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Ahem, my rant for today….
Everyone speaks of commercials ripping off his music and I think someone even mentioned his “people” going after copyright infringements of some kind a while ago…
And he seems to get lots of spiffy movies and he’s NEVER short of work…
But yet the man can’t catch a friggin’ break with the critics or the acadamies…
It’s seems like “Yes we love your music (we’ll even copy it), you’re a genius, but we don’t want to give you any credit…So watch us as we leave footprints all up your back!”
He must be very content, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I know he’s not an ego-maniac that way, but surely it fries him in the musical (not fame-wise) sense of being under-appreciated?
Certainly that must mean he’s a better man than I.
So he doesn’t care about awards that much, more power to him, but to have your work slammed and then ripped off? I couldn’t handle the contradiction.I don’t think I stated myself as clear as possible, but it’s hard the phrase it. So I’ll toss it out, feel free to add thoughts, maybe I’m missing something. Fill me in. Whatever.
night-night, Jo Elfgirl
If anyone feels that Danny Elfman is being slighted these days, they are mistaken. While the above rant might come with good intentions, it is out-of-date.
Danny Elfman is enjoying a great deal of success. You have to remember that film composers aren’t pops stars. They don’t measure their success with album sales or fan reaction. They are judged by the Hollywood filmmaking system by the films they score and the financial success of those films.
Danny Elfman is at the top of the film scoring game. True, there are two or three composers out there who generate more interest from producers (John Williams and Hans Zimmer are two — love it or leave it). But looking at the high profile projects in 2002, you can’t feel bad for Danny Elfman. He scored the biggest film of the year, he retained his relationships with Sam Raimi and Brett Ratner (RED DRAGON) and he got paid an outrageous salary for MEN IN BLACK II — come on, you know Sony came up with the cash for him to return, as they did all the major creative principles. He also got attached to CHICAGO, which is the forerunner to clean-up on Oscar night. That’s not bad! This guy is not hurting. He gets respect, and his life is good.
Commercial music will always rip-off the movies, simply because movies are the pinnacle of the entertainment industry. People want television that is more like the movies, video games that are more like the movies. It’s only natural that advertisers too want to appeal to people’s obsession with cinematic aesthetic.I think the days of Danny Elfman being an under-dog are really over. It’s time to celebrate the fact that he has respect, wealth, thriving creativity, and a vocal fanbase. Let’s enjoy the renaissance, folks!
Ryan
I don’t feel too sorry for Danny–I’m more or less just worried.
I mean, if it’s possible for someone like Danny (an established artist) to get “ripped off” imagine what the countless number of unknown artists have to worry about?
It’s so very, very easy to steal from someone who has nothing….just thinking there needs to be more rights to protect artists and all….
Hey, I’m agreeing with Ryan. I really enjoy knowing that I can mention Elfman’s name to a group of people, and chances are that they know who he is, love his work, and we can hold a decent conversation. I don’t find that current film fans have a low opinion of Elfman; in fact, he seems to be breaking into the mainstream – in a very big way. (As Ryan mentioned, “Spider-man” anyone?) People seem to love his music, and for that, I’m glad. Although the formerly romanticized idea of a “small but loyal” contingent of Elffans is melting away (at least in my own experience), I’ll gladly take the man’s apparent notoriety as a good thing. It’s great that more people know about Elfman, and even better, respect the man’s music. That way, not so many of ’em look at me like I’m crazy when I mentioned my obsession
-E (yes, it’s still the same Erika, but with a new – yet not necessarily improved – email address!)
I also agree with Ryan. (It’s ok Ryan, nobody else expected me to admit that either. Breathe deeply, you’ll be fine.)
Danny is enjoying tremendous success whether or not he wins an Oscar EVER. Think of all the very popular actors who rake in big bucks at the box office, yet never get so much as a nom because they just don’t star in the right kind of film. Are they unsuccessful?
I stated much of what Ryan has said a while back. I said it in a bitchier way of course, focussing my little rant on wanting to smack that red-head if he gave that BS comment about ‘not getting any respect because people still think he doesn’t write his own stuff’ in another interview. That’s over. The people who count believe he writes it and they respect him. They prove that by hiring the man over and over.
Elfgirl,
I completely agree. It seems like I never really hear anything about Elfman yet I think about it all the time; why DOESN’T he ever get any credit? Why has nobody heard of him it seems? Only older more culturally expanded people ever understand what Im talking about when I refer to “Danny Elfman.” Sometimes I think it feels good just to hear them say… “oh yeah. you mean the guy from that band… with that one halloween song.” At least I feel like somebody knows him from somewhere!
By the by: is your full name Josephine? If so, that is awesome… one of my favorite songs (By The Wallflowers, “Bringing Down The Horse”) so every time I hear that name (or see somebody driving with one headlight) I absolutely go nuts.
w00t!
—Katherine
Interesting repsonses…
A list of sorts….
1) some may argue that being a “rock star” in a former life (the 80s) may or may not help him in a positive way as far as being taken serioulsy…I would think, good or bad, it would open up more awareness towards being diverse in creating music–I get so sick of people who hole up in one genre (like “I listen to metal, and nothing but…everything else sucks”—just an example) Personally there are very few genres I don’t listen to.2)No, he’s not John Williams. But Williams is a bit more conservative than Danny, more traditional. Give Williams a movie like Beetlejuice–what would happen? Danny is unique…he has many qualities and experiences that are his alone and should make him stand out more (not “trained”, being a “rock star”, yadda-yadda…)
3)um…I’m using “rock star loosely”…no, Boingo were not the MTV bitches that say…Duran Duran were.
I said that before someone blew a gasket. (And yes I’m a “duranie”, what can I say? I was like, 7 years old.)4)In no way am I saying that more traditional, classical, orchestrations should be thrown out. I am merely saying that having someone like Danny in the field can introduce more people to such things. I have always been pleased with the things Michael Kamen has done…to get up and put an orchestra with the likes of Areosmith and Metallica…some of you are forgetting the branding we recieved in high school band… People like Elf and Kamen can stradle both worlds and break down the walls that get built around genres that cause people not to look around those walls. Rock-rap, country going mainstream with Shania and Dixie Chicks, others….I’m not saying I LOVE all those things, but I like that people aren’t trapped in one place so much anymore…
blending in with the next point…
5)Above being said… when I try to explain who Danny is, I usually go for noting movies first (Bettlejuice, Batman, Nightmare, Sleepy Hollow) then moving on to “Remember the Wierd Science song” But the whole process takes several minutes. I gave my best friend (when I was converting her to the ways of the Elf) Best O’ Boingo and made her watch Farewell…I remarked to her that Danny did the score for Mars Attacks. She freaked. “Oh! I was wondering why I didn’t like the movie..but thought ‘Hey! the music is cool!'” Now she pays more attention to such things after being made aware of them. My roommate too, who like the scores before the Boingo, is a slow convert as well…just in a different order.6)I really have no idea where this is going anymore…
7)Anyways, I still think we have room to expand on awareness of him…I have not met another hard-core Danny fan in person that wasn’t on of my “converts” to him. I believe Ryan when he says Danny has a “vocal fanbase,” but I haven’t met any in flesh, just online.
Once again, I have gone on to long and drifted away from a point I don’t think was too clear to begin with. But take it or leave it…or add to it…whatever.
And no, my name is not Josephine, I am merely a Joanna (bows low in greeting to Katherine)
toodles! Jo Elfgirl
I think getting paid is more important, especially when his kids turn eighteen. When his red hair is all gray, I’m sure he’ll be venerated as he deserves to be. For now he has all the work and self-expressive opportunities a composer can ask for in contemporary America.
Steven
PS~ As far as the “ripping off” of DE’s style is concerned, I hope DE would be the first to admit that his own work owes almost everything to one hero of his or another, and that both varieties of “ripping off” amount to fair use, to say nothing of flattering tribute.
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