ABSTRACT
"Rockumentaries", as rock documentaries have been called, constitute the only accurate portrayal of artists "doing their own thing" prior to the advent of music television in 1981. Before music television, the motion picture provided a realistic image of rock fans attending a concert. Surprisingly, no one in Hollywood stumbled onto the idea of filming a rock concert during the 1950s. Technologically, remotes were difficult but possible. Stop Making Sense, a phrase from "Girlfriend is Better", begins with a shot of David Byrne's white sneakers moving toward a microphone. A boombox accompanies the Talking Head vocalist through "Psycho Killer". The whole Rattle and Hum project included the concert film, a double album, and an illustrated, souvenir book. The movie was released with a major push from Paramount and lavish premieres in Madrid, Dublin, London, New York, and Los Angeles. Hollywood had neglected the growing black audience in the 1950s and early 1960s.
