During the Talking Heads' stellar "Stop Making Sense" concert, the band slowly arrives -- one by one -- and are gradually joined by guest musicians.
Here we've got Funkadelic alumni Lynn Mabry and Edna Holt (Bernie Worrell isn't on stage yet but Jerry Harrison is up to the task). It's all incredible except for Tina Weymouth's parachute pants.
It's Sunday and it's beautiful outside. This is one of the most beautiful things I can think of. If you've never watched the concert video, now's the time. Listen to Weymouth's chunky-funky bass breakdown and check out two of the best backup singers around. And in case you didn't know it: yes, David Byrne is a wicked guitar player.
4 comments:
Amen.
And to think Jonathan Demme made an equally good concert movie about a very different musician, Neil Young.
I wanted to show excerpts from both movies to my film analysis class last week, but the flu laid me low that day.
I think it deserves its reputation as "best concert movie ever."
Knowing that it was at a time of maximum tension for the Talking Heads, I find it hard not to focus on the way that Byrne snubs his own band members, but joyfully interacts with the guest musicians. Tina Weymouth seems particularly put out by this; she's always watching him, sort of play-acting behind his back, while he totally ignores her.
Oh well, she got her revenge by forcing the "Tom Tom Club" intermission on him. But why do we have to suffer too?
I'll always remember the first time I saw that movie: a free showing at City Hall, soon after I moved to Toronto. I always cry during "This Must Be The Place".
Ah, the painful band dynamics. Things were always a little weird between Byrne and Weymouth from what I understand...
Always loved David Byrne's sense of rhythm - he's probably the most obvious influence on my own guitar playing.
Yes, "This Must Be the Place" is a gem I didn't appreciate until I saw the film. My personal favourite is "What a Day That Was." I was disappointed when I finally heard the original version; it doesn't have nearly the over-the-top abrasiveness of the concert version.
It seems that whenever I read an anectode about Tina Weymouth, she's either being treated poorly by Byrne, or she's treating somebody else poorly. But Byrne himself admits that he could be a real jerk.
Out of them all I admire Jerry Harrison the most...he seemed to be the calm, quiet one who just worked and didn't struggle. Plus some of his solo work is good.
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