As a lark, I picked up that new Talking Heads DVD, Chronology. You'd think with a title like that, it would be this sprawling collection of footage, but it isn't, really. Not including bonus material, it's basically 18 cuts that stretch from 1978 through to their somewhat stiff and ultimately meaningless Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame induction performance in 2002. Strangely, there are no songs featured from any of their efforts post Speaking in Tongues. That's not really a complaint, mind you, just an observation. If you're a fan of the band, it's pretty cool, but one would be hard pressed to call it essential. The finest bit on it is a performance of "Crosseyed and Painless" from 1980, which really finds the band firing on all cylinders.
There are a couple of clips, however, that were recorded here NYC in August of 1978 at a venue I'd never hear of called the Entermedia Theater. The photograph above by Eileen Colton was taken at the gig in question. Both of the clips from the DVD are culled from a larger recording of the performance which I've since found on YouTube, which you can see below. I did a little bit of research and was surprised to learn that the short-lived Entermedia Theatre is, today, the Village East Cinema, on the corner of East 12th and 2nd Avenue. I remember my Mom taking me to go see "Joseph & the Technicolor Dreamcoat" in that same space in about 1981. You can read a larger history of the space on this typically authoritative post by -- wait for it -- Jeremiah Moss.
Even if you're not a fan of vintage Talking Heads, the opening shots of the crowd hobnobbing prior to the gig are pretty entertaining. For fans of the neighborhood, you can even catch a glimpse of the ill-fated "Chow Mein" sign that hung above Jade Mountain behind the bespectacled Talking Heads fan with the strenuously unfortunate hair at about 00:21.
Enjoy.
The Entermedia theater for a short time in the very early 80s was a venue for some great acts. I remember seeing the legendary R&B singer Ruth Brown there, accompanied by Allen Toussaint in his musical called "Staggerlee". Sadly, there were more performers on stage than people in the audience.
Posted by: Uncle Waltie | February 02, 2012 at 09:47 AM
It's funny how Talking Heads' popularity and credibility is probably greater than it's ever been — I dined at a well-known NoHo eatery on Monday night to a soundtrack comprised solely of TH. And yet - as you point out - their later albums are routinely overlooked, probably because they aren't inexorably associated with CBGB, the Mudd Club and other elements of downtown cool. Even David Byrne himself has perpetuated this trend by playing gigs focusing on his early work with Brian Eno. It's too bad because Little Creatures and True Stories are great records.
Posted by: James Taylor | February 02, 2012 at 12:32 PM