Talking Heads reunited for a live Q&A in honor of the 40th anniversary of their concert film Stop Making Sense, which is returning to theaters. This was the first time all four members — David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison — have appeared together in over 20 years.
The conversation, which was broadcast live to theaters around the country, was moderated by filmmaker Spike Lee, and took place at the Toronto International Film Festival following a screening of the film.
“When I was watching this just now,” Byrne noted, “I was thinking: this is why we come to the movie theaters. This is different than watching it on my laptop. This is really different.”
“I would say that one of the wonderful things is: the fact that there is new technology, it meant we almost have a burden to adapt and to bring it up to what people can hear now in theaters,” Harrison said. “It’s a delight to see that we found the original negatives and so therefore we could bring it back to life as much as possible…”
Watch the Trailer for ‘Stop Making Sense’
In addition to the founding members of Talking Heads, the expanded band who participated in the Stop Making Sense film featured Alex Weir on guitar, Steve Scales on percussion and Bernie Worrell on keyboards, plus backup singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt.
“Talking Heads was such a good band,” Frantz said. “I mean excuse me for blowing my own horn, our own horn — it’s so good to be here with my bandmates tonight. It’s been a long time. … I’m grateful to be here tonight and to watch this and to enjoy it so much.”
“I loved that show. It was magical,” Weymouth added. “I mean, everything about it was so special…the teamwork, our crew, the film crew, it was all amazing.”
Talking Heads Reunite After 20 Years
The last time all four members of Talking Heads appeared together was in 2002 at their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. In the years that have followed, the band has made clear that fans should not expect a reunion. Bryne noted to People earlier this year that they “have a cordial relationship now. We’re sort of in touch, but we don’t hang out together.”
Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathan Demme, will begin playing in IMAX theaters on Sept. 22, newly remastered in 4K.
“I noticed you can see things that you couldn’t see even in the original version,” Frantz recently told The New York Times. “Now you can see every little detail of the back of the stage.”
Additionally, an expanded version of the movie’s soundtrack was released last month, featuring the full set list plus two previously unreleased songs, “Cities” and “Big Business / I Zimbra.”
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