At the beginning of the 1980s, Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia”) achieved a feat. The US director, who died in April 2017, used to be active in the post-punk and new wave scene in New York. He met David Byrne and Tina Weymouth and won their band Talking Heads for a concert film. A live documentary released in 1984, filmed for the first time using digital technology, which was groundbreaking at the time. This also evades the usual aesthetic standards of “pop music on film”.
Without cuts to the cheering audience or sprinkled in statements of emotion from the band members, Demme sticks to the pure material. “The band impresses with its extraordinary musical range, thrilling dynamics and exuberant parodic humor. Thoroughly recommended for fans of rock music” noted – as usual avuncularly – the “Lexicon of International Film”.
Four decades later, “Stop Making Sense” is traveling again. Last Saturday (January 27th) the neo-premiere of the restored film started in selected cinemas in the USA, Canada and Great Britain. Until the 40th anniversary of its original premiere in the summer, “Stop Making Sense” will be shown monthly in many US cities .
A newly created tribute album to the 1984 Demme documentary will also be released. The band themselves are happy in warm words: “We are thrilled that ‘Stop Making Sense’ is coming back to cinemas and that we can continue to celebrate the music and the film with the live audience.”
The film marketer A24 has also released an attractive merchandise collection. Available on DVD and Blu-ray versions for the living room at home. The screenings already held in 2023 turned into retro dance parties in the new wave groove of the eighties.
The brilliant live performance was recorded over three evenings at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood in December 1983. It contains a retrospective of the Talking Heads, who have existed since the mid-1970s. In addition to the nominal band members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison, Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt also take part in the feverish, bitchy sound race.
How future generations view “Stop Making Sense” and how they interpret the long-historic songs; That sums up a tribute album released parallel to the film roadshow. An illustrious crowd of VIPs and newcomers came to the studio for this purpose. Including Paramore, none other than Miley Cyrus, and various Latin stars. These include Teezo Touchdown, Girl In Red, Blondshell, The National, The Linda Lindas, Chicano Batman and also Lorde.