David Byrne is currently on tour and my wife took me to the show as a bit of a backup plan (her usual concert-going friends fell through). I think concerts are okay, but I usually get bored after awhile, which is why I serve as a backup guest. I’m much more of a visual person, I suppose.
I was unprepared for how wonderful the show was. I was quite literally tearing up during the very first song from the beauty of the visuals that accompanied the musical performance, and it maintained almost that level for the entire show.
The Byrne 'solo album' number Big Business [1] has long been my favourite track (actually outtake) from Stop Making Sense. Byrne's eclectic collaborations and willingness to learn from others (eg Fela Kuti) have always amazed me.
The story Stephen Tobolowsky tells (and Byrne confirms) about how Tobolowsky inspired the song Radio Head, which gave the eponymous band their name, is so good and complex that a comment cannot do it justice. Google it and sink in if this is your thing.
For the anecdote, David Byrne’s “Like Humans Do” was included by default in Windows XP’s Media Player. I kinda like that song, but many people I knew hated it or were quite indifferent.
The 10-year-old me is still trying to understand why altering the lyrics of his song, in the metadata of a WMA file, does not change what's heard on the record...
Byrne has to be a landmark in the personal history of many of us with computers.
You may ask yourself, "What is that beautiful song?"
You may ask yourself, "What's next in the playlist?"
And you may ask yourself, "Am I right, am I wrong?"
And you may say to yourself, "My God, what have I done?"
I'm new to Mr. Byrne and am looking forward to exploring this, but I do wish there was a stream I could put into my AntennaPod. I notice the term radio is shifting towards separate podcasts nowadays.
David Byrne is currently on tour and my wife took me to the show as a bit of a backup plan (her usual concert-going friends fell through). I think concerts are okay, but I usually get bored after awhile, which is why I serve as a backup guest. I’m much more of a visual person, I suppose.
I was unprepared for how wonderful the show was. I was quite literally tearing up during the very first song from the beauty of the visuals that accompanied the musical performance, and it maintained almost that level for the entire show.
He’s really a generational talent.
I haven't seen the new show, but here's a recording from the show he toured with in 2018 for those interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axjQuK_fuc4
I think if you're interested in that video, the American Utopia concert movie is the better watch.
He also has a record label, Luaka Bop, that is a great source of discovery for anyone with diverse and eclectic music tastes.
https://www.luakabop.com/
The Byrne 'solo album' number Big Business [1] has long been my favourite track (actually outtake) from Stop Making Sense. Byrne's eclectic collaborations and willingness to learn from others (eg Fela Kuti) have always amazed me.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYFqdrOMqk4
The story Stephen Tobolowsky tells (and Byrne confirms) about how Tobolowsky inspired the song Radio Head, which gave the eponymous band their name, is so good and complex that a comment cannot do it justice. Google it and sink in if this is your thing.
https://www.stereogum.com/1804981/radioheads-name-was-inspir...
Thanks for this. My most frequented playlist is "feat David Byrne", which has exposed me to some great artists.
I love that David Byrne keeps his passion eternally flamed and remains so relevant. Truly a cross-genre genius.
For the anecdote, David Byrne’s “Like Humans Do” was included by default in Windows XP’s Media Player. I kinda like that song, but many people I knew hated it or were quite indifferent.
Tangentially related.
Imagine a David Byrne travel show where he is dropped off with no prior knowledge of the destination. Call it "How Did I Get Here?"
The 10-year-old me is still trying to understand why altering the lyrics of his song, in the metadata of a WMA file, does not change what's heard on the record... Byrne has to be a landmark in the personal history of many of us with computers.
I'm new to Mr. Byrne and am looking forward to exploring this, but I do wish there was a stream I could put into my AntennaPod. I notice the term radio is shifting towards separate podcasts nowadays.
This is curated playlists, not a podcast. I was confused by the name at first as well.
There are still like... artists who created all the stuff he is curating. Spotify/Itunes at least gives them a little something for their music.
Wow, love this – and how Byrne keeps creating interesting projects in the digital age. How did I not know about this before.
Very cool, I wish the blogs on his site supported RSS like his Reasons to be Cheerful blog.
I can't see any info about the current song in the popup player. Am I doing something wrong.
For those who haven't he has two pretty interesting books, Bicycle Diaries and How Music Works
How did I get here ?
Meh ... David Byrne outside of The Talking Heads just isn't that great.