Batman and Batman Returns composer Danny Elfman talked about the awkward story when he wrote the first film’s score.
In an interview with the WTF with Marc Macron podcast, Elfman talked about when he came up with the iconic Batman theme score. Elfman’s musical muse inspired him in the most inconvenient place: in the middle of the airplane trip.
“That hit me at the worst possible time. On the way home, the thing f___ing hits me. And it was like, ‘what do I do? I’m on a 747. How do I do this? I am going to forget this all. I’m going to land and they’re going to play some fucking Beatles song, and I’m going to forget everything’ I start running in the bathroom [and hum phrases] and I go back to my seat, and I’m thinking, I’m thinking. Ten minutes later, back in the bathroom. And then back to my seat and then back to the bathroom, because I couldn’t do this with the guy sitting next to me.”
Is Danny Elfman Doing Drugs or Writing Music?
Fortunately, Elfman has a trusty tape recorder for him to hum into so he can listen to it later. However, Elfman’s continual trips to the airplane bathroom started to concern the wait staff. At one point, the flight attendants even asked if he was feeling fine.
“Ten minutes later, I am back in the bathroom, And I open the door and this time there are three flight attendants. And they were probably going, ‘What the f___ he is doing so frequently? You can’t do that much blow. You can’t shoot up that often. What is he doing in there?!’ And I piece by piece was working out the Batman score in my head.”
Danny Elfman of course was not doing drugs, but instead created one of the most epic film melodies of all time. Still, it is hilarious that he had some weird behaviors, while he continually “wrote” the score in his head.
Elfman also composed Batman Returns, Spider-Man, Men in Black, and the theatrical cut of Justice League.
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
Images are subject to copyright