Jonathan Demme films a pretty small and intimate concert by Robyn Hitchcock in an abandoned storefront in NYC. The concert starts with the window behind Hitchcock and people passing and stopping to look (I'd love to know if they could hear him), but this gimmick kind of fades out as the show goes on. That's kind of welcome since it was not a terribly successful gimmick.
What is successful is capturing Hitchcock at his best in an intimate setting. He's joined occasionally by other musicians, and some props come on and off the stage, but it's really just Hitchcock singing songs and giving absurd between song banter. It's beautifully shot with elegant simplicity and highlights the man and his songs.
"Stop Making Sense" is the Demme concert film everyone knows and with good reason. That's a film that can be easily enjoyed by people who are largely indifferent to Talking Heads. This isn't really like that. Certainly people disposed to like amusing, quirky indie pop would enjoy this, but this film is more for folks who already like Hitchcock. It's an interesting showcase because it's not his Soft Boys/Egyptians Syd Barrett-inspired rock on display, but his 90's softer acoustic material that leans more heavily into a Roy Harper/Incredible String Band vibe.
