Danny Elfman

Maltin on Movies

Leonard Maltin

Comedy, Jessie, Leonard, On, Tv & Film, Maltin, Movies

4.2 • 662 Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As a boy, Danny Elfman showed no interest in music, but he’s made up for it ever since, earning Grammy and Emmy awards, Oscar nominations, and the roar of the crowd in live concerts around the world. His historic collaboration with director Tim Burton began with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and shows no signs of stopping. His theme music for The Simpsons is just one way he remains in our consciousness between film scoring gigs. Leonard and Jessie love his passion for what he does—and does so well.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, everybody. We have a Patreon that we call Maltreon. You can join us. We have $3, $5, $10, $20 options.
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0:22.6	Go to patreon.com slash malton on movies for more information that's patreon.com slash malton on movies Hi, everybody. I'm Leonard Malton.
0:37.5	And I'm Jesse Malton.
0:38.7	You're listening to Malton on movies, and this is a very special occasion because we get to interview somebody I've known slightly and we've admired greatly for many, many years.
0:50.4	I think Slightly and Greatly is his next album, actually.
0:56.0	This is coming up next for you. Performer film composer par excellence, full of surprises in his life and his career.
1:05.0	The one and only Danny Elfman. Danny, welcome.
1:09.0	Thank you for having me. It's such a pleasure to be here.
1:12.7	My dad did not know that you still like to get on stage and perform for real like that.
1:18.8	Yeah, yep. I think that's, I think what comes across in everything you do is a great deal of joy.
1:29.7	And when I get to see you on stage, or even if you watch the videos or see the pictures, you are just very happy to be there.
1:35.5	And that's a wonderful thing. Well, I'm happy to be alive. That too, yes. Also that. Yes. Yes.
1:42.5	And so part of being alive is coming out on stage, which is kind of wild because I never thought I would do that again. You know, I retired from performing in 95. And then about 12 years ago, they asked me to, you know, do this Elfman Burton show at Royal Albert Hall in London. And that got me singing
2:02.8	Nightmare Before Christmas songs. And it's like, well, this is kind of fun. And then we started
2:07.6	doing Nightmare Before Christmas live. And it's like, well, this is fun. And then during COVID,
2:13.5	I didn't know what to do with myself. So I came up with a double album and now we're performing
2:18.2	that live and, you know, I'm back on stage with electric guitar in my hands and it's like,
2:23.6	all right, this I was not expecting. This is like totally crazy, but it's really fun.
2:31.4	Yeah.
2:32.4	Well, that's great. It ought to be.
	...

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