August 16, 2023
MEDIA RELEASE.
TIFF MARKS 40th ANNIVERSARY OF CONCERT FILM STOP MAKING SENSE WITH A SPECIAL 4K RESTORATION IMAX SCREENING AND GLOBAL IMAX LIVE EVENT Talking Heads reunites at the Toronto International Film Festival for a
Q&A event led by filmmaker Spike Lee
TORONTO — The Toronto International Film FestivalR announced today it will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense with a special event screening on Monday, September 11, at Cineplex’s Scotiabank IMAX Theatre in Toronto. The special IMAX Live 40th anniversary event will include a screening of the film followed by a Q&A, which will be live-streamed from TIFF to select IMAX theatres around the world, and moderated by filmmaker Spike Lee with all four original band members in attendance: David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison.
Stop Making Sense, A24’s recently acquired, groundbreaking Talking Heads concert film, for which A24 has done a complete 4K restoration, will have its World Premiere at TIFF in a globally connected IMAX Live event. The film will have a full theatrical run following the special premiere event, releasing exclusively in IMAX on September 22 and in theatres everywhere on September 29.
“Some people say you’ll never find a better concert documentary than Stop Making Sense,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. “I’m one of those people. Talking Heads is at the top of their form. Working with Jonathan Demme, they build their performance scene by scene, song by song into a work of pure, cathartic power. Maybe you’ve seen it before. But you’ve never seen it in IMAX.”
This highly anticipated special event promises to transport audiences into the heart of music history, immersing them in the electrifying performance of the Talking Heads’ legendary 1984 concert film. Directed by the visionary Jonathan Demme and produced by Gary Goetzman (The Silence of the Lambs, Mamma Mia!, Band of Brothers), Stop Making Sense has left an indelible mark on the world of music and cinema, and its timeless allure continues to captivate new generations.
Tickets for the globally connected IMAX Live events around the world are available at tickets.stopmakingsense.movie and imax.com/stopmakingsense.
Social Media:
Twitter: @TIFF_NET & @TIFF_Industry Instagram, TikTok & Letterboxd: @tiff_net Pinterest: @tiffnetnimat Facebook.com/TIFF
#TIFF23

TIFF prefers Visa.
The Toronto International Film Festival takes place September 7–17, 2023.
The band is able to appear at TIFF as the film was produced independently as a concert film/documentary not governed by the SAG-AFTRA agreements. The members of the Talking Heads are allies in the fight to achieve a fair and equitable contract for the union’s members.
TIFF will respect SAG-AFTRA protocols regarding the participation of its members at the Festival.
About TIFF:
TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of approximately $200 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel, and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation, and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.
TIFF is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC, Visa, and BVLGARI®, and Major Supporters the Government of Ontario, Telefilm Canada, and the City of Toronto.
Artscape Sandbox is the Official home of the 2023 Press Office & The Media Inclusion Initiative.
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For more information, contact Alejandra Sosa, Director, Communications at masosa@tiff.net.

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bye bye johnny
Stop Making Sense (Deluxe Edition), released August 18

[open.spotify.com]

Thanks.

From Billboard.com:

Talking Heads’ ‘Stop Making Sense’ Hits Top 10 on Album Sales Chart After Reissue

The album bounds into the top 10 for the first time after its 40th anniversary expanded reissue.

StopMakingSense

Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense surges into the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Sept. 2) for the first time, debuting at No. 9 following the soundtrack’s expanded 40th anniversary reissue on Aug. 18. The album is the companion piece to the concert film of the same name directed by Jonathan Demme. Both the album and film were released in 1984, and the concert itself was filmed over three shows in December 1983 at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles. Among the songs performed on the album and in the film are such Billboard Hot 100 hits as “Psycho Killer,” the band’s cover “Take Me to the River” and Talking Heads’ only top 10 Hot 100 hit, “Burning Down the House.”

The reissue of Stop Making Sense includes the complete concert for the first time, including two previously unreleased songs from the Pantages’ shows.The expanded album was issued via digital download and vinyl LP. All versions of the album, old and new, are combined for tracking and charting purposes. In total in the week ending Aug. 24, Stop Making Sense sold 12,000 copies (up from a negligible sum the previous week) in the U.S. – the act’s best sales week for an album since Luminate began tracking music sales in 1991. Of the album’s sales for the week, 95% came from vinyl sales – about 11,000 copies. That, too, is the band’s best sales week on vinyl in the Luminate era. On the Vinyl Albums chart, Stop Making Sense debuts at No. 4.

The album reissue is timed to the concert film’s return to movie theaters beginning on Sept. 11 with a TIFF World Premiere and Global IMAX Live event. Then, beginning on Sept. 22, the movie will play a one-week exclusive engagement in IMAX theaters, and then goes into wide release on Sept. 29. Stop Making Sense is Talking Heads’ longest-charting album on the Billboard 200 — of a dozen charting titles — having now spent a total 119 weeks on the list. (It re-enters the latest chart at No. 73, its first week on the tally since 1986. The album peaked at No. 41 in 1984.)

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I'm really so excited for their reunion. I obviously don't need them to tour at this point, but just actually to reflect on this film, to reflect on their career, to really just be civil again and appreciate what they did and not hate each other... that would be enough for me.

Stones music sounds utterly contemporary all the time, at least to me.
Not the same with talking heads and the like.

Talking Heads Reunite for Restored ‘Stop Making Sense’

Appearing together for the first time since 2002, the band celebrated the film in a Q. and A. with Spike Lee at the Toronto International Film Festival.


David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth taking part in a conversation moderated by Spike Lee. IMAX/A24

By Jason Bailey
Published Sept. 11, 2023

[www.nytimes.com]
--

[www.youtube.com]

Closer view of the whole thing. Solid Q&A, glad they were civil.

An interview with Tony Dokoupil, aired on "CBS Sunday Morning" September 24







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-09-24 18:38 by bye bye johnny.

Love to see them one more time.

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RollingFreak

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LeonidP
Loved (still love) the album! .. but never watched the film

Its the greatest concert film of all time, along with the Last Waltz. If you like the album, you'll be amazed what you've missed not seeing the video. Its a true visual experience as much as an audio only one.

Wow, I just saw it tonight, in IMAX ... It was far better than I would have ever thought! I'll probably look to purchase a copy of bluray

Didn’t realise it’s in the UK next week. Going next Wednesday, can’t wait to see it.

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Hairball
And you may ask yourself...

I ask myself, "How did I get here..." without having seen the Heads back in the day? How was I that stupid? Hell, even down here in Virginia I saw the original Ramones line-up March 1978 on their Rocket to Russia tour, and I fuggin loved the Talking Heads, too. I dunno... I simply don't remember how I was so negligent as to miss out on this great band.

I've also loved the Stop Making Sense concert film since it first came out. Highly recommended.

For those opining that Heads music sounds outdated to their ears, to each their own. To me it's timeless.

David is keeping the music alive. The 2nd half of his Broadway show is Talking Heads only - and the part of the show that got the audience alive.

Though I would love to see them tour.

"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert", October 25















Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-10-26 15:54 by bye bye johnny.

Its so so great that they all seem to be on good terms these days. Maybe its just for TV, but at this point I certainly don't need a reunion tour. I'm happy this band can close their history by just all being civil with each other. I can't believe they've agreed to do so much press together. They did like 10 different events.

Great to see them all on the Late Show. I doubt they will ever reunite for any musical performances. That's fine. It's just nice to know that they don't all hate each other and that they can enjoy celebrating their legacy together hopefully without too many hard feelings.

...this concert film...is a continuous rock experience that keeps building, becoming ever more intense and euphoric. In its own terms, the movie is close to perfection. The lead singer, David Byrne, is a stupefying performer who gives the group its modernism - the undertone of repressed hysteria, which he somehow blends with freshness and adventurousness and a driving beat. He designed the stage lighting and the elegantly plain performance-art environment (three screens used for backlit slide projections); there's no glitter, no sleaze. The sound achieves...ideal clarity....
(Thumbnail review by the legendary Pauline Kael from "5001 Nights At The Movies." Full review where she writes Stop Making Sense makes wonderful sense is in her book "State of the Art.")
My favorite movie reviewer. She does not so much "review" movies in the good or bad sense, but conveys what she is reacting to. Trash can be fun and "art" movies can be a drag.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-10-27 07:04 by pmk251.

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jahisnotdead
Great to see them all on the Late Show. I doubt they will ever reunite for any musical performances. That's fine. It's just nice to know that they don't all hate each other and that they can enjoy celebrating their legacy together hopefully without too many hard feelings.

It was great to see.

3/4 of the band never wanted to break up and David seems warmer to nostalgia than ever before so its probably went from never to unlikely.

David was very deferential to the other three members in that interview. You see the respect he has for all of them.

Two nights ago I saw the Feelies in DC. They still play occasionally, and Saturday (lapping over into Sunday) put on a 3 hour, 38 song, 5 encore show. From north Jersey, they were fellow CBGB scene skittish and jittery nerd rockers with the Talking Heads.

What I didn't know is that Jonathan Demme did a Feelies music video. It's great.

Away (3:40)
Sep. 2, 1988 in Hoboken NJ, filmed by Jonathan Demme.
[youtu.be]

Edit: Someone who recorded the electric set corrected the setlist to 38, not 36, songs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024-05-10 21:52 by TheBluesHadaBaby.

I also only just learned this:

An article about the Feelies in the July 16, 2013 Paris Review quotes Demme as saying "there's never been any greater American band" than them. The article reports that what Demme wanted to make was a movie about the Feelies, but they were so little known that no one would finance it. Instead, he made "Stop Making Sense."

"The greatest concert film of all time."

How Lorde, Paramore, Blondshell, and More Are Fueling a Talking Heads Revival

A new 'Stop Making Sense' tribute album reveals how the iconic art-pop band has inspired a new generation of artists — even if members say a reunion is still a long shot

By David Browne
May 10, 2024


Jordan Cronenweth/A24

[www.rollingstone.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024-05-10 18:59 by bye bye johnny.

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emotionalbarbecue
"The greatest concert film of all time."

Actually, that would be Shake! Otis at Monterey.

Chris Frantz has posted some very cryptic "We'll be back" type statements on social media. With all the public appearances they've made together promoting the reissue of this film, and very little mention of whether or not they'll play together again, I can't help but imagine it could be an excellent scheme to build speculation ahead of a 2025 (?) reunion tour of some sort. An ALBUM and a tour would be even better, but one can only hope for so much.

I've heard rumors of a NYE show at the Sphere in Vegas.
Taking that with a grain of salt.
Dont hold your breath either.

Chris Frantz's recent Instagram post wasn't all that cryptic. He posted a 1983 photo of the Pantages Theatre marquee. Those shows were filmed for "Stop Making Sense".

[www.instagram.com]

"We shall return" was likely a reference to the June 4 screening of "Stop Making Sense" that includes a Q & A with the band.

[www.instagram.com]

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spikenyc
I've heard rumors of a NYE show at the Sphere in Vegas.
Taking that with a grain of salt.
Dont hold your breath either.

Per Dolan who owns tge place it's a 4 show minimum. If so, I would be there for all of tgem.

The new 4K remaster looks and sounds great. Saw it in Imax last week. You can hardly see the 35mm film grain. Theatre was sold out and the crowd quite enthusiastic.

Yes, a musical reunion is very unlikely. They couldn't top those 1983 performances anyways.

At this point, them rekindling anything for each other is enough for me. Would I love a tour? Absolutely. BUT, Talking Heads and David Byrne are people you want to see when they have something to say. David still proves that with his most recent productions. When he has a vision, he's still captivating. They'd never just do it for the money, and they'd never do a Greatest Hits/Stop Making Sense revisited tour. And none of their fans would want them to go through the motions like that. At this point, they're probably too old to really give a spirited go, at least in the way they used to, but its fun that they can speak to each other and enjoy this moment. Getting to this point seemed impossible enough, and I doubt they'd even discuss a tour. But hey, if they did I'd be the first in line. They could do an incredible thing at the Sphere.

The love for this movie over the last year is wonderful to see and their speaking reunion is something I didn't think would happen. And I agree, Chris' post wasn't cryptic. They're dong a Q&A and screening at the Pantages where the original Stop Making Sense shows took place. "We shall return" is literally what's happening. I thought about paying $100 to go since its local to me, but I did JUST see the movie when they put it back out and I've heard a lot of their Q&A's over the past year. I'm sure it'll be wonderful, but I can't imagine there'll be much new they'd say, and while the film can never get old, I don't want it to be something I see too much at one time.

I agree with you RollingFreak about the point they are at now.

A reunion seems far-fetched, but I can see how a short run at the Sphere could be very appealing to them but especially for David.
The Sphere has potiential for him to create something new with Talking Heads music.

FIngers crossed!