Our TiVo recorded an episode of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, and now I’m hooked on this incredible parody horror/sci-fi television show from the eighties that’s actually only four years old. They show it every once in a while on Adult Swim, and after seeing it on television, I’ve since watched a bunch of episodes online and am borderline nutso for these guys.
The show captures every part of bad eighties television, from the obvious plots to the cheap special effects and overblown acting, but they pegged the soundtrack music with errie accuracy. Andrew Hewitt, the composer, spawned a bastard son of Corey Hart, Jan Hammer, Phil Collins, and maybe just a touch of the Pet Shop Boys, with synth guitar lines and pulsing electronic sparkles that recall the music from The Equalizer, Nightrider, or perhaps a DeVry Institute commercial (“you can’t get the jobs of tomorrow without learning the skills… of today!”). One episode even has a little music video vignette that makes “One Night in Bangkok” seem tasteful and contemporary, and I can’t get it out of my head!