Oh, I Know Go. Boy, I Know Go!

Recently, I was speaking to a couple millennials and they did not know who Oingo Boingo was. This is perfectly understandable as Oingo Boingo were kind of a Southern California band. They did not really have a huge following outside of there and that seemed to be mainly because when they toured, they didn't go worldwide. They kept it pretty local. I remember they would do a Halloween show in Hollywood or somewhere and that was pretty much it.

But they did have a following. And it seemed that most everyone I knew were familiar with them and really enjoyed their sound. It consisted of a sort of artistic, new wave style with a horn section, keyboards, guitar, drums. Lots of instruments and a lead singer whose last name was Elfman. He had red hair, very white skin and seemed kind of elf-like.

The cool thing about OIngo Boingo was that they had a sort of edginess to them. They were mocking the establishment, but not in a typical liberal way. "There's nothing wrong with capitalism. There's nothing wrong with the free enterprise." And "Hey there, Johnny Boy. I hope you fry!" But then they did mock the military too with "Tiny soldiers with tiny brains. Little bullets flowing in their veins." 

What Oingo Boingo did for me in high school was help me make the transition from pop music to something else. They were a great something else type band. I could get into them without feeling like my parents were going to be worried I was listening to the wrong kind of music. (My Dad actually owned Only a Lad a few years before I knew who they were.) 

But as I listened to them, I started to feel like this could definitely qualify as the wrong kind of music. "This is my private life. Come and get me out of here." "Wild sex in the working class." "The girls look really cute. They really make it work. They think I'm just a jerk." Of course, I was still pretty young to even know what they were talking about, but what I did know was that it was cool. It wasn't mainstream. It was artistic. It was fun. And you could probably mosh to it.

So now, fast forward to today. How do I introduce Oingo Boingo to a crowd that is not searching for this kind of rebelliousness? All that can stand is the music. The argument and artistic expression is somewhat minimal. They didn't have a ton of videos. But honestly, that was all I had as well. I just bought the albums and listened to the songs over and over again. And if that doesn't hold up now, I guess nothing will.

Start out with Only a Lad. Then, move on to Nothing to Fear. Good For Your Soul and Dead Man's Party. Subsequent albums were good too, but different. These main four are the core for me.

This is what I think should be done with most bands. Go back to the beginning. Go back to their earliest releases. I hated the Rolling Stones until I heard their earliest stuff. After that, I could appreciate them. "I am waiting." B-52s also. Their first 3 albums are so great. "She came from Planet Clairrrrre." "Has anybody seen a dog dyed dark green?" Red Hot Chili Peppers too. "Mommy! Where's Daddy?"  

The popular songs for a band are rarely who the band is. It takes research. And work. Sometimes I find myself just going to youtube now and getting a very superficial look and listen to a band. I know I am cheating myself. I know the right way. I was taught the right way...