I wrote a lot of stuff this year! First, let’s talk about the big projects that I started in previous years but finished in 2022. The biggest one was my doctoral dissertation. Read the story of it here. Now I’m in the gradual process of adapting it into a more accessible format, probably a book …
Tag Archives: David Byrne
Psycho Killer
Read my entire Talking Heads series here. I connect more to Talking Heads’ Afrobeat and funk-inspired material than to their more “song-y” material, but, I mean, this is the archetypal Talking Heads tune, so I can’t not write about it. “Psycho Killer” is part of a particular family of Talking Heads songs that also includes …
Crosseyed And Painless
Since I’m stuck in my apartment with Covid for a while, looks like I have plenty of time to continue my Talking Heads series. Here’s one of their funkiest and most Afrobeat-sounding tracks. David Byrne always speak-sings to an extent, but this song has an actual rap verse (“Facts are simple and facts are straight…”) …
Making Flippy Floppy
Somebody suggested that I transcribe all the Talking Heads songs. I won’t do that, but I do seem to be in the process of analyzing all of my favorites. There are a bunch! Here’s one. I assume that the title is a sexual euphemism? If so, it’s a weird one. In addition to the four …
Burning Down The House
Here is the closest Talking Heads ever came to a legitimate pop hit, their only song to crack the Billboard Top Ten. It isn’t as conceptually or musically groundbreaking as “Once In A Lifetime“, but it contains depths of its own.
Once In A Lifetime
Here is what might possibly be my single favorite song in the world:
Slippery People
Here’s a song I like from Speaking in Tongues: Here’s a live version that I love, from Stop Making Sense, though the fast tempo is a bit anxiety-producing: And here’s my favorite version, which my kids are also completely obsessed with, from David Byrne’s American Utopia:
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Since my kids continue to be obsessed with David Byrne’s American Utopia, I have Talking Heads on the brain. Here’s one of their best songs ever, produced by the band members themselves. Here’s the delightful version from Stop Making Sense. As David Byrne says in his interview with himself, “I try to write about small …
Don’t Worry About The Government
My kids continue to be absolutely obsessed with David Byrne’s American Utopia. I am especially surprised by how attached they are to “Don’t Worry About The Government.” Here’s the original version, from the first Talking Heads album. Here’s a live performance from The Old Grey Whistle Test:
David Byrne’s American Utopia
I go way, way back with Talking Heads. The first band I was ever in did “And She Was” as an acoustic folk number. My wife, who is awesome, recently took me on a date to see American Utopia on Broadway. You can see the fantastic filmed version directed by Spike Lee on HBO. Like …