David Byrne doesn't want to get the world down. The Talking Heads frontman and noted solo artist has just launched a new online magazine called Reasons To Be Cheerful. The editorial promises to publish stories “detailing real changes with measurable impact that are meant to inspire and uplift,” with a solutions-oriented approach to the many problems facing our turbulent world. “We hope to balance out some of the amplified negativity and show that things might not be as bad as we think,” his statement continues.
RTBC will cover a wide range of subjects from health, culture, science and technology, to climate and energy, economics, and more, offering researched and reported stories as well as personal essays. As the former Talking Heads singer explains in the introductory video, he founded the website: “part magazine, part therapy session, part blueprint for a better world” – where he can share “smart, proven, replicable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.” Watch the trailer below:
Speaking of the new publication, Byrne says: “It often seems as if the world is going straight to Hell. I wake up in the morning, I look at the paper, and I say to myself, “Oh no!” Often I’m depressed for half the day. I imagine some of you feel the same.”
“Recently, I realized this isn’t helping. Nothing changes when you’re numb. So, as a kind of remedy, and possibly as a kind of therapy, I started collecting good news. Not schmaltzy, feel-good news, but stuff that reminded me, “Hey, there’s positive stuff going on! People are solving problems and it’s making a difference!”
“I began telling others about what I’d found. Their responses were encouraging, so I created a website called Reasons to be Cheerful and started writing. Later on, I realized I wanted to make the endeavour a bit more formal. So, we got a team together and began commissioning stories from other writers and redesigned the website. Today, we’re relaunching Reasons to be Cheerful as an ongoing editorial project.”
“We’re telling stories that reveal that there are, in fact, a surprising number of reasons to feel cheerful … that provide a more optimistic and, we believe, more accurate depiction of the world. We hope to balance out some of the amplified negativity and show that things might not be as bad as we think. Stop by whenever you need a reminder.”
Reasons to Be Cheerful launched Saturday, with Byrne contributing six stories so far, including “India’s Tiny, Amazing Art Hub” about the small city of Kochi and “Doing the Right Thing Is Good for Business.” Byrne’s longtime collaborator Brian Eno also penned an article titled “The Necessity of Nuclear,” a response to Byrne’s article about the concerns about nuclear energy.
Start your week on a positive note! Check out David Byrne’s Reasons To Be Cheerful (good) news website here.
Byrne first announced the project nearly two years ago, before the release of his 2018 solo album, American Utopia which also delivers a compelling case for optimism in even the darkest times. Listen to American Utopia on Spotify:
Listen to American Utopia on Apple Music:
