My first experience with new wave was at a East Hartford CT movie showing in '79(?) of the original "Exorcist," replete with the Tubular Bells theme song. A crowd of teens were waiting in the lobby prior to allowing my buddies and I with the crowd into the theater, and there was this jukebox in the lobby...looking for a song to break the palpable tension...we were older from out of town, (just before our 20th birthdays) and the younger crowd looked nervous.
I found "My Sharona - The Knack" on 45 so I put in 25¢ and cued up the song. Some of the kids began dancing that classic quirky 80's style, but it broke the ice. When the theater opened, we found our seats. The movie was horrific and I hid under my jacket half the time. My best buddy was laughing at the girls who were freaking out, and the two couples who were with our group just held each other. I think I've only sat through that one horror film my entire life. Not a fan of the genre, but one needs a date for horror films to be most effective.
