David Byrne is a truly unique, once-in-a-lifetime artist. From his beginnings fronting Talking Heads – the art school new-wavers who somehow managed to effortlessly blend punk, funk, new wave, pop and gospel – to his recently touring American Utopia show, Byrne has consistently reinvented every genre he’s approached.
When Talking Heads were at the height of their powers, they created a now classic concert movie called Stop Making Sense. The film was directed by the Oscar-winning Jonathon Demme who was celebrated for his varied career; directing everything from the chilling, intellectual thriller The Silence of the Lambs to the brittle 2008 indie drama Rachel Getting Married. But it’s Stop Making Sense that saw the famed director earn his genius credentials.
Perhaps the films legendary legacy was inevitable when considering the possibilities of combining two ever restless creative minds such a Byrne and Demme. The frontman and filmmaker strived to create a new kind of concert movie where the intimacy and interplay between the musicians was emphasized, not just reproducing the show but giving viewers a sense of what it was like to be in the audience up-close. The film presents a band with inexhaustible energy and unfiltered, enthusiastic flair; showing that even early on Byrne was an innovative force determined to dismantle the clichés of rock ‘n roll.
To celebrate the 67th birthday of this master of invention, we found this video from 1984 where David Byrne interviews himself about Stop Making Sense in a series of almost unrecognisable guises. It’s a slice of pure comic genius, so far ahead of its time that somehow, through complete absurdity, makes so much sense.
Here’s to celebrating David Byrne's birthday and hoping he never stops filling our world with wonderfully weird, thought-provoking art and reminding us that there is always the possibility for something new, it’s simply a matter of perspective.
From his 1981 Brian Eno collaboration, My Life In the Bush of Ghosts, to the bossa nova collab, "Never So Big" with Fatboy Slim and Sia, David Byrne is consistently creating something new. Check out the melting pot of art-pop that makes up his catalogue with the This Is David Byrne playlist on Spotify:
Listen to the David Byrne Essentials on Apple Music:
