Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (1984)

TIPS FOR PERFORMERS: Playing cards have the top half upside-down to help cheaters. There are a finite number of jokes in the universe. Singing is a trick to get people to listen to music for longer than they would ordinarily. There is no music in space. People will pay to watch people make sounds. Everything on stage should be larger than in real life.

LIVING WITH OTHER PEOPLE: Violence on television only affects children whose parents act like television personalities. Table manners are for people who have nothing better to do. Civilization is a religion. Civilized people walk funny. There is always a party going on somewhere. People will remember you better if you always wear the same outfit.

LIFE ON EARTH: Men like pastries, women like custards. Scientists have invented a love drug, but it only works on bugs. Animals like earthquakes, tornadoes and volcanic activity. Nuclear weapons can wipe out life on Earth, if used properly. Cats like houses better than people. Dolphins find people amusing, but they don’t want to talk to them. People look ridiculous when they’re in ecstasy. Schools are for training people how to listen to other people. Body odor is the window to the soul. Sound is worth money.

IN THE HOME: There have been cases where people’s shoes got stuck on their feet and could never be removed. The best way to get rid of unwanted flying insects is to have strong body

David comes out on bare stage with acoustic guitar and portable cassette player which provides rhythm. During ending, David does a spastic dance which uses the whole empty stage. Tina’s bass riser is wheeled out. Stage crew are all in black overalls. Drum rise is wheeled out…Chris joins at drums. Jerry joins playing guitar. A keyboard riser is wheeled out. Ednah and Lynn sing backing vocals. Steve comes out…plays bongos. David does a “duck” dance. Percussion riser wheels out. Alex joins playing guitar. Rear projection screen comes down very slowly (takes at least a minute). Bernie comes out. David does knock-knee dance at end. Second keyboard riser has been wheeled out. Bernie begins song, “Jogging” dance and “Indian-Snake” dance. David runs around the stage at the end of this song. Red slides with words. Follow spot on David during singing, on riser musicians (mini-Lowell photo-light son thin stands). During instrumental break, (light grey) word slides. Bernie takes weird keyboard solo. A red wash on the front of the screen — rear lights begin fading up from behind risers. David begins singing in crouching position. Staggers about during middle bridge section…marching during choruses. Instrumental introduction: HMI flickers on…a bright, cold film light. Tina is downstage and the girls have come out to sing. There’s a par-can on the stage in front of David which lights him like Bela Lugosi. Floor lamp comes on. Downstage musicians group around lamp. Slides of domestic objects or panoramic landscapes. No dancing. Slides of funny body parts — knees…elbows…belly buttons…butts…dog paws and tails. David dances with lamp. Sidelights as: David does “possession” dance, then “vibration” dance. Hits himself on the head (like Ernest Angley). Arcs backwards at end. Jerry and Alex move downstage during a breakdown…doing a “guitar” dance. Nook lights under the lip of the risers. David and the girls do “arm-swinging” dance. Wash of white light on screen. David squats down and revolves his head. People on riser are lit from lights in the riser, under plexiglass. Chris drumming and talking. Tina joins on bass as slides come on of fragments of Tom Tom Club cover. Big Suit entrance. Stagehand shines sun-gun with belt battery pack on David as he walks out wearing the big suit, casting moving shadows on the screen. David does a “wiggle” dance in the big suit at the end of the son. Begins with HMI only during David does a “leaning-back” dance. Blue wash over screen. David takes off big suit jacket (looks like Ralph Kramden). House and stage lights on full. David looks pretty disheveled.

odor. There hasn’t been a good-looking American car in 20 years. There is always something on television. The best length for television programs is either 30 seconds or 8 hours.

THE SPACE PEOPLE: Space People read our mail. The Space People think that TV news programs are comedies, and that soap operas are news. The Space People will contact us when they can make money by doing so. The Space People think factories are musical instruments. They sing along with them. Each song lasts from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. No music on weekends.

MONEY: People will do odd things if you give them money. When everything is worth money, then money is worth nothing. If you keep your money in your shoe, then people will know which bills are yours. If you crumple your money into little balls, it will never stick together. The best way to touch money is by the edges. U.S. money is the worst looking money in the world.

WORLD TRAVEL: Passport pictures are what people really look like. Rich people will travel great distances to look at poor people. Toast is the national dish of Australia. People never travel to look at flat landscapes. people would rather watch things than eat. Looking at postcards is better than looking at the real thing. looking up is as scary as looking down.

IN THE FUTURE: In the future, women will have breasts all over. In the future, it will be a relief to find a place without culture. In the future, plates of food will have names and titles. In the future, we will all drive standing up. In the future, love will be taught on television and by listening to pop songs.

WORK: Crime is a job. Sex is a job. Growing up is a job. School is a job. Going to parties is a job. Religion is a job. Being creative is a job.