>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY! WELCOME BACK.
WELCOME BACK. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IN JUST A
FEW MINUTES, A WONDERFUL COMEDIAN WILL BE OUT HERE, MAE
MARTIN. STICK AROUND FOR THEM.
BUT RIGHT NOW, MY GUESTS TONIGHT ARE ROCK 'N' ROLL HALL OF FAMERS
WERE HERE TO CELEBRATE THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF PERHAPS THE
GREATEST CONCERT FILM OF ALL TIME, "STOP MAKING SENSE."
♪ ♪
♪ ♪ ♪ BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE ♪
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME TO THE LATE SHOW.
TALKING HEADS! DAVID BYRNE,
JERRY HARRISON, CHRIS FRANTZ, AND TINA WEYMOUTH.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
RIGHT THIS WAY. RIGHT THIS WAY.
HEY, JERRY. HEY, DAVID.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] LOVELY.
WELL, LISTEN. THANK YOU ALL.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I'LL JUST GET STRAIGHT TO IT.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO BE COOL ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I WANT TO ASK
YOU, FIRST OFF, WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO HIT AS A BAND.
'CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE WORK HARD TO FIND THEIR SOUND HOPING THAT
AN AUDIENCE IS GOING TO APPRECIATE IT BUT YOU HAD THIS
EXTRAORDINARY EXCLUSION ONTO THE SCENE IN 1977, YOUR FIRST ALBUM,
"TALKING HEADS '77." SEX PISTOLS, MEAT LOAF, CHEAP
TRICK, FOREIGNER, PETER GABRIEL, PETER GABRIEL AND TALKING HEADS
77. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO FIRE ON THE
SCENE? I WILL SAY ONE MORE THING.
YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BE ALLOWED TO TALK.
I WAS IN MY SOPHOMORE YEAR OF COLLEGE, THAT SUMMER.
THAT SPRING, "STOP MAKING SENSE" COMES OUT.
THERE WAS NO OTHER BAND FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR FOR ME OR MY
FRIENDS. I AM LEVITATING TALKING TO NAV
RIGHT NOW. THESE PEOPLE KNOW THIS STORY.
I HAD TICKETS TO SEE YOU AT UVA IN THE FALL OF 1983 IN OCTOBER.
I HAD A PAPER DUE THE NEXT DAY FOR MY SHAKESPEARE CLASS AND I
DID THE PAPER INSTEAD. TINA, HOW BIG OF A MISTAKE DID I
MAKE? >> Tina: I THINK YOU DID
GREAT, STEPHEN. BECAUSE I THINK ALL THE KIDS
WERE REALLY HIGH THAT NIGHT. AND IT WOULD'VE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE
TO WRITE YOUR PAPER AFTERWARDS. >> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD.
WELL TELL ME WHAT THAT FIRST YEAR WAS LIKE WHEN YOUR ALBUM
HITS IN 1977. DID YOU FEEL THAT YOU WOULD MADE
AN IMPRESSION? >> Tina: WE GOT GOBS A LOT.
>> Stephen: WHAT DOES GOB MEAN?
>> DRIVING AROUND IN MY STATION REAGAN.
MY PARENTS STATION REAGAN, A FORD COUNTRY SQUIRE WITH THE
FAKE WOOD. WHEN OUR FIRST ALBUM CAME OUT WE
WERE SO EXCITED AND WE WERE VERY PLEASED BY THE CRITICAL
RECEPTION WE HAD. WE WERE STILL PLAYING TO 50
PEOPLE, MAY BE HUNDRED PEOPLE. IN MOST OF THE CITIES WE WENT TO
IN THE STATION WAGON. WE WOULD PLAY SHOPPING MALLS
THAT WERE LIKE EMPTY SHOPPING MALLS.
WE WOULD PLAY PIZZA PARLORS. >> YOU REMEMBER THE SHOW IN
PITTSBURGH? WE PLAYED A PIZZA PARLOR.
THEIR OPENING ACT WAS A FIRE EATER.
WE DID TWO SETS AND SO DID HE. BUT DURING OUR FIRST SET, HE GOT
DRUNK. WE WERE JUST LIKE OH, NO.
OH, NO. THIS IS NOT GOOD.
I ALSO REMEMBER WE PLAYED BEEFSTEAK CHARLIE'S IN YONKERS.
IT'S NOT THERE ANYMORE. >> THE WORST PART ABOUT IT,
JERRY AND I WERE DRESSED IN THE SAME OUTFITS AS THE WAITERS.
>> Stephen: SO YOU GUYS, SO DAVID AND CHRIS AND TINA, YOU
GUYS WERE ALL STUDENTS AT RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN,
RIGHT? HOW DOES THE BAND COME TOGETHER?
EVERYBODY ASSUME THERE HAS PROBABLY GOT A VM'S.
HOW DID THE THREE OF YOU GET TOGETHER?
>> SURPRISINGLY THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF BANDS.
WHICH IS WHY WE FORMED ONE. I HAD THIS IDEA WE SHOULD FORM A
BAND TO ENTERTAIN OUR FRIENDS AND I MET DAVID AND HE WAS INTO
THAT IDEA. AND SOME OTHER FRIENDS JOINED IN
AND WE WERE A COVER BAND. THE SOLE PURPOSE WAS TO
ENTERTAIN OUR FRIENDS, YOU KNOW. >> Stephen: WHEN DID IT
DEVELOP BEYOND THAT? >> I STARTED WRITING SOME SONGS
FOR THAT BAND. >> Stephen: WHAT COVERAGE WERE
YOU DOING? >> WE DID A WHOLE ECLECTIC MIX.
WE DID SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES.
WE DID THE EARLY WHO, LIKE "I CAN'T EXPLAIN."
WE DID THE VELVET UNDERGROUND. WE DID PAUL REVERE AND THE
RAIDERS. >> Stephen: ARE THERE
RECORDINGS OF THOSE, VIEW DOING THOSE COVERS?
>> Chris: I WISH. I HEARD SOMEBODY HAD A RECORDING
THAT THEY MADE BUT THAT PERSON HAS NOT COME FORWARD.
>> Tina: STEPHEN, I WAS NOT IN THAT BAND.
EVERYBODY WHO WASN'T IN THAT BAND STOOD IN ANOTHER CORNER OF
THE ROOM BECAUSE IT WAS SO LOUD. >> Stephen: REALLY?
>> Tina: IT WAS JUST SO PAIFUL.
[LAUGHTER] >> Stephen: AND YOU ARE AN
HONEST CRITIC AND THEY APPRECIATED THAT.
JERRY, YOU ARE WITH THE MODERN LOVERS.
[APPLAUSE] WAS THIS THE "SHE'S CRACK" THAT
PART? >> Jerry: SHE'S CRACK, CODE
RUNNER. >> Stephen: WIVES YOU WANT TO
BE PART OF THIS? >> Jerry: THE MODERN LOVERS
HAD BROKEN UP AND I WAS SORT OF IN THIS LIMBO.
I WAS JUST ENTERING ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL.
I SAID WELL, I DON'T THINK I'M GOING TO BE IN A ROCK BAND AND
THEN I MET THE TALKING HEADS AND THEY ASKED ME TO JOIN.
THEY ACTUALLY ALLOWED ME TO FINISH THE FIRST SEMESTER
BECAUSE I SAID MY PARENTS WILL KILL ME IF I DON'T, IF I CAN'T
GO BACK. SO ANYWAY.
SO I JOINED IN JANUARY OF '77 BUT WE DID A NUMBER OF SHOWS,
AND THEY BRAVED -- I HAD THIS HOUSE THAT I HAD
REBUILT IN IPSWICH MASSACHUSETTS AND WE REHEARSED AND KIND OF
JUST AFTER A BLIZZARD IN THIS FREEZING CABIN TO GO DOWN AND
PLAY AT THE RATSKELLAR IN BOSTON.
>> Stephen: TINA, WHEN DID YOU JOIN?
IF YOU WEREN'T ORIGINALLY IN THE BAND, WHEN THAT CHANGE?
>> Tina: WELL, THEY REALLY NEEDED A BASS PLAYER AND NOBODY
WOULD JOIN THEM. THEY ASKED DEBBIE HARRY TO SING
WITH THEM AND SHE SAID I ALREADY HAVE A BAND BUT YOU CAN BUY ME A
DRINK. SO I JUST LOVED THEM.
I JUST THOUGHT OH, GOD. THESE GUYS.
THEY ARE SO AMAZING AND THEY ARE SO CREATIVE.
AND WE HAD A CHEMISTRY. IT WAS VERY SPECIAL.
AND SO I BRAVED IT, EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T THE RIGHT THING TO DO
PROBABLY. BUT I THOUGHT, I'LL JUST GET
THEM GOING, YOU KNOW. >> Stephen: YOU GUYS,
ROCK 'N' ROLL BAND. FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORDS WERE
YOU PARTY YEARS? WAS IT THAT ROCK 'N' ROLL
LIFESTYLE? >> THAT WOULD BE YES.
[LAUGHTER] >> Stephen: THE CHAIR WOULD
LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE GENTLEMAN FROM TALKING HEADS AND ASK HIM
TO ELABORATE ON HIS ANSWER. >> Chris: I PROBABLY SHOULDN'T
ELABORATE ANY FURTHER, BUT THE THING WAS WE WERE REALLY GOOD AT
WHAT THEY CALL MAINTAINING, SO NOBODY KNEW.
>> Stephen: OR AT LEAST YOU DIDN'T THINK ANYBODY KNEW.
THAT'S THE TRICK OF MAINTAINING. >> Chris: SOMEBODY SAID, THE
DRUMMER, HE'S ALWAYS SMILING. OUR SOUNDMAN SAID THAT'S 'CAUSE
HE'S FULL OF DRUGS. [LAUGHTER]
>> Stephen: DAVID, HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE TERM "ART ROCK?"
PEOPLE DESCRIBED TALKING HEADS AS ART ROCK.
SPEEDILY KIND OF WAR BUT I SORT OF REALIZED IT WAS NOT MEANT AS
A COMPLIMENT. >> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU THINK
IT WAS IMPLYING? >> David: IT IMPLIED THAT WE
WERE SNOOTY ELITES WHO DIDN'T MEAN WHAT WE WERE DOING.
IT WAS JUST A ART PROJECT. WE WERE ALSO CALLED PUNK ROCK
ROCKERS. WE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE WE LIKED A
LOT OF THOSE BANDS ARE THAT WE FIT IN WITH THAT GENRE.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE PLAYING CBGBS.
WAS THAT A HARD THING TO BREAK INTO?
DID YOU HAVE TO KNOW SOMEBODY? >> WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE.
WE ARRIVED IN NEW YORK IN THE AUTUMN OF 74 RIGHT AROUND THIS
TIME OF YEAR. THE FIRST PERSON I WENT TO VISIT
WAS ANOTHER ALARM, PAINTER. DAVID HAD BEEN CAMPING OUT IN
HIS LOFT ON BOND STREET. AND JAMIE SAID TO ME CHRIS, I
KNOW YOU'RE INTERESTED IN MUSIC. THERE'S THIS BAR ACROSS THE
STREET OR SOMETHING IS GOING ON. I CAN TELL SOMETHING'S GOING ON.
IT'S CALLED CBGB'S. YOU SHOULD CHECK IT OUT THERE
THAT NIGHT I WENT BECAUSE WE WERE LOOKING FOR A PLACE THAT
WOULD BE LIKE THE CAVERN CLUB WAS TO THE BEATLES OR THE HOTEL
IN RICHMOND OUTSIDE OF LONDON WAS TO THE STONES, PLACE, LIKE
AN INCUBATOR. I WENT.
NOBODY WAS PLAYING. NOTHING WAS HAPPENING.
BUT THERE WAS THIS ONE GUY SHOOTING POOL AND HE SAID TO ME,
IN A VERY HEAVY SPANISH ACCENT, "NOTHING GOING ON TONIGHT, MAN.
BUT COME BACK ON THE WEEKEND. THE REMOTES WILL BE HERE."
I THOUGHT OH, COOL, A SPANISH BAND CALLED THE RAMONES.
I WENT TO SEE THE RAMONS. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE.
DID YOU COME TOO, DAVID? THIS WAS IN THE EARLY DAYS WHEN
THEY WOULD STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF A SONG AND ARGUE WITH EACH
OTHER.
QUICK BREAK BUT STICK AROUND. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE
TALKING HEADS, EVERYBODY.