Stop Making Sense: Talking Heads

I love these re-released concert films, and Mark Kermode said to go — so I did. Going in ignorance, only knowing vaguely of David Byrne and very shoulder padded suits, Road to Nowhere, Burning Down the House and Psycho Killer as well as the epic Take Me to the River, I had no idea to what to expect. Superb is the answer.

Acting as a time capsule, this is the era before phones and hands held high recording everything, so people just watch the show and dance — both pleasantly refreshing and archaic at the same time. David Byrne begins alone on stage strumming a guitar (with some speaker reverb) for Psycho Killer and gradually the rest of the band join him — one by one. Jonathan Demme’s shots allow us to see things from the roadie’s eye view — we see the scrambling to get sets built, (which turn out to be the places for the next band members).

Joined by Tina Weymouth with a person-sized bass; a platform is then pushed into place for drummer Chris Frantz and then two backing singers (who are alongside), Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt. Also on stage are keyboardists Jerry Harrison and Bernie Worrell, guitarist Alex Weir and percussionist Steve Scales. I may well have missed someone out — there were a lot!

Enjoy the ‘80’s off the shoulder shirts, bagginess, blue eye shadow and leisure wear — and just as well because in this concert everyone is going for a work out. They dance, run and indeed sprint — I’ve never seen people play guitar and run before (Byrne and Weir!) It’s like musical Jane Fonda (if she’d abandoned the leotards and — gone Avant Garde). Weir and Scales have impressive energy; Byrne never seems to break into a sweat, despite being in a shirt and suit! At one point the whole band are running, (probably even the drummer if you look closely!)

A group without hierarchy, all the members played several instruments — Tina Weymouth swopped guitars around and moved to keyboards at one point, a guitarist moved to percussion and keyboards, another moved into audience interaction and clap along duties — even going down into the auditorium at one point. Delightfully, David Byrne gave place to other members of the group, clearly enjoying their musical abilities, talents and skills, and they obliged by giving him a dance break rest.

Shockingly (for me) there was no big shoulder padded suit to begin with, David Byrne looked quite casual. He went through a variety of outfits and this made its enveloping appearance towards the end — Byrne even dances in it! There was also dancing with a tricky standard lamp! Epic lighting and projections were used — both impressive and disorientating, matched by breathless music, Byrne's raw and powerful voice and often wistful, sometimes cynical, lyrics.

Watch for the joy of the band — they are enjoying the music, each other, the concert, what they do! I’ve never seen two backing singers enjoying themselves so much, vibing with the drummer and joined by the percussionist and one of the many guitarists at points. It was lovely that they were not pushed to the back or off-side, but very much part of the action. David Byrne was captivating and yet not egotistical. Part of the fun is watching Byrne lose a layer of outfit and push his hand back for a crew member to collect an item — clothing or guitar….and all the time keep going, facing front, singing, dancing… Great too for female musicians to be centre stage and not othered. Loved the celebration of the very hard working stage crew at the end, and how much the audience appreciated the whole band, particularly when the band explode musically at the end in a cover of Take Me to the River.

Even if, like me, you don’t like the ‘80’s, go watch it! It’s absorbing, positive and the hours fly by. My only wish is that Demme had made more wide shots, there are a lot of close ups — I want to see what the whole band are doing at points, rather than just one face. Even so, enjoy the bizarre lighting at points (the band look like they’re singing in shadows) and the impressive musician(person)ship of a series of concerts, shot over three nights in 1983. Be impressed also at Demme’s masterly production as it makes you feel like you’re right in the midst of the concert.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088178/

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