logo
Why the Talking Heads are still making more sense than ever 50 years later

Why the Talking Heads are still making more sense than ever 50 years later

New York Post07-06-2025
Fifty years ago this month, three clean-cut art-school students who called themselves Talking Heads played an audition night at the Bowery club CBGB. Different from the other newly minted punk bands putting the New York City hole-in-the-wall on the map, frontman David Byrne, bassist Tina Weymouth, and drummer Chris Frantz looked and sounded like no one else.
The skittish, hollow-eyed singer accompanied his strange, keening vocals and obtuse lyrics with hyper-rhythmic guitarwork, while the petite blond bassist (a rare mid-'70s axe-wielding female) and robust mop-top drummer held down the propulsive groove.
Their catchy 'Psycho Killer' — with its sing-along chorus — immediately caught the attention of club owner Hilly Kristal, who booked them for a series of dates, including opening for the Ramones.
7 Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, and Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, which this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding.
Getty Images for BAM
Later adding keyboardist/guitarist (and Harvard grad) Jerry Harrison, the band would become 'the most original, musically ambitious, and rigorously creative rock group of their time,' writes Jonathan Gould in his riveting new biography, 'Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock' (out June 16).
The book deftly interrelates New York City's cultural, social, and economic history (from its bankruptcy and the downtown art scene to Son of Sam and the '80s boom) as the band evolves into an expanded group of both African-American and white musicians, ambitiously exploring ever-more innovative sounds.
A former professional drummer and the author of well-received biographies of the Beatles and Otis Redding, Gould says that 'having grown up in New York, a big part of my attraction to the subject involved the chance to write about the change in the city's social life and geography over the past fifty years.'
He focused on Talking Heads, he relates, because 'having written books about the archetype of a rock group and the archetype of a soul singer that together comprised an extended exploration of the centrality of race in Anglo-American popular music, I wanted to tell the story of a second-generation rock group's engagement with Black music — as dramatized by David Byrne.'
7 Frontman David Byrne lives with Asperger's Syndrome, which has heavily influenced his musical delivery.
©Island Alive Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
7 Talking Heads: Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and David Byrne in an undated picture.
©Island Alive Pictures / Everett Collection
Gould calls the Scottish-born, suburban Maryland-raised Byrne 'one of the 'whitest' men ever to front a rock group, but who transformed himself over the course of his career into a singer, musician, and performer embodying many of the most kinetic qualities of Black music while still maintaining an unequivocally 'white' identity.'
From reinterpreting Al Green's 'Take Me to the River' to diving into the music of Africa and Latin America, Talking Heads released eight studio albums between 1977 and 1988.
The group reunited once in 2002 to perform at their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. More recently, the band reconvened for a public discussion at the Toronto Film Fest and with Stephen Colbert to celebrate the re-release of 'Stop Making Sense,' their seminal 1984 concert doc.
7 'Stop Making Sense,' the Talking Heads' seminal 1984 film, was rereleased last year for its 40th anniversary.
Courtesy Everett Collection
7 Byrne in a scene from 'Stop Making Sense.' He was crucial in helping to refine and define the band's embrace of African-American musical traditions.
©Cinecom Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
In 'Burning Down the House,' Gould explores how Byrne's Asperger's syndrome affected his relationships, as well as how it 'exerted a strong influence on his creative sensibility, beginning with his tendency to approach most aspects of music-making without the sort of preconceptions that most of us accept as a way of trying to show other people that we know what we're doing.'
Gould adds, 'David's Asperger's also contributed to his remarkable powers of concentration and observation, in part because people on the spectrum learn to pay very close attention to things as a way of navigating an unfamiliar and sometimes incomprehensible world. At the same time, I think it's important to put this in context. David's Asperger's was one of many influences on an artist who sought out and absorbed influences like a sponge. It was not the be-all-and-end-all of his personality or of his creative sensibility.'
7 'Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock' is written by Jonathan Gould.
7 Author Jonathan Gould finished the project even more of a fan of their music than when he began his book some five years ago.
Richard Edelman
In a gripping narrative, Gould traces Talking Heads' journey from their hometowns to their art schools, Chrystie Street loft, and eventual global stardom. He sharply analyzes their work and includes rich portraits of individuals, art movements, and music scenes in their orbit. While Gould interviewed the band's longtime friends and colleagues, all four declined to speak with him.
'Though I was initially disappointed that they chose not to cooperate with my research,' he says, 'I've come to regard it as a blessing in disguise. I have the feeling that not speaking with them insulated me enough from their conflicting personal narratives to enable me to gain perspective on the formation and musical evolution of the band.'
Gould finished the project even more of a fan of their music than when he began his book some five years ago.
'Initially, I was drawn most strongly to the trio of albums — Fear of Music, Remain in Light, and Speaking in Tongues — that had the greatest ambition and intensity,' he relates. 'As a drummer, I have a great appreciation of Chris's playing, beginning with his steadiness and solidity. And I consider David to be a genius — a word I don't use lightly — on account of the utterly distinctive nature of his singing, guitar playing, and songwriting. Simply put, I can't think of anyone else in popular music who sounds like him or writes like him.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,' Plus 6 Things to Watch on TV This Week
‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,' Plus 6 Things to Watch on TV This Week

New York Times

timean hour ago

  • New York Times

‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,' Plus 6 Things to Watch on TV This Week

Between streaming and cable, there is a seemingly endless variety of things to watch. Here is a selection of TV shows and specials that are airing or streaming this week, Aug. 18-24. Details and times are subject to change. Twisted tales. In 2007, Amanda Knox, an American college student who was studying abroad in Italy, was arrested for the murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student and her roommate at the time. Two years later she was convicted, then in 2011, Knox was acquitted after the appeal showed there was not enough DNA evidence to definitively match to her. In 2013, with Knox now back in the United States, Italy's highest court ordered a new trial, ultimately acquitting her in 2015. The 2016 Netflix documentary 'Amanda Knox' dove deep into the case, including interviews with the subject herself. Now a fictionalized version is coming to streaming: 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox' stars Grace Van Patten as Knox, who is also an executive producer. The eight-part limited series goes through the arrest, the contentious interrogation and the trial. Streaming Wednesday on Hulu. Imagine you are the prime minister of Britain and the president of France is coming for a state visit — but suddenly your husband gets kidnapped and the president starts getting blackmailed. What happens next? That's what we'll find out in the new fictional series 'Hostage.' In the show's not-historically-accurate but idealized world of diversity and gender equality, both the leaders are women, played by Suranne Jones and Julie Delpy. Streaming Thursday on Netflix. Based on the novel of the same name by Robert Thorogood, the second season of 'The Marlow Murder Club' comes to small screens this week. Samantha Bond stars as Judith Potts and Jo Martin, Cara Horgan and Natalie Dew round out the cast. The group of women work to investigate a brutal murder and follow clues to try to stop the killer. Sunday at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Exclusive: ‘Articles of Interest' Podcast to Tackle American ‘Gorpcore' Next
Exclusive: ‘Articles of Interest' Podcast to Tackle American ‘Gorpcore' Next

Business of Fashion

time2 hours ago

  • Business of Fashion

Exclusive: ‘Articles of Interest' Podcast to Tackle American ‘Gorpcore' Next

The fashion and culture podcast 'Articles of Interest' will return for a seventh season that explores the relationship between the US military, the high-tech performance wear industry and America's fascination with 'gorpcore.' Host Avery Trufelman will tease the seven-part series in Monday's episode of 'Articles of Interest,' about the history behind zippers. The season, titled 'Gear,' is the culmination of a two-year investigation and will premiere on Oct. 22. Trufelman's research took her to a military convention in Washington, DC, the corporate archives of REI in Seattle and the Outdoor Recreation Archive in Utah. '[The military is] embedded in every single aspect of American life, like the military is just all around us. Everyone contracts with the military. It's just part of the air we breathe. And so of course, it's in our clothing,' Trufelman told The Business of Fashion. Trufelman describes the story behind 'Gear' as a uniquely American tale, dating back to the US military's early adoption of functional, utility-based uniforms, which has since been implemented worldwide. The series will also investigate the military and outdoor gear industry's relationship with climate change and homelessness. 'These fates are really interwoven,' Trufelman said. 'Especially in the United States, we don't really have a social safety net. … The only sort of fallback that we have is actually, like, a tent and a good jacket.' The upcoming season will be the show's first multi-part series since 'American Ivy,' which premiered in 2022 and unpacked the historical and cultural significance of the prep aesthetic. 'Gear' was produced in partnership with independent podcast network Radiotopia and will be available on all major audio streaming platforms.

Mark Hamill gave wife option of two countries they could move to when Trump was re-elected
Mark Hamill gave wife option of two countries they could move to when Trump was re-elected

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Mark Hamill gave wife option of two countries they could move to when Trump was re-elected

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has revealed he planned to leave the United States when Donald Trump was re-elected as president in 2024. The 73-year-old, known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the iconic sci-fi franchise, gave his wife Marilou Tork – whom he married in 1978 – the choice between relocating to 'London or Ireland'. Hamill's wife, who worked as a dental hygienist and met Hamill while cleaning his teeth, ingeniously convinced her husband not to move countries by suggesting Trump was pushing them out of the US. 'She's very clever. She didn't respond right away but a week later she said, 'I'm surprised you would allow him to force you out of your own country,'' Hamill, a lifelong Democrat, told The Times. ''That son of a b****', I thought. I'm not leaving.' When asked about the political landscape in the United States, Hamill expressed exasperation over 'the bullying, the incompetence, the people in place' in the Trump administration. The actor added that the only way he could 'deal' with the his country's politics without becoming suicidal was to look at the situation 'like a thick, sprawling political novel' instead of reality. Despite his horror, Hamill added that he 'still believes' there are 'more honest, decent people' in the country than there are those in a Maga crowd. 'If I didn't, I'd move back to England,' he said. Elsewhere in the interview, Hamill revealed his dislike of US gun culture is such that he almost didn't accept his role in a forthcoming adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel The Long Walk. Hamill will play The Major, a man who runs an annual walking contest in a dystopian version of America that sees 100 young men walk continuously at a pace of four miles an hour – or they'll be shot to death. 'Francis Lawrence, the director, understood what was troubling me,' he said of his initial reluctance to take on the role. 'American society is gun violence and it's hard to get past that, but as I spoke to him I realised this is just the guy. He said he would have been surprised if I wasn't troubled by it.' The actor went on to compare the film to recent ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] arrests in the country, saying agents wearing masks, with no identification, had been 'pulling people out of their cars'. 'They were just brutalising people, kneeling on their necks,' he said. 'When I made the movie I wasn't thinking in terms of it being timely but it's proven to be just that.' Hamill led the three original Star Wars movies – Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) – as Luke Skywalker alongside Carrie Fisher as Princess Leira and Harrison Ford as Han Solo. He reprised the role in all three films of the sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), as well as in numerous TV spin offs, including The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian. Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store