I heard “Road To Nowhere” and it immediately resonated for me. When Little Creatures came out, I was ripe for a Talking Heads takeover. I just watched it again in the early stages of lock down… the Rock Chick had never seen it. By the end, there’s nine people on stage. The show starts with just David Byrne, dressed in his big suit, singing over a boom box and slowly builds as they add instruments for each song… they roll out the drummer, next track here comes the bass player. The film version, directed by the late, brilliant Jonathan Demme, was truly ground breaking. That album and the movie it came from were in my mind as iconic as their music videos. A friend of mine who I’ll call Rambert had that album and played it once when I was at his place. Their videos are iconic.Īll that said, I didn’t buy my first Talking Heads LP until the live album, Stop Making Sense came out. I dug the song but I remember a roommate of mine saying, “They had to use a videotape because the Talking Heads can’t draw a crowd.” There’s one in every group of friends… I will say the Talking Heads were made for MTV. MTV had taken over the world and when Speaking In Tongues came out the Heads were all over it with the video for “Burning Down the House.” In one scene Byrne stands in front of a video tape of a crowd. It wasn’t until college that the Talking Heads pierced my consciousness again. Perhaps that’s why lead singer/guitarist/songwriter David Byrne wrote a song like “Heaven” where he sang, “The band in Heaven, they play my favorite song, they play it once again, they play it all night long.” That sounds an awful lot like the place I grew up. It’s still astounding to me that music as important as the Talking Heads first two albums were all but ignored in my home town. “Take Me To The River” was from their second album, More Songs About Buildings and Food, which still sort of surprises me. Their debut, Talking Heads: 77 got no love from Kansas City radio. There was such a lack of Talking Heads on the radio, I was convinced “Take Me To the River” was from their debut album until I was in college. It made me realize that maybe the world was a little bigger than we’d all realized… there was something that cool out there, somewhere. Because of the evocative effect of music on my memory, I can still remember the first time I heard the Heads’ version of Al Green’s “Take Me To The River.” I was sitting on the edge of my bed, pulling my socks on… if I close my eyes I can see the old garish green shag carpeting and striped wall paper (my room was decorated in a manner that makes me suspect my mother was mad at me). Music would be playing in the background while I got dressed and feathered my hair (oh yes, it was glorious). I would leave it on while I drug myself zombie-like out of bed and into the shower. I woke up every morning to my clock radio which was tuned to the local station KY/102. I’m sure the radio moguls in town considered the Talking Heads music to be… well, “subversive.” That said, I’ve often stated that music evokes very powerful memories in me and vice versa. This is the heartland where Foghat, Styx and Journey ruled the day. She also received an Emmy Award nomination as an executive producer for the American Utopia film.Īdditionally, 17 new members have been elected to The Broadway League’s Board of Governors: Mike Bosner, Rashad Chambers, Jeff Chelesvig, Jeff Daniel, Jeffrey Finn, Kara Gebhart, Mara Isaacs, Laura Kendall, LaChanze, Stephen Lewin, Jeff Loeb, Sammy Lopez, John O’Brien, Alecia Parker, Matthew Rego, Seth Sklar-Heyn and Allan Williams.In junior high when I started listening to rock and roll music, the Talking Heads were not in high rotation. She has produced, with her producing partner Mike Isaacson, shows including The Wiz, Gutenberg! The Musical, Parade, Plaza Suite and American Utopia. In her role with Ambassador Theatre Group North America, Caskey oversees the producing department and regional programming for ATG’s North American venues. We are excited to have Kristin serve as chair and continue to guide the important initiatives and excellent work of our immediate past chair Lauren Reid.” “She is an active member of the League and has been involved throughout the industry’s post-pandemic reopening efforts. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “Kristin’s extensive experience as a theater owner, presenter, and five-time Tony Award-winning producer will certainly be an advantage when she takes on the role as Chair of the Board as she understands the intricacies involved with developing and producing shows,” said Charlotte St. She takes over the role from Lauren Reid, President of The John Gore Organization, who has completed her full three-year term. Kristin Caskey, Executive Vice President, Content and Creative at Ambassador Theatre Group, has been elected Chair of the Board of The Broadway League.
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