David Byrne was interviewed by NME in 1979 about Fear of Music, the album this song appears on. Lyrically, this song was always meant to represent a vision of the near future. Here's what he had to say about it: "Living in New York, you have to be [ready for the inevitable]. There will be chronic food shortages and gas shortages and people will live in hovels. Paradoxically, they'll be surrounded by computers the size of wrist watches. Calculators will be cheap. It'll be as easy to hook up your computer with a central television bank as it is to get the week's groceries. "I think we'll be cushioned by amazing technological development and sitting on Salvation Army furniture. Everything else will be crumbling. Government surveillance becomes inevitable because there's this dilemma when you have an increase in information storage. A lot of it is for your convenience - but as more information gets on file it's bound to be misused."
Ironically he wasn’t the only accurately predicting the future. When one Party starts to seize control of our institutions to target their political opponents it will lead to totalitarianism. We are on that path.
I think a big part of their sound at this time was drums and percussion + bass. And with Byrne dancing like a mad man emphasised this. I saw this concert live in New Zealand in 1984 and it changed how I thought about dancing in public (I was always shy before) and how to dance.
I feel exactly the same about this song as you do Justin! I've got a photograph of me and my oldest daughter when she was abt. 1 or 2 years old sitting on my lap on the floor watching this concert together on a videotape. That was over 30 years ago and still love this. I still think this is one of the best performances I have ever seen from a band.
Loved this and love the whole Stop Making Sense...... You have to show him a song with Byrne wearing the Big Suit.....hilarious! "Girlfriend Is Better" is a good one with the Big Suit.
@@THEDEEPDIVE Unless you are young and live through it. I 'lived through' Led Zep, Genesys, Bowie, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. That's a Full House......
@@krg1605 oh for sure.. I lived through the 90s alt rock explosion (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, NIN).. we didn't need hindsight to see the greatness for them for sure.
I move around enough for both of us. I like hearing what a non music nut thinks and our long time friendship adds good dynamic and discussion to the reaction videos that other channels can't match IMO.
Byrne’s latest, American Utopia has been released. It’s his Broadway show from a couple of years ago. HBO is running it. It’s quite beautiful and he’s completely charming.
I got to see Talking Heads live about a month before they made this concert film, one of the advantages of being 60+. Kind of the rehearsal tour, if you will. Just watch the rest of the movie, It's time well spent. Tina Weymouth, Bassist and Vocalist, is my all-time favorite female rock artist, she is all bizniz. And having Mr. Bernie Worrell along on the keys make it extra special, he has played with James Brown and George Clinton and P-Funk. It's all good.
Bernie's not just an addition. He's driving the band. All the pulses, grooves, and feels of the music are coming from him. It's hard to get a sense of this even from the film. If you saw this live, as I did, way back in the day, it would be more obvious sonically because you can feel the throbbing of those very low sounds coming from his synth. But Bernie's "touch" on the keys gives each song its basic pulse and everything else builds on that. Bernie was as much of a quirky genius as David Byrne.
I was watching SNL with my (adult) son, the last time David Byrne appeared, and I mentioned that while I liked the later afro-beat Talking Heads stuff, I preferred the early songs in their original, tenser, stripped down versions. To which my son replied, "so what you're telling me is you're too white to enjoy David Byrne" I laughed for a good minute. It was a great burn. That said, I really do prefer the album version of this. It's a paranoid tale of living in hiding and this version is just too... joyous?
I noticed your comment a few weeks ago saying their would be more Talking Heads...might I suggest the version of "Take me to the River" out of the Stop Making Sense movie. Brilliant rendition. Or "Girlfriend is Better," strong runner up. Well done and "Life During Wartime" is a great song. Well done you guys.
you need to react live Talking Heads from 1980 Rome, some amazing stuff... Crosseyed and Painless or Born Under Punches ua-cam.com/video/YO7N2tFb0X8/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/a03NRrOXDk8/v-deo.html
Drummer Chris Frantz's (recent/great) autobiography is highly recommended. Amongst a wealth of details was the not surprising revelation that there was much coke about that night ("although not the women" he chivalrously maintains). Stop Making Sense may be their broadest foray into the larger culture, and it is deservedly well-known for the innovative staging, the innovative filming AND the great music played by a great band. But neither they, nor I , consider it their artistic pinnacle. That would be the album and tour just before this, the astonishing funk collage that is Remain In Light. The best known song off of it (the early MTV hit Once In A Lifetime) doesn't do it justice and would serve as an introduction to only the most timid. The futuristic record, with it's explorations of electronic afro-funk played by a downtown NYC art band (three decades before that was a thing) set a template for anyone with ears: Public Enemy's Bomb Squad were listening as hard as the art rock crowd. Once the album was finished, they had an even more audacious idea: to take it on the road. The dense experimental assemblage nature of the album didn't immediately seem like something the four of them could recreate, but they hadn't played all the instruments on the album anyway-there were percussionists, keyboardists, a horn player, not to mention the tape manipulations and avant grade approach to mixing and matching contributed by their producer. So they got a live band together and figured out how to bring that astonishing recording to life. The results are some of the most exhilarating, ecstatic, explosive joys that ever got labeled 'rock concerts'. Sadly, there are no official recordings or videos of the tour, but all is not lost. There are at least two televised European concerts (Rome and Dortmund) making the grainy rounds on You Tube. But Holy Mother of God. Stop Making Sense, as much fun as it is, is the tamed down Broadway show version, the refined and considered presentation of the ideas realized in the recordings and voodoo-rocked to life on that 1980 tour. And those grainy You Tube videos? So worth it. But I strongly suggest after you hear the album, or at least the first three songs on it. With much respect...
It was filmed over three nights, but I assume the Bolivian Marching Powder was involved in all three. Ms. Zim just finished the Chris Frantz book, which I got her as a birthday present, and says it was an interesting read. She mentioned the "not the women" comment, and also an incident involving David Byrne being less than sympathetic towards hotel workers (NSFW). And yes, Remain in Light is Talking Heads at their zenith.
![Psycho Killer (Live/Studio) - Talking Heads [70s Reaction] Take Me to the River, Life During Wartime](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UnlsUBpqsaQ/mqdefault.jpg)
We also did psycho killer and What a day it was ua-cam.com/video/zDs_tKwoMAU/v-deo.html
Did you do the one where he's dancing with the lamp?
@@MySerpentine my fav. Saving it for a special occasion
David Byrne was interviewed by NME in 1979 about Fear of Music, the album this song appears on. Lyrically, this song was always meant to represent a vision of the near future. Here's what he had to say about it:
"Living in New York, you have to be [ready for the inevitable]. There will be chronic food shortages and gas shortages and people will live in hovels. Paradoxically, they'll be surrounded by computers the size of wrist watches. Calculators will be cheap. It'll be as easy to hook up your computer with a central television bank as it is to get the week's groceries.
"I think we'll be cushioned by amazing technological development and sitting on Salvation Army furniture. Everything else will be crumbling. Government surveillance becomes inevitable because there's this dilemma when you have an increase in information storage. A lot of it is for your convenience - but as more information gets on file it's bound to be misused."
Thank you so much for the context and knowledge!!!!
Smart guy, David Byrne.
That quote from 1979 is amazing..... genius level thinker
Ironically he wasn’t the only accurately predicting the future. When one Party starts to seize control of our institutions to target their political opponents it will lead to totalitarianism. We are on that path.
I think a big part of their sound at this time was drums and percussion + bass. And with Byrne dancing like a mad man emphasised this. I saw this concert live in New Zealand in 1984 and it changed how I thought about dancing in public (I was always shy before) and how to dance.
Its like a Theater masterpiece.
HE IS AUTSTIC WHICH IS HOW HE MAKES ALL HIS WEIRD MOVEMENTS WORK , I HEARD IT A FEW TOMES BUT I THINK THIS VID HELPS TO MAKE THE SING WHAT IT IS
This was a big hit.
He recognized the value of cardio before zombieland
lol
I'm not sure David Byrne ever needed any drugs to be out there. Always loved that experimental, fun vibe to them. Love the Tom Tom Club too.
Definitely has a natural high
From the best concert film ever made.
I feel exactly the same about this song as you do Justin! I've got a photograph of me and my oldest daughter when she was abt. 1 or 2 years old sitting on my lap on the floor watching this concert together on a videotape. That was over 30 years ago and still love this. I still think this is one of the best performances I have ever seen from a band.
That's so awesome that you have a photo that captured that moment! Everything about this is just pure magic.
"Strange but in a good way." Yup.
He's one of the most famous Asperger's people.
Oh yeah!
Loved this and love the whole Stop Making Sense...... You have to show him a song with Byrne wearing the Big Suit.....hilarious! "Girlfriend Is Better" is a good one with the Big Suit.
Hope to do more soon!
You don’t realize how much you like their music...till is over. Then you want more.
true greatness is often only seen in hindsight.
@@THEDEEPDIVE Unless you are young and live through it. I 'lived through' Led Zep, Genesys, Bowie, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. That's a Full House......
@@krg1605 oh for sure.. I lived through the 90s alt rock explosion (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, NIN).. we didn't need hindsight to see the greatness for them for sure.
@@THEDEEPDIVE Truth.
@@krg1605 Hope you check out the other talking heads videos we did!
Gotta show him “once in a lifetime” “girlfriend is better” and then of course the closer “cross eyed and painless” !
You can't do 80s without Fishbone... Party at ground zero.
Musicianship came back into fashion in the 80's after Punk and it was very welcomed!
It's awesome and don't forget it👍🏴
never will.
We'll never see a group like them again.
Nearly impossible to replicate that kind of alchemy.
I saw this tour at Red Rocks and it was just as great as the film! Dude with the glasses, you have no mind to be doing music reactions.
I move around enough for both of us. I like hearing what a non music nut thinks and our long time friendship adds good dynamic and discussion to the reaction videos that other channels can't match IMO.
I saw it in Charlotte NC and it was the best concert I've ever seen.
Byrne’s latest, American Utopia has been released. It’s his Broadway show from a couple of years ago. HBO is running it. It’s quite beautiful and he’s completely charming.
thanks.. been wanting to check it out
I got to see Talking Heads live about a month before they made this concert film, one of the advantages of being 60+. Kind of the rehearsal tour, if you will. Just watch the rest of the movie, It's time well spent. Tina Weymouth, Bassist and Vocalist, is my all-time favorite female rock artist, she is all bizniz. And having Mr. Bernie Worrell along on the keys make it extra special, he has played with James Brown and George Clinton and P-Funk. It's all good.
thanks for sharing that.. we just recorded an episode of What a day it was from this film. Hope you enjoy that soon.
Bernie's not just an addition. He's driving the band. All the pulses, grooves, and feels of the music are coming from him. It's hard to get a sense of this even from the film. If you saw this live, as I did, way back in the day, it would be more obvious sonically because you can feel the throbbing of those very low sounds coming from his synth. But Bernie's "touch" on the keys gives each song its basic pulse and everything else builds on that. Bernie was as much of a quirky genius as David Byrne.
No cocaine here. Fact check. Franz (drummer) did it later. Just rehearsing, diet and discipline.
"Oddness was in". YES! Burning Down the House came much later so is more well known.
Genious & Time traveler
I was watching SNL with my (adult) son, the last time David Byrne appeared, and I mentioned that while I liked the later afro-beat Talking Heads stuff, I preferred the early songs in their original, tenser, stripped down versions.
To which my son replied, "so what you're telling me is you're too white to enjoy David Byrne"
I laughed for a good minute. It was a great burn.
That said, I really do prefer the album version of this. It's a paranoid tale of living in hiding and this version is just too... joyous?
lol. great story about your son. thanks for sharing that. i can appreciate your perspective on the live vs studio track.
Talking Heads-fan here....nice to hear you talking about Stop making Sense, Byrne an dthat time...
thanks! we did psycho killer too.. Hope you follow us and check that one out too. Would love to do more Talking Heads.
It is curious this version shows visual effects being projected behind the band, that were not in the original version of 'Stop Making Sense"
are you talking about the water effects? That is the background to all our videos.
I noticed your comment a few weeks ago saying their would be more Talking Heads...might I suggest the version of "Take me to the River" out of the Stop Making Sense movie. Brilliant rendition. Or "Girlfriend is Better," strong runner up. Well done and "Life During Wartime" is a great song. Well done you guys.
DROP ME IN THE WATER! Thanks Pamela.. just getting started!
Another great one from u guys!!! You guys are really sensational together! A damn good show! Needs more Prog, however! 😂
I'm sure we will get to Yes, King Crimson, Mars Volta, etc someday!
we did two more Talking Heads episodes.. Hope to hear your thoughts on those songs too!
psychedelic. 🤙
Are you familiar with Laurie Anderson's "Home of the Brave" movie? I suggest it highly.
Never heard of it. Thanks!
Where did you get that high-quality video?
I think your buddy's a robot....
I just forgot to charge him overnight.
where were you in 1984?
depending on the time of the year i was in utero or not
I was eleven listening to my sister's new Talking Heads album
Between divorces
@@TheNeonRabbit oof.
In high school
Is the guy on the left dead or something?
Why isn't he moving?
He hasn't been taught how to move to this kind of music. He will learn.
you need to react live Talking Heads from 1980 Rome, some amazing stuff... Crosseyed and Painless or Born Under Punches ua-cam.com/video/YO7N2tFb0X8/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/a03NRrOXDk8/v-deo.html
Thanks for the recommendations.
Drummer Chris Frantz's (recent/great) autobiography is highly recommended. Amongst a wealth of details was the not surprising revelation that there was much coke about that night ("although not the women" he chivalrously maintains). Stop Making Sense may be their broadest foray into the larger culture, and it is deservedly well-known for the innovative staging, the innovative filming AND the great music played by a great band.
But neither they, nor I , consider it their artistic pinnacle. That would be the album and tour just before this, the astonishing funk collage that is Remain In Light. The best known song off of it (the early MTV hit Once In A Lifetime) doesn't do it justice and would serve as an introduction to only the most timid. The futuristic record, with it's explorations of electronic afro-funk played by a downtown NYC art band (three decades before that was a thing) set a template for anyone with ears: Public Enemy's Bomb Squad were listening as hard as the art rock crowd.
Once the album was finished, they had an even more audacious idea: to take it on the road. The dense experimental assemblage nature of the album didn't immediately seem like something the four of them could recreate, but they hadn't played all the instruments on the album anyway-there were percussionists, keyboardists, a horn player, not to mention the tape manipulations and avant grade approach to mixing and matching contributed by their producer.
So they got a live band together and figured out how to bring that astonishing recording to life. The results are some of the most exhilarating, ecstatic, explosive joys that ever got labeled 'rock concerts'. Sadly, there are no official recordings or videos of the tour, but all is not lost. There are at least two televised European concerts (Rome and Dortmund) making the grainy rounds on You Tube.
But Holy Mother of God. Stop Making Sense, as much fun as it is, is the tamed down Broadway show version, the refined and considered presentation of the ideas realized in the recordings and voodoo-rocked to life on that 1980 tour. And those grainy You Tube videos? So worth it. But I strongly suggest after you hear the album, or at least the first three songs on it. With much respect...
So much great insight. Thanks!!!
It was filmed over three nights, but I assume the Bolivian Marching Powder was involved in all three. Ms. Zim just finished the Chris Frantz book, which I got her as a birthday present, and says it was an interesting read. She mentioned the "not the women" comment, and also an incident involving David Byrne being less than sympathetic towards hotel workers (NSFW). And yes, Remain in Light is Talking Heads at their zenith.
@@Zimbrabim I am loving all these super knowledgeable TH fans showing up to educate me.
At the time, this was not labeled a "rock concert." This was New Wave.
it's weird????just read the lyrics
I love the lyrics on this song.
You obviously dont move much to music.....not a dancer I take it!.....This song is movin and groovin ass kick!...Its not a library!
Whatever happened to the singer?? A larger than life personality and yet I never hear anything about him.
ua-cam.com/video/lg4hcgtjDPc/v-deo.html
i dont think youre really looking tho, the guy is accomplished af and now is doing just fine with his broadway hit
@@jessica5497 she isn't a big fan and is just asking someone who is.
He has a Showtime or HBO special out there right now.....
@@wpollock1 I want to see that!
my fave song by them, The performance is kinda whack, tho ;)
That’s the best part about the entire movie. The performances are so awesome