by The pop band Oingo Boingo started off an basically an experimental avant garde theatre troupe called the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. When I was growing up I just missed this phase of the band and in the pre-Internet era tracking down “knowledge” of all aspects of the band was not just a badge of your “fandom” of the band — it was hard. I’ve learned a thousand times more about the history of the band in the last 10 years then I ever did in the moment back then.
Pictures and music of them playing in clubs from Tom Sewell:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8dztis_AYQ
This youtube channel also has a ton of their performances posted. There are two performances that fully capture what I imagine this part of the band history. One, Danny Elfman’s brother Richard Elfman made a bizarre film called The Forbidden Zone that featured a lot of the Mystic Knights in it (as well as their music) and two, believe or not, they were on the Gong Show as contestants. If you are too young to remember this show it was mostly a proto-version of those early American Idol episodes where they feature bad performers. Well not exactly — it was more like the variety show that is America’s Got Talent. Just much weirder talents on display. Here’s is it:
