Stop Making Sense

Jonathan Demme re-wrote concert film rules with his inventive recording of four Talking Heads shows that followed the release of the album Speaking in Tongues in 1983. Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, 1991) created one of the best concert films ever that reached way beyond the band’s fanbase. After the opening track Psycho Killer, with David Byrne against a blank background, the gig develops into an overwhelming visual experience with Byrne, in his oversized suit, as the most iconic image.

Stop Making Sense and the eponymous live album were recorded on 13, 14, 15 and 16 December 1983 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Director Jonathan Demme and cameraman Jordan Cronenweth used six locked-in cameras, a handheld camera and a Panaglide. A world’s first, the 24-track stereo sound for the film was digitally recorded. Talking Heads generated the film’s budget of approx. 1.2 million dollars themselves.