David Byrne (b. 1952)

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Original Speech

"TED 2010 Interview on Music and Architecture" — February 2010

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Biography

David Byrne is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the new wave band Talking Heads.

Timeline

The story of David Byrne, told in moments.

1975 Event

Co-founded Talking Heads in New York City with Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. They played their first gig at CBGB, opening for the Ramones.

What was it like opening for the Ramones at CBGB? Did Talking Heads feel inevitable or accidental?

1980 Event

Released Remain in Light with Talking Heads, produced with Brian Eno. "Once in a Lifetime" became the band's signature song. The record fused funk, electronic, and African polyrhythms with anxious suburban lyrics.

How did you and Brian Eno find common ground? What does 'Once in a Lifetime' mean to you now?

1984 Event

Directed and starred in Stop Making Sense, widely considered the greatest concert film ever made. The show opened with Byrne alone on stage with a boombox.

Why start Stop Making Sense alone on stage with a boombox? Is that film a concert or a performance piece?

2018 Event

Launched American Utopia as an album and a Broadway show. Spike Lee filmed the show for HBO. Byrne performed barefoot with an untethered band.

Why perform barefoot? What keeps you reinventing yourself?

In Their Own Words (6)

Interviewer: If I gave you fifty dollars, right now, what would you do with it?David Byrne: I would get something to eat.

In the self-interview on Stop Making Sense

The better the singer's voice is, the harder it is to believe what they're saying. So I turn my weaknesses into an advantage.

In the self-interview on Stop Making Sense

It's like 60 Minutes on acid.

In the self-interview on Stop Making Sense

I really enjoy forgetting. When I first come to a place, I notice all the little details. I notice the way the sky looks. The color of white paper. The way people walk. Doorknobs. Everything. Then I get used to the place and I don't notice those things anymore. So only by forgetting can I see the place again as it really is.

From his film True Stories

I have something to say about the difference between American and European cities, but I forgot what it was. I have it written down at home somewhere.

From his film True Stories

Artifacts (15)

Irish Harper

Adamson, Robert

1st April 1845

vam View

Irish Harper

Hill, David Octavius

1843-1848

vam View

The Harper of Holyrood

Hill, David Octavius

1843-1848

vam View

Patrick Byrne, Irish Harpist

Hill, David Octavius

ca. 1843-1847

vam View

Your Action World: Winners Are Losers with a New Attitude

In his latest book, writer, photographer, musician, and former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has created an extraordinary document and critique of the times we live in. Your Action World parodies...

1999

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The New Sins: Los Nuevos Pecados

As presented on his hugely successful speaking tour, David Byrne, sometime musician & photographer, has a message that will surprise some & stun others. He offers a source of faith for the feeble,...

2001

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Sensacional: Mexican Street Graphics

Walk down any street in Mexico, and you'll be greeted by images of soccer stars, mariachi singers, space ships, taxis, tortas, tequila, or any one of the colorful posters that shopkeepers,...

2002

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Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences: An Introduction

Chaos and complexity are the new buzz words in both science and contemporary society. The ideas they represent have enormous implications for the way we understand and engage with the world....

2002

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Interpreting Quantitative Data

How do quantitative methods help us to acquire knowledge of the real world? What are the `do's' and `don'ts' of effective quantitative research? This refreshing and accessible book provides students...

2002

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Social Exclusion

This book explores developments in social theory, social experience and social policy in relation to Social Exclusion. It examines the origins of the term and implications of the difference between...

2005

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Bicycle Diaries

"...an engaging book: part diary, part manifesto." The Guardian A round-the-world bicycle tour with one of the most original artists of our day. Urban bicycling has become more popular than ever as...

2010

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Found Poems

Two essays contextualising Bern Porter's work accompany his 1972 poetry collection.

2011

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Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences: The state of the art

For the past two decades, ‘complexity’ has informed a range of work across the social sciences. There are diverse schools of complexity thinking, and authors have used these ideas in a multiplicity of...

2013

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How Music Works

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • David Byrne’s incisive and enthusiastic look at the musical art form, from its very inceptions to the influences that shape it, whether acoustical, economic, social, or...

2017

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Ronald Reagan: An Intellectual Biography

In this ambitious work David T. Byrne analyzes the ideas that informed Ronald Reagan’s political philosophy and policies. Rather than appraising Reagan’s personal and emotional life, Byrne’s...

2018

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