Talking Heads’ Acclaimed ‘Stop Making Sense’ To Return To Cinemas
Talking Heads’ ground-breaking concert film, Stop Making Sense, will be back in select UK, US and Canadian cinemas from 27 January for another round of screenings after its initial 4K re-release last fall. In addition, a collector’s edition Blu-ray will be available to purchase at every screening.
The Stop Making Sense theatrical re-release comes via A24, which acquired the film’s worldwide rights to coincide with its 40th anniversary. There will be “monthly residency screenings” in cities including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and more.
On January 10, 2024, A24 also announced a Stop Making Sense tribute album will be released later this year. The album will see 16 different artists perform covers of the Stop Making Sense setlist. So far, Paramore, who will perform Burning Down the House, are the only band confirmed to be part of the album.
Last August, Talking Heads released a deluxe edition of the Stop Making Sense soundtrack featuring remastered audio of the full setlist and two previously unreleased songs: Cities and Big Business /I Zimbra.
The following month, the group reunited at the Toronto International Film Festival screening of Stop Making Sense, which they followed with an appearance on Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The band also gave their first interview as a four-piece since they split in 1991, when David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth talked to Pitchfork about the new reissue of Stop Making Sense, their early days in New York and their current relationship.
When asked how they see their relationship with the band today, drummer Chris Frantz said, “Well, I identify as a Talking Head.” Bassist Tina Weymouth agreed, adding, “I hate it when journalists say ‘formerly of Talking Heads.’ What are you talking about? It is a little weird—it’s almost cultish to identify with a group and not as an individual. But that happens to bands.”
Singer David Byrne was enthusiastic about the reunion, “When it became obvious that the film was going to come back out—new print, new sound, new distribution and all that—whatever differences we might have had, we put them aside and said, ‘No, we really believe in this, we’re all united, and we all feel the same way about this.’”