Master of Irony and All Things Modern

Since I'm just starting my blog, I'm reaching back a little for some subject matter. David Byrne is the iconic singer and creative mind of the Talking Heads. Interestingly, thought Talking Heads were one of the most innovative and forward thinking bands of all time, the creative contraints endemic to all bands were ultimately too tight of a noose for Byrne and he broke free in the mid 1980's. Though he has rarely released music since then that is like the music of Talking Heads, he likewise has released music since then that is like, well, nothing else. He had a foray into the music of Brazil and South America and produced a number of records exposing little known indigenous music from that part of the world. For example, he produced a record of Afro-Peruvian music that was generated by musicians from the very distinct black minority of Peru. In the midst of years of revealing the best in world music, Byrne had time to put out some great records of his own. My favorite was simply titled David Byrne and featured some songs typical of his ironic jabs at modern consumerist society. I got to see him on that tour in 1993 in Charleston, SC at a club called the Music Farm. Byrne gave a show of immense musical quality and then rode off on his bicycle into the muggy Charleston night. Prior to that I had seen him perform on the legendary 1983 Talking Heads tour that was immortalized by the seminal Jonathan Demme film, Stop Making Sense. For 2008-09, Byrne has returned to his Talking Heads roots putting out a record with Brian Eno his early collaborator for a hand full of the most influential Heads' albums such as "Remain in Light." The new record is Everything that Happens will Happen Today and is full of the suburban irony expressed in films such as American Beauty. The tour, with a stop in Charlotte in December, likewise was spiced with this irony, featuring a band and dancers all clad in white. The dancers, not there to express any hip hop sexuality, simply offered modern interpretative swirls to help enhance the canvas that was created by the music. One song featured Byrne and the dancers rolling aimlessly across the stage on office chairs, strumming guitars and staring blankly into space. The sound quality was flawless as was the performance, enhanced by Byrne's normally awkward stage banter. The tour is in Europe now and you can follow Byrne on his blog which is linked to this blog. For a vid of "Once in a Lifetime" from the show, check out my youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J343ah2TFzA&feature=channel_page