Why the Talking Heads are still making more sense than ever 50 years later

Fifty years agone this month, 3 clean-cut art-school students who called themselves Talking Heads played an audition nighttime astatine nan Bowery nine CBGB. Different from nan different recently minted punk bands putting nan New York City hole-in-the-wall connected nan map, frontman David Byrne, bassist Tina Weymouth, and drummer Chris Frantz looked and sounded for illustration nary 1 else. 

The skittish, hollow-eyed vocalist accompanied his strange, keening vocals and obtuse lyrics pinch hyper-rhythmic guitarwork, while nan petite blond bassist (a uncommon mid-’70s axe-wielding female) and robust mop-top drummer held down nan propulsive groove.

Their catchy “Psycho Killer” — pinch its sing-along chorus — instantly caught nan attraction of nine proprietor Hilly Kristal, who booked them for a bid of dates, including opening for nan Ramones.

Later adding keyboardist/guitarist (and Harvard grad) Jerry Harrison, nan set would go “the astir original, musically ambitious, and rigorously imaginative stone group of their time,” writes Jonathan Gould successful his riveting caller biography, “Burning Down nan House: Talking Heads and nan New York Scene That Transformed Rock” (out June 16).

The book deftly interrelates New York City’s cultural, social, and economical history (from its bankruptcy and nan downtown creation segment to Son of Sam and nan ’80s boom) arsenic nan set evolves into an expanded group of some African-American and achromatic musicians, ambitiously exploring ever-more innovative sounds.

A erstwhile master drummer and nan writer of well-received biographies of nan Beatles and Otis Redding, Gould says that “having grown up successful New York, a large portion of my attraction to nan taxable progressive nan chance to constitute astir nan alteration successful nan city’s societal life and surface science complete nan past 50 years.”

He focused connected Talking Heads, he relates, because “having written books astir nan archetype of a stone group and nan archetype of a psyche vocalist that together comprised an extended exploration of nan centrality of title successful Anglo-American celebrated music, I wanted to show nan communicative of a second-generation stone group’s engagement pinch Black euphony — arsenic dramatized by David Byrne.”

Gould calls nan Scottish-born, suburban Maryland-raised Byrne “one of nan ‘whitest’ men ever to beforehand a stone group, but who transformed himself complete nan people of his profession into a singer, musician, and performer embodying galore of nan astir kinetic qualities of Black euphony while still maintaining an unequivocally ‘white’ identity.”

From reinterpreting Al Green’s “Take Me to nan River” to diving into nan euphony of Africa and Latin America, Talking Heads released 8 workplace albums betwixt 1977 and 1988. 

The group reunited erstwhile successful 2002 to execute astatine their induction into nan Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. More recently, nan set reconvened for a nationalist chat astatine nan Toronto Film Fest and pinch Stephen Colbert to observe nan re-release of “Stop Making Sense,” their seminal 1984 performance doc.

In “Burning Down nan House,” Gould explores really Byrne’s Asperger’s syndrome affected his relationships, arsenic good arsenic really it “exerted a beardown power connected his imaginative sensibility, opening pinch his inclination to attack astir aspects of music-making without nan benignant of preconceptions that astir of america judge arsenic a measurement of trying to show different group that we cognize what we’re doing.” 

Gould adds, “David’s Asperger’s besides contributed to his singular powers of attraction and observation, successful portion because group connected nan spectrum study to salary very adjacent attraction to things arsenic a measurement of navigating an unfamiliar and sometimes incomprehensible world. At nan aforesaid time, I deliberation it’s important to put this successful context. David’s Asperger’s was 1 of galore influences connected an creator who sought retired and absorbed influences for illustration a sponge. It was not nan be-all-and-end-all of his characteristic aliases of his imaginative sensibility.” 

In a gripping narrative, Gould traces Talking Heads’ travel from their hometowns to their creation schools, Chrystie Street loft, and eventual world stardom. He sharply analyzes their activity and includes rich | portraits of individuals, creation movements, and euphony scenes successful their orbit. While Gould interviewed nan band’s longtime friends and colleagues, each 4 declined to speak pinch him.

“Though I was initially disappointed that they chose not to cooperate pinch my research,” he says, “I’ve travel to respect it arsenic a blessing successful disguise. I person nan emotion that not speaking pinch them insulated maine capable from their conflicting individual narratives to alteration maine to summation position connected nan statement and philharmonic improvement of nan band.”

Gould vanished nan task moreover much of a instrumentality of their euphony than erstwhile he began his book immoderate 5 years ago.

“Initially, I was drawn astir powerfully to nan trio of albums — Fear of Music, Remain successful Light, and Speaking successful Tongues — that had nan top ambition and intensity,” he relates. “As a drummer, I person a awesome appreciation of Chris’s playing, opening pinch his steadiness and solidity. And I see David to beryllium a brilliant — a connection I don’t usage lightly — connected relationship of nan utterly unique quality of his singing, guitar playing, and songwriting. Simply put, I can’t deliberation of anyone other successful celebrated euphony who sounds for illustration him aliases writes for illustration him.”