Those who know me know of my fondness for '80s music, but they may not know that I was/am a fan of the Gong Show and its host Chuck Barris, and have even intentionally watched The Gong Show Movie, not that I would disagree with those who would place its viewing under certain provisions of the Geneva Conventions.
Last weekend, while returning home from our week in the Adirondacks, I was reading the liner notes for a two-CD compilation of Disney movie music currently on heavy rotation in our car, and learned/relearned that Danny Elfman not only composed the score for The Nightmare Before Christmas, but also was the singing voice for main character Jack Skellington. (Voice work was by Chris Sarandon, better known in these parts as Prince Humperdinck from The Princess Bride.)
I always liked Elfman's work with Oingo Boingo but his work as a composer for film (Batman) and television (The Simpsons) has appealed to me as well with its strong resemblance to the works of Prokofiev in its sprightly near-anarchy. (For the record, I am not wearing a smoking jacket.)
Imagine my surprise, then to discover that one of the earliest incarnations of Oingo Boingo, suggesting later orchestral works, made an appearance on the Gong Show!
Behold:
You will either stop this short or watch this repeatedly to get a handle on all of the different things happening in a very small physical space. You almost don't notice that these are all very good musicians.
3 comments:
Is that a rocket in his pocket or was he just happy to see Chuck (who supposedly worked for the CIA under cover)?
I made it to 2:42. I think I deserve a check.
So is "America's Got Talent" a direct ripoff of "The Gong Show"? The similarities are striking.
I miss Gene Gene the Dancing Machine.
2:42? You just missed the end of the act; the rest is judges' comments, then they cut to the end of the show to reveal who was the night's winner. (Three guesses.)
I will think of an unusual sum and write a check against JJV's account.
I will check out the rest of the clip later. Am off to Citi Field to watch the Mets play the Rockies.
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