Halloween Stuff …
Back in the 1990s, it was a big deal to watch Oingo Boingo around Halloween. Living in Southern California, it was more of a regional thing. I don’t think Oingo Boingo hit it big nationally, but a lot of casual music fans have probably heard of “Dead Man’s Party” and “Weird Science”. Me & my friends knew the whole catalog, though. We listened to their music at home parties, and a few guys had the “smoking skull” tattooed on their arms. One guy had Oingo Boingo skeletons airbrushed on the hood of his El Camino. It was pretty cool, and I got to drive it one night and hit the switches. Yes, it had hydraulics, and it was a lot of fun!
Even if you’re not familiar with Oingo Boingo’s songs (besides the rare radio ones), you’re familiar with their lead singer’s scores:
— Batman
— Edward Scissorhands
— The Simpsons
— Mission: Impossible
— Men In Black
— Spider-Man
— Nightmare Before Christmas
— Mars Attacks!
— Good Will Hunting
— Beetlejuice
— Avengers: Age of Ultron
Danny Elfman was the front man of Boingo from 1979 until 1995. The band had a cult following, my friends included. We rented a limousine to watch their farewell concert at Universal Amphitheatre (second to last show, actually). I’ve been to more Oingo Boingo concerts than any other band. They continued playing live gigs, but they don’t go by Oingo Boingo anymore. In my home town of Fontana, California, Sammy Hagar renovated a local theatre and called it Stage Red. Sammy Hagar went to Fontana High School in the 1970s, me and my friends went there in the 1980s, and Travis Barker went there in the 1990s. Not such a bad school! Right? And when I went there, we won the National Championship in football! Cool! Right? Danny Elfman, on a side note, went to the same college as me in Claremont, California, but it was years before I got there.
Oingo Boingo was a huge Halloween band. Their imagery was always spooky, but they always had a fun flair. I watched the former members of Oingo Boingo play live this past May at Stage Red. Danny Elfman isn’t with the band anymore, but many original members still are. Johnny Vatos was the lead singer, and the energy in the auditorium was as good as it’s every been! The guys next to me knew all the lyrics of all the songs, and everyone was singing at the tops of their lungs the entire time! It was a blast!
I started my AI rendition albums in April. Two months ago, I gave it a break and simply created an assortment of nearly-random songs. I’ll probably do that again for October. I’m tempted to do a Boingo album at some point, but the time isn’t prime right now. Dead Man’s Party (the album) would be great! Only a Lad is classic! Good For Your Soul rocks from beginning to end! Nothing To Fear isn’t too shabby! Boi-ngo is worth doing! At some point, I’ll probably hit it! Let’s just say it’s on my docket!
One of the reasons I deviated from doing a full album rendition in August was that Ozzy Osbourne passed away. I pushed back my Nevermind project by a month. I did “I Don’t Know” as a tribute to Ozzy, and I did a few other songs. When Oingo Boingo stopped touring as a band after 1995, there was a void. Who would take over Halloween? Simple! That’s when Ozzfest became popular! I’ve gone to my share of Ozzfest shows! Ozzy was always great to watch live! So, for October, I’m going to focus on Halloween as a theme. It’s not just the great October concerts I’ve gone to in the past. It’s my childhood, as well. It’s your childhood if you were like me. Did you listen to “The Ghost of John”? I want to remake that one, and give it more of an adult, gothic vibe. Me and my sister liked a story called “Teeny Tiny Woman” and I’m wondering if I could turn that into a song! I have a lot of ideas in my head. I’m not sure what I’ll get to, but I look forward to October 31st. I’ve had some of my best times on Halloween …
— Homer Cocktail
(Eddie)
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