They made me do it -- um, create the "Donnie Darko" playlist, I mean

I have watched Richard Kelly's "Donnie Darko" several times on DVD the past several days. It easily bears repeated viewings, I think, because of its complicated themes, mix of humor and drama and great cast.
I don't know if I will ever completely figure out this film -- starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the title character, a troubled teenager struggling to cope with unsettling visions and the murky concepts of time travel.
There is one thing I know for sure: The soundtrack is fantastic!
On the "Director's Cut," Darko rides his bike down a hill in the film's opening to "Never Tears us Apart" by INXS.
Later, "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears plays as Darko and his friends hop off a school bus and head for their lockers.
Throw in "The Killing Moon" by Echo & The Bunnymen and "Under the Milky Way" by The Church, and you have a collection of some of the classier tunes emanating from the 1980s.
I thought so, anyhow, so I gathered up eight of the principal songs from the film and created a "Donnie Darko" iPod playlist.
There are some enlightening surprises, particularly in the use of "Notorious" by Duran Duran while Darko's younger sister dances in a talent competition (and Darko performs a crime for the public good) and the presence of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear us Apart," which sounds positively stunning when played at a party. Another surprise for me was the way Oingo Boingo's "Stay" has aged so well. Could "Stay" be the best Oingo Boingo song from a film? Don't tell the "Weird Science" fans.
The playlist ends, as does the film, with "Mad World," the haunting Tears for Fears cover by pianist Michael Andrews and vocalist Gary Jules that topped the UK charts at Christmas, 2003.
"The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had."
TONY WILSON, R.I.P. -- Speaking of Joy Division, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Tony Wilson from cancer at age 57.
Wilson provided the impetus that helped launch such an exciting and profoundly influential music scene in Manchester, England.
Wilson was among the founders of Factory Records, and Joy Division/New Order and the Happy Mondays are among the colossal bands that benefited from his endeavors. Watch the film "24 Hour Party People" to see what I mean.