And we’re back! A little late, admittedly, but here we are. Last week was a rough one, as Mowrer was busy dealing with the aftermath of a flooded basement. He’s back at the drawing board, at least until the next time his plumbing freaks out.

You can ease the anxiety of an unplanned Sub-Basement hiatus by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook. And I bet you can find something in the Archive to tide you over.

Hey, who’s going to Emerald City Comic-Con? Because you might see us there! Look for…well, look for Richmond and Mowrer. Say hello! Tell us what you thought of the Dan Harmon strip! Or tell us, in excruciating detail, exactly how you would reboot the Marvel universe and every character therein. You’d be surprised how many times that’s happened to me at cons.

Welcome, tender lumplings, to the Oingo Boingo Treasure Chest of Lust and Mortal Sin!

Who doesn’t love Oingo Boingo? Only people who’ve never heard Oingo Boingo, and that’s a fact. And even those people must have seen a movie in the last thirty years, which means they’ve undoubtedly heard at least something composed by Danny Elfman.

OIngo Boingo is best known as the seminal new wave band of the 80s, known for songs in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Bachelor Party, and their appearance in Back To School, singing their signature hit “Dead Man’s Party.

Before that, they were the Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo. That iteration was more a performance art troupe, known for crazy costumes and Cab Calloway covers, including a ripping version of “St. James Infirmary.”

and led by Danny Elfman’s older brother Richard. That was the name they used when they appeared on the Gong Show and won, and that was the name under which they appeared in one of our all-time favorite movies, 1980’s Forbidden Zone.

How to describe Forbidden Zone? A description of the plot – a family discovers an interdimensional portal in their basement and help restore the rightful king of the Sixth Dimension – doesn’t do it justice. I could tell you that Herve Villechaize played said king, but that’s still just scratching the surface. Here, just watch this.

I was shown Forbidden Zone by a friend when I was 21. I wasn’t sure what to think, but the soundtrack lived in my car’s tape deck for months. I showed it to Mowrer about a year later, which I’m pretty sure is what turned him from this…

…to this.

It’s the only explanation.

Richard Elfman left the group after Forbidden Zone, leaving Danny to drop the “Mystic Knights” part. In recent years he has embraced the movie’s cult status, and is currently developing a sequel, which so far consists only of this trailer:

Thursday: Dropping the “Oingo,” and the lost Oingo Boingo movie.