Stop Making Sense

David Byrne has taken the stage. Then Tina Weymouth (my favorite) and then her husband Chris Frantz arrive. Finally, it's the one everybody forgets about, utility man Jerry Harrison. The Talking Heads are back live. At least in film. 

I love the Talking Heads. Their first album was in 1977. Being born in 1977, I am obsessed with any and everything that happened during my birth year. The band hasn't gotten back together to perform since 1991 when they officially disbanded. There's the one-off of when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame which I don't count as I'd never be able to have gotten tickets for that. At least once a month, I get onto social media requesting the band reform for a concert tour, just so I can see them in person before I die or any of them do. Whichever comes first. This 40th anniversary re-release might be the closest I ever get to seeing them perform live.

Stop Making Sense was released in 1984. Filmed by Jonatham Demme, several years away from making his Best Picture Oscar winning Silence of the Lambs, the movie has been considered the 'greatest concert film of all-time.' The film was a combination of sets over 4 nights in December of 1983. I had seen bits and pieces of it whenever it would appear on HBO or whatever premium movie channel was on at my grandparents. But never in its entirety. 

I had read a couple of months ago that Stop Making Sense was going to be shown in a limited market run. As much as I wanted to see it, I thought that the odds of getting to see it were very slim. I had sorta put the movie out of my mind until I saw a trailer for it a couple of weeks ago. Enthralled by the cinematography as well as the music, I started checking local theaters to see if any in my area were going to be showing it. I got lucky with the Chelsea Theater in Chapel Hill, NC; a cute little independent cinema that seems to worship film history. 

Stop Making Sense is only 90 minutes long. But it feels longer. There are a total of 16 songs and yet with very little to no pause between any of them, it's a rapid fire of Talking Heads early standards, David Bryne solos and a Tom Tom Club classic. My wife commented that it's no wonder David Bryne was so thin considering the workout he puts in through quick costume changes, gyrations and the running of laps!

I found myself having a new-found respect for Jerry Harrison. As I mentioned earlier, he's often the forgotten fourth member of the band. Yet, he does everything from lead guitar to synthesizers and keyboards. Plus, along with Chris Frantz, he always looks like he's having a ton of fun. Speaking of Frantz, he looks like a typical 1980s dad. Wearing a polo shirt and khakis while playing the drums, he could have been my dad goofing around with a garage band instead of a rock star.. For a drummer with such an explosive sound, Frantz' kit is really stripped down. And then there's Tina Weymouth. 

Most everyone says that David Byrne is their favorite Talking Head. I say that if you are a really Heads fan, Tina Weymouth is your favorite member. What she does with 4 bass strings is unlike any artist of the last 50 years. Tina's bass-lines are what give each song their energy. I just wish Psycho Killer, which opens the film, was done like the original recording and not acoustic. With only Byrne, a standard non-electric guitar and a hidden drum machine, that magic beat of a stalking murdering maniac is missing. It's just not something that I could dance to with my goat. 

Stop Making Sense was also released in IMAX. The closest IMAX from my home town is like an hour or more away. I didn't feel like I was missing anything by going to a smaller screen as I don't need to know how many nose hairs David Byrne has. However, I've heard that  Rhino Records is re-issuing the film's soundtrack. Now that is something I will need to find!

And yes, I do dance to Psycho Killer with my adopted goat. Doesn't everyone?

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.