score White Noise for director Noah Baumbach and continues to tour with his symphonic works — it’s hard to imagine him shaking the moment in the spotlight. It’s important to note that a Rolling Stone story published earlier this year revealed an out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit brought against the composer for sexual misconduct in 2018. Elfman has vehemently denied the accusations against him as “vicious and wholly false.” No additional accusations or investigations have come out in the wake of the story, and Disney and his longtime collaborators continue to work with him.)

During the Coachella set, Elfman proclaimed that it was “my first time onstage as ‘myself’ in 27 years.” He’s likely referring to his time acting as Jack Skellington, though looking back, it doesn’t seem like Elfman as the frontman of Oingo Boingo was his true “self” either. Coachella’s act isn’t a Return to the HomepageIt is the final form. This is the form.

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Elfman has a unique ability to switch genres. He can also perform in different mediums. And his performance as Jack Skellington is what made him so flexible. He is now unified — as a six-packed weirdo rock star with floppy red hair and body tattoos head-banging to the theme from The Simpsons.

Elfman stated at that time there was no plan to tour with his laser-lit Coachella show, even though he did perform it at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre earlier in the year. It seems entirely possible that Elfman’s rock star persona will explode out of nowhere with the rhythm of his percussive scores. It seems the perfect scenario for Elfman, a musician that doesn’t like to be labeled and who is stuck within the rules of the music business. Jack Skellington is a regular Jack.