On a dark and dreary night, let Talking Heads show you why enormous suits are the new fashion, why lamps are the best dance partners and why music is created specifically for having a good time.
Forty years ago, Jonathan Demme collaborated with Talking Heads to capture their out-of-this-world, ahead of their time and utterly unique essence. Talking Heads’ tour for their 1983 album “Speaking in Tongues” was filmed over the span of four nights at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Originally released in 1984, in 2021, the concert film “Stop Making Sense” was selected in 2021 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” A24 recently remastered and re-released this masterpiece, and now you can catch it in a few theaters around San Antonio.
Playing their first gig opening up for the Ramones at CBGB in 1975, it is a heart-warming sight to see Talking Heads grace the stage with such a large audience and dynamic presence less than a decade later in “Stop Making Sense.”
The film is more than just a revolution; it is an evolution. One of its kind with the way it pioneered early digital audio techniques, “Stop Making Sense” also utilizes brilliant cinematography. The band’s performance itself is wildly entertaining, and the word “energetic” can never be enough to describe the insane and eccentric dance moves that every band member showcases.
The film ends with lead singer David Byrne drenched in sweat with tousled hair, stripped of his absurdly large business suit, surrounded by all the members of his band chanting, “I’m still waiting” while the crowd spins, dances and smiles. It starts with a lonely Byrne, an acoustic guitar and a cassette player.
During the opening scene, Byrne is seen singing “Psycho Killer” alone on stage. During the next song, “Heaven,” he is joined by Tina Weymouth on bass. For each successive song, more equipment is pushed on stage and more members join him. Besides the four original members of Talking Heads, Byrne is also joined by backup singers Ednah Holt and Lynn Mabry, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Steve Scales and guitarist Alex Weir.
This concert can never get boring. The lighting, cinematography, backdrops and outfits evolve throughout the 1.5-hour performance, meaning no two songs are even remotely the same. At one moment, Scales is grinning into the camera as it zooms up on his face. At the next, Byrne runs in sync with the band and then sprints four laps around the entire stage. The guitarists kick their legs high in the air with excitement and at one moment, Byrne offers his microphone to the cameraman.
During “What a Day That Was,” the band is filmed almost exclusively in close-up shots, the lighting coming from below them, creating harsh shadows on the band member’s faces. Later, during “Once in a Lifetime,” Byrne sports nerdy-looking glasses, acting as a passionate preacher shouting, “My God. What have I done?”
Yes, the film itself is amazing, but Talking Heads’ musical performance is also too genius to put into words. “Stop Making Sense” displays a culmination of their greatest songs, creating a nonstop marathon of artsy, funky, powerful and nervous new-wave sounds.
“Stop Making Sense” is not going to answer your questions about why Byrne wears such a gigantic suit, or where he comes up with such interesting dance moves. It will make you reevaluate how you view music. It will make you smile and tap your feet continuously and leave you with a newfound respect for live music, concert films and the 1980s as a whole. Check it out at the theater, put it on in the background while you study or simply listen to the live album on your next hike. It just makes sense.
