I had the great pleasure to meet David Byrne in person at an art gallery in Chicago where he was showing his photography. Surprisingly there was almost NO ONE there. I got to talk one one one with him for over an hour, and he was the kindest, sweetest, most humble and friendly guy ever. Not even the tiniest smidge of pop star/celebrity ego on him. I will always remember this encounter with great fondness, and think of David as the epitome of what a pop star should be. David, if you happen to read this, thank you.
Thank you, Art, for confirming my hunch. I've always considered him a creative genius and, after hearing him in an interview, I decided that he would be the kind of person that I would want to know personally. He's all about the music and the art and where that takes him. I could be friends with a person like that, for real. NOT a person who is all about being famous. Also the fact that we're both on the autism spectrum and love art and music. I honestly don't understand the whole fascination people have with fame. Maybe that's an autism thing. Anyway, it's very cool that you got to have such a nice conversation with him. I imagine you seized the opportunity to express your gratitude regarding his work, as I know I would have. Thanks again for sharing!
@@Sarah-ht7cs actually, we didn't discuss his music at all! I mean, I figured since this was an art gallery and he was showing his photography, it would be rude and disrespectful of his art to ignore it. Plus I didn't want to go all fanboy on him. So we just talked about his photography ( and he asked about MINE so we talked about that too!) and art in general. Only at the very end of our convos did I say something like " Thank you for all the fantastic music" or some such. So I got to talk to him very person to person, or rather artist to artist, as opposed to fan to rockstar.
Expressing gratitude for someone's work is not the same thing at all as "going all fan boy", as you put it. At any rate, I'm happy that you got to speak with such a fascinating man on a mutual topic of interest. I hope that will be an inspiration to you for years to come.
I had a similar experience with David. After a show in Amsterdam the crowd left and only a few people were having a beer at the bar. I stood there and suddenly someone was standing next to me and introduced himself to me... As if I wouldn't have known him. :)
@@StageaS125x4 No it was actually that crazy. They just didn't show the crowd until the last song. Well atleast the set I went too in 1983ish I want to say. Or 1982 don't remember the year. But the crowd was crazy.
@Konga 5000 Oh well, it was a hit and that was nice for Tina and Chris. They had to do something while Byrne was off doing his own thing with Eno for an extended time. I give them credit for not sitting on their hands waiting for Byrne to come back and be a Talking Head. But the Talking Heads was the pinnacle for all of them including Byrne. It's sort of a shame he more or less just quit while the others wanted to go on, although it was sometime before he said it was over. Every member of that band was quite relevant and necessary to their success, not just Byrne although he was the front man and he was the main key for their success. I totally acknowledge that without his voice, persona, hard work and songs there was no successful Talking Heads. But most bands come to an end for one reason or another. Sometimes they just get tired of each other, develop other creative interests and have to move on for their own sanity . Someone had to make the first move and it was Byrne who did. Chris and Tina have a nice life apart from the band, but I know they miss it a lot. We still have their music and memories. Best wishes to all of the TH.
I saw them live in the early 80’s. They were absolutely electrifying. The entire audience was on their feet dancing until the last encore!! Hands down the best concert of the many I’ve been to
Apollo C. Vermouth yes it was i just wish they cast a little bit wider net about their influences but again this was very very well done in fact amazing
+ Advanced Raymondology Good point, but it's not pretending to be in-depth. Why not source a bunch of stock footage and make a documentary on Jerry Harrison's creative contribution?
Apollo C. Vermouth Why don't I? Or you mean in general? I hope it's the latter, or that's pretty silly. Any criticism of anything, yeah, well you go do it better then. Haha. I'm not a documentary filmmaker, man. And anyway, it's a four member band. I don't think giving Jerry's arrival more than two seconds is asking much. But otherwise, I enjoyed it a lot. Did you have something to do with the production? You seemed to take my comment pretty personally.
Uh, OK.. no need to take it as a challenge. I'm just saying these people slapped together available footage to make a highly entertaining doc, and anyone who thinks there's something missing could do the same.
Record Exec: "Calling them 'Punk' was bad for sales, so I made up the term 'New Wave' to sell more records." Oblivious fan lady: "The Talking Heads are the true meaning of New Wave! They represent the ideals of it!" It's astounding how well marketing works, isn't it?
I used to hate ramen noodles until I played Yakuza and how they are one of my favorite foods providing I get the right brand. I have noticed that I am very susceptible to marketing lol
I respectfully disagree...While Punk and New Wave come on the scene at the same time, Punk was more primal and basic where as New Wave was more sophisticated and dare I say Avant Garde? Just my thoughts …I mean compare early Ramones with Taking Heads and I think you will agree there are animals of a different color! Of course both styles and bands came from CBGB's
@@jackallen6261 agreed, talking heads was never actually 'punk.' they were more like post punk which is more like new wave. folks like to get cynical over marketing labels, but they are often helpful to the uninitiated.
Ha. I thought so too. I just need him to be geeky and smart. I wouldn't enjoy seeing him on a Harley, or with a bunch of tatoo's either. I'm shallow minded
I do agree that Stop Making Sense is probably the best live show ever filmed. And this band stand proud as important movers and shakers in future musical movements. David Byrne is a visionary, and Tina Weymouth is the Goddess of Bass. The band as a whole were of course just a great unit and any one of the members not being there would have destroyed the sum of all the parts routine. Well done with this instructive and concise documentary, Top Job Squire xxx
"Stop Making Sense is probably the best live show ever filmed" -- sorry, that is an exaggeration. Want one example of something better? How about Woodstock?
@@kvernon1 Woodstock is more of a music festival with a wide variety of artists, like Band Aid. Stop making sense is the best live show when it comes to one band or artist.
Goddess of Bass ? ... I love Tina M8, but let's not exaggerate, she started playing the bass in her early 20's, now if you say Carol Kaye,or Esperanza Spalding along with Meshell Ndegeocello, and of course Gail Ann Dorsey ! I can say right on , Tina is in the top 20. (PS) I have been playing Bass for 29 yrs :)
For those who weren't around then, you just have to trust me when I say that the videos for Little Creature (e.g. "Road to Nowhere") were vastly more impressive than how they appear in this documentary. The visual styling had a major impact on music videos, and they were technological tours de force.
Psycho killer was something different. It touched the heart of the human experience. When it was recorded I think they had no idea. Take me to the river even more so. Very talented musicians.
I mixed music at CBGB's during the week (Small PA) there were at most about 15 to 30 people, 99% of the other bands were horrible (The Cramps, Steve Bators etc) the first time I heard the heads I was blown away this was something totally original at that time, They were light years ahead of the other mindless punk bands, although a bit rough technically their originality just stood out I was so lucky to be there before they got a record career, David I told you you were something special.
Speaking in Tongues has been my favorite road trip album since it came out. I can drive for hours with it on continuous loop. My family on the other hand.... not so much! Been looping it since it came out!
Spud, I am so happy you like that album. I love that record too (I had it on vinyl LOL!) I saw the Speaking in Tongues show live. I've seen a zillion bands over the years; and loved lots of them. But that show....it is still the best show I ever went to. They played so long. They sounded so tight. We danced so hard.
So Speaking in Tongues wasn't your favorite road trip album before it came out, then? Pfft. Where's your loyalty? How could you do this? Have you no shame, etc?
Once they got rolling, Talking Heads were the perfect MTV era band. They got really big with the advent of the music video. I think that aspect of the band - incredibly visual - worked well in concert but took away from the greatness and rhythmic sophistication of their music. Watching early music videos made your head explode and took minds off of the music. Talking Heads’ influence is still seen and heard today, though I doubt there’s any act that can compete with them, musically. Took me a while to get into what they were really after but they converted me in about 1981, when I saw them in concert for the first time. Holy shit, how great were they?
I briefly met David Byrne standing in the ticket line with my sister at Lincoln Center to see The Celluloid Closet. I whispered to sis, "I think that's David Byrne behind us!" Sis: "Well then don't bother him!" Me: "Are you David Byrne?" David Byrne: "Well, what if I am?" Sis: "Don't bother the man!" Me: "I just wanted to say 'thanks' for all the great music we've been dancing to over the years!" David Byrne: looks down and away.
Ps: Playing-wise most of their songs are not exactly very complicated. But it is one of the last pop bands who brought really great new stuff to music and expanded my horizon. That's an achievement.
Hi everyone, I'm farthouse, the guy who made this video. I can't remember my password, so using my friend's account. Just wanted to answer some questions and comments that keep popping up. 1. The end credits song is the Stop making sense version of 'crosseyed and painless' it's on the movie, and the special edition of the album. 2. I'm getting a lot of angry Scots saying that David is Scottish, which is odd because I never mentioned where any of the band members were born. 'From' does not mean 'born in'. The original band formed in Rhode Island, therefore the band (the artistics) is from Rhode Island (Although they were in New York when they became Talking Heads). Sigh... 3. Yes the sound at 5:56 is the windows start up sound which was created by Brian Eno. I threw it in as a little 'easter egg' as the kids say. 4. 'I Zimbra'. So I featured 2 clips back to back from the documentary 'Talking Heads vs Television'. One is of Chris saying that 'I Zimbra' was influenced by Nigerian pop music, then I showed a clip song 'I Zimbra', which happened to show footage of traditional African dancing. I understand that the way I edited it may be confusing, but yes, I know that the footage has nothing to do with Nigerian pop music. If you watched a few minutes later, you would see that I featured a section of Fela Kuti and his influence on 'Remain in Light. And as for the people saying the African dancing is racist... I just don't know what to tell you. You're welcome to message me and explain why.
53 in the fall and still discovering this amazing band. I started in the middle with Little Creatures and am working backward and forward. My band has performed "Heaven" at a coffeehouse show and I loved the head-scratching reaction. Thanks, David!
One of the few bands that can cause me to laugh out loud. So much energy and always look like they are having a great time. Coolest band ever? I think maybe so.
They ruled the room and had a great run. Seeing them perform outside at UCLA for free before they got huge was amazing. When a band has a visionary who becomes central to its mystique and morphs its sounds and performances by his imagination and will, it is only a matter of time until the inevitable occurs. We're not just talking about another "New Wave" outfit here.
When I was a kid, I thought "Once in a lifetime" was the worst song and worst video of all time. I came to realize that it is one of the greatest songs, and absolutely the greatest video of all time.
Didn't realize how much of their music I knew. Didn't know how much I didn't know. Dang, they're still brilliant. Did not know the Tom-Tom Club was from two of the members. This could explain why I like them too. So I learned a lot. Fan since 80's college. Their stuff is still just as fresh now as it was back then. We need more Talking Heads!
Just this morning, I turned a 20-year-old college student in Tunisia on to TH. He's going bonzo! He's loving their multi-cultural influences. Sometimes, it's fun being 62. You get to do things like prove to young'uns that 80s music wasn't all tacky-assted disco.
Discovering Talking Heads album cuts was such an amazing experience. One of the most rewarding reintroductions to a band ever. I only them as a top 40 band and in my naive way thought they were just a commercial band. When I began exploring their music, I was blown away by how brilliant their non-singles work is. That evolution from 77 to Remain in Light is such an amazing progression. Remain in Light still sounds ahead of its time and sounds just as fresh today. One of the most perfect albums ever made. Speaking in Tongues took Remain in Light and made it more radio friendly. After that, they kind of lost their edge, but those first 5 records are amazing.
Little known fact, Genius of Love by Tom-Tom Club was written primarily by Adrian Belew(who played on the Remain in Light record and tour), during some jam sessions he did with Chris and Tina in Nassau, Bahamas. Many years later and I believe after a court case or two, he was given writing credit.
Talking heads second album 'more- -songs about buildings and food' was produced by andy warhol.Britain -'s brian eno worked and produced -not only the heads but also david bo -wie.They were one of the more col -orful rock'n'roll bands of the 80's.
As an 80s kid Talking Heads has been in my life since I discovered my passion for music, the music is pretty timeless yet always brings me back to my youth
I have always loved this band and admired their courage to do what they wanted musically .E very release produced a hit but the real gems were found deeper into the album. David's clever lyrics kept things fresh, never boring
and I love from "stop making sense" in the interview about the big suit... "because music is very physical and often the body understands it before the head"
The stop making sense tour is absolutely awesome! Rumor is....... they spent all the money they made from previous shows to pay for the dump truck full of coke they use before they did the show..... lol......they must of ran 10 miles during that awesome performance...... wow!
The talking heads had the most funkiest rythem section in music. There were rythem and blues act's that were not as funky as the talking heads. Incredible. I miss them but they have left us a incredible library of music to listen to. My favorite album is naked.
A very special band. By coincidence, in the summer of 2018 I happened to go to a performance of a play called "The Secret Life of Humans", by David Byrne, in New York City. The title and the theme seemed so Byrne-ian that I thought that this enormously talented guy must have created a stage play too - it would have been no great surprise, really. But the playbill made no reference to Byrne's musical career. It was a marvelous, wonderful play. Only later was I able to confirm that this David Byrne is a totally different person - but also a great talent. I also didn't realize that the play was loosely based on George "Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London", which I read too long ago to have picked up the resemblance.
The Catherine Wheel by David Byrne is an absolute favourite of mine. I couldn't have gotten through the 80's without them all. Also got to see Stop Making Sense in an art theater last year. I'm ready to back again.
I got to see these guys in 85 or 86 when I lived in Santa Barbara CA. and worked for the County Bowl, they put on a great show. The energy that David had when he would perform was just amazing, running around the stage, quivering and shaking you didn't take your eyes off him...Super entertaining. P.S. That was the best job you could ever ask for, so many great shows. Major thanks to my buddy Bob who got me the job.
My brother gave me Remain in Light in 1984 for my 18th birthday. My life hasn't been the same since, it was my break from normality, it set a new course for me.
Clearly, one of my favorite concerts I have ever been to was seeing the Talking Heads on their "Stop Making Sense" tour. Just energetic and fun. Especially when David Byrne came out in his huge suit
I never thought of the Talking Heads as a New Wave band. They were always very much THE indie band to me. And I listen very regularly to my Talking Heads vinyls ;o)
Make no mistake... while the early lean “jittery” Talking Heads would prove to be somewhat difficult to scale up to large venue formats, in a club setting it was absolutely riveting! You’d leave those shoes thinking..WOW!!!
They are some of the best coming out of the 70`s. I was growing up to the sound of this great band, and i’m feeling very happy that my 16 year old daughter just found out how cool they (still) are…
It's amazing to see just how much time and work it takes for bands, not just TH to create those landmark money songs, and nobody will ever make the unique ear catching sounds like TH's, music that instantly marks a time in your life for so many people, i love these songs, nothing like it ;)
Superb work! DB is one of a kind. In my mind the best ever. I am glad you left out Tina on the stage @ Rock-n-Roll HOF that footage makes my skin crawl.
One of my favourite bands of all time, always evolving and interesting. From the first album to Remain in Light they just got better and better. Remain in Light especially, and the other Eno albums are still the best for me...timeless.
Talking Heads 77 got me through my teens. It was audio love at first sight. Loved them as the years passed. Crosseyed and Painless is STILL my favorite.
Grew up on the band and always thought they were great. Been listening again and my mind is blown how way ahead of their time they were. So many proto future music moments where we are hearing extended sections of tropes from genres that we wouldn’t hear until decades later. And the ability to smoothly fuse genres without sounding like gimmicky posers on display is at peak genius level.
Always have absolutely adored these incredibly talented individuals. They were the soundtrack to my early existence, and I'm a better person because of it !! 🗿
Holy shit dude. I'm 53 so I was too young to catch the early TH. But I knew every song they ever played. This is phenomenal. I want to see all of these full clips and shows. Jesus Christ on a Bicycle.
16 year old here, can't totally get the influence of Talking Head's music since I'm nowhere near that era but I appreciate the band cause their genre-fusing work sounds so dope
Same age.. same issue. Just starting highschool in 79 and Post Punk and New Wave was a thing by the 80s. but most new wave to me was just cringy Synth-Pop Disco
Truly awesome band and always will be even though they are no more.there music is still played widely today. Luv them more than ever, only wish I'd seen them live.
I remember seeing them interviewed inside the radio station at the top of the Prudential Center or Hancock Building in Boston back in the 70s. REAL early on. I could see them through the one way glass. I was like 10 years old and I thought..."what the heck kind of name is that for a band?" lol
That first picture of David.. wow he looked cute. Never thought of Byrne as a sexy dude, but he definitely had that hot nerd thing going on in the 70s..Really, I adore all the early photos and footage, here. I’ve been a massive fan of Talking Heads for half of my life, and there’s a ton of imagery and clips here that I’ve never seen. 🙏🏼