After releasing the Speaking in Tongues album, Talking Heads hit the road in 1983. As part of the tour, the rock band offered three concerts at Pantages Theater in Hollywood that December.
Those shows rock on via the Stop Making Sense documentary that will screen at the Museum of the Moving Image from Friday, Feb. 23, until Sunday, March 3.
Directed by Jonathan Demme, this 88-minute indy film features clips of the group performing hits like “Burning Down the House,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Psycho Killer,” and “Take Me to the River.” They mix with scenes of frontman David Byrne as a soloist and drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth with the Tom Tom Club.
General admission is $15, but seniors, students, and youths can get discounts.
A bit of a cult classic, Stop Making Sense debuted at the San Francisco International Film Festival on April 24, 1984. In 2021, it was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry after the Library of Congress deemed it “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” and a work of “enduring importance to American culture.”
Now restored in digital format to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release, Stop Making Sense opens on Feb. 23 at 7 pm. Then, it repeats on Feb. 24 at 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm; Feb. 25 at 1 pm and 3 pm; March 1 at 7 pm; and March 3 at 3:30 pm.
The Museum of the Moving Image is located at 36-01 35th Ave. in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Images: Museum of Moving Image