Sunday Cinema: Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime Special

BRITISH TV SPECIAL FEATURES LIVE TALKING
HEADS FOOTAGE FROM WEMBLEY ARENA ’82

David Byrne has bucked convention throughout his career, so it should come as no surprise that when he was tasked with putting together a live special to air on British TV in 1984, the final product is far from the typical concert film. The special in question is called Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime and features live performance footage from the band’s 1982 concert at London’s Wembley Arena. Earlier this year it surfaced in its entirety on YouTube.

Throughout the film, which many fans refer to as Talking Heads Vs. Television, Byrne mixes live and found footage into a deliciously weird visual collage. There are tons of WTF!? moments as we move quickly between live shots and clips as disparate as commercials, bombings, a Japanese ceremony and breakdancers. Once In A Lifetime features a number of the band’s hits including the title track, “Life During Wartime,” “Psycho Killer” and “Swamp.” For those who wished this was a straight concert film instead of a montage, the pay off comes in the “Crosseyed And Painless” which closes the movie and sticks mostly with live shots.

Watch the 1984 TV Special Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime:

Playlist:

00:00:00 – Intro
00:04:34 – Life During Wartime
00:09:55 – Big Blue Plymouth
00:16:00 – Once in a Lifetime
00:22:48 – Mind
00:28:18 – Big Business
00:31:49 – I Zimbra
00:34:32 – Slippery People
00:38:57 – Psycho Killer
00:44:10 – My Big Hands
00:51:19 – Swamp
00:56:24 – What a Day That Was
00:59:58 – Crosseyed and Painless