Concert films show us how musicians make their music, but they also help us hear that music differently. In this episode, we break down how this works in the concert film classic, Talking Heads’ and Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense (1984).

More about the student team:

Luke Heying is a University of Iowa senior (’25) majoring inEconomics with a minor in Music.

Abbie McLaren is a University of Iowa senior (’25) doublemajoring in Cinema and Journalism.

Will Sinak is a University of Iowa senior (’25) majoring inCinema.

Resources

You can explore the music discussed in this episode in thesoundtrack album to Stop Making Sense as well as Talking Heads’ studio albums Speaking in Tongues and More Songs About Buildings and Food. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, A24 completed a major restoration of Stop Making Sense in 2023. More information on that is available here. 

Want to learn more about the history of concert films? Werecommend K.J. Donnelly’s chapter, “The Film Should Be Played Loud’: Rockumentary Films,” from his 2015 book, Magical Musical Tour: Rock and Pop in Film Soundtracks (Bloomsbury).