Stop Everything and See Stop Making Sense

Graphic by Anya Perel-Arkin

By Madison Smithwick

Ever since its creation, concert films have been a mainstay in American culture. From Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same (1976) to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour (hitting theaters this Friday), fans can’t get enough. And it’s not hard to see why. These movies allow audiences to see musicians when they wouldn't have the opportunity to do so otherwise. 

Ticket price is an obvious factor, but concert films also allow fans to see their favorite artists play even if they no longer perform live. For instance, one of my favorite bands, the Beastie Boys, has a film called Awesome, I Shot That (2006). Unfortunately, one of their members passed away in 2012 and the band broke up after. However, due to their film, I can still see their work and experience one of their shows. 

This year, A24 released a remaster of the Talking Heads’ 1984 film Stop Making Sense. Excitement has surrounded it ever since its announcement. Right as a teaser trailer was dropped, I remember texting my dad in jumbled up capital letters. In 2020, we were lucky enough to see David Bryne’s American Utopia live on stage together. That year, I finally was encouraged by the band to pick up the bass guitar. I’ve been a massive fan of the group ever since, collecting each of their eight studio albums on vinyl. However, it wasn’t until this week that I got to see Stop Making Sense in its full crazy, funky glory.

Directed by Johnathan Demme with creative input from frontman David Bryne, the concert has countless iconic moments. Dancing; big suits; even a performance of “Genius of Love” by the Tom Tom Club (a band formed by the Head’s bassist, Tina Weymouth, and drummer, Chris Frantz). It's considered by many to be one of the best (if not the best) concert films ever released. Although I adore the band, I wasn’t sure if I agreed with such a claim. But, all it took was a single press of a boombox, and I was hooked.

The film opens up with David Bryne dressed in his iconic gray suit on the stage, guitar and boombox in hand. As time progresses, he begins to play “Psycho Killer” with just one instrument. Weymouth joins the stage at the end. Within the first minute, I was already tapping my feet to the beat along with everyone else in the theater. Eventually, everyone started dancing. For a moment I forgot I was just sitting in an AMC on a Monday afternoon. Somehow, I felt like I was sitting in the front row in the Pantages theater. 

After the movie ended, my friends and I stuck around, along with other audience members. We couldn’t bring ourselves to leave. Once we did, I could not stop thinking about the movie. Every person I went on to talk to that night became aware of the film, as did everyone in the common as I blasted it while on a walk. 
It’s strange how a one-hour thirty-minute concert film was able to make me feel like I was at the show. The entire experience has led me to realize just how important these films are to music fans. With them, old fans can fall in love with songs all over again, and they can even introduce a whole new generation to awesome music. Do yourself a favor, and go see Stop Making Sense before it leaves theaters.