Expectations subverted by familiarity

Familiar names, but not what you're expecting.

Paisajes Nocturnos (1982)

Oh no. If you're somewhat a student of the era and see the name Alphaville the first thing you think of is some seriously hairsprayed and maudlin Germans who were "Forever Young" 

You're fortunate because this is not they. 

This is a different synth pop band from Madrid who also took their name from the Godard New wave sci-fi classic which featured not a single futuristic prop or special effect. This is the trailer. (It also may or may not be on Youtube in its entirety, but you didn't hear that from me...)

I like the movie and this Alphaville.
The other one, not so much.

Being Boiled (1980)


The Human League. So a few years before they were wondering if you wanted things and while Phil Oakey still had fabulous (or even any) hair, the band was a bit more experimental and/or dark, or as I like to think about it, interesting and worth listening to.


This was their debut single.


It features Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware who brought in Phil Oakey to sing. After a pair of Lps they apparently decided they'd had enough of that Fascist Groove Thing and went on to form Heaven 17 leaving only Phil Oakey and his hair to reform Human League himself into the radio juggernaut that made 1981 radio almost unlistenable with repeated airings of that one song they'll go to their graves singing on oldies tours. (I prefer not to rehash that here. I don't need that fascist groove thing either.)

I prefer to be heading to the Circus of Death which references Steve McGarrett (who had the kind of hair that Phil could only dream of) and is presumably some kind of Hawaii Five-O reference.

There does appear to be at least one episode of the show involving a circus. But it doesn't involve Heathrow Airport.

Perhaps they were just trying a really fancy way of pitching CBS a script.