David Byrne On The Evolution & Breakup Of Talking Heads | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2023
- (Recording date: 5/11/23) David Byrne talks about the evolution of Talking Heads, shares the inspiration behind his iconic “Big Suit,” and reflects on the band’s 1991 breakup.
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A few years ago, I had a friend who was dying of cancer. He was a huge Talking Heads fan. His son was in NYC and just happened to bump into David Byrne. He told him about his dad, and David called him in the hospital. How cool is that?
that's amazing and totally something I'd assume he'd do. Very humble human being.. I'm sorry about your friend.
hmmm i dont know.. what, did he call the hospital? you cant really talk to patients unless you are family, or authorized to do so, preemptively.. so how did that happen?
@@never4getjanuary6th51wouldn’t his son have that kind of access?
@@never4getjanuary6th51Oh good grief...what, did you run out of kindergarten classes to spring the news that there really is no Santa Claus ?
No way x he's lovely x
Watching a sensitive-intelligent Conan interview a well-adjusted David Byrne is a tonic.
In a sea of podcasts where it seems like everyone has to be a complete sociopath to get attention, Conan brings back some sanity with interview gems.
Such a level headed comment for a Conan fan, bravo 🫡 shouts to Norm
Typical question from someone would have been "Jee why did you create the big suit". Instead a thoughtful question on developing a stage persona.
EXACTLY..
Too many ridiculous so called PODCASTERS, don't even know why or who da Hell coined it a Podcast.
Only the great #interviewers know how to get the job done. All the other 1 million useless podcasts are just that. Useless.
Thank heavean for the professionals... CONAN 😁👍🏻
I get an idea of what people (especially younger demographics < 30) are doing with their time when I clear my cookies and visit CZcams without being logged in.
It is this utter and complete stupid garbage on the homepage that has millions of views and I just shake my head.
I don't see young people outside much. I read that sales for bikes for kids in the U.S. have been trending down for years. At least spend time on something worthwhile, kids.
@@massapower why are you writing like a trump tweet
it's really interesting how the evolution of the "Stop Making Sense" film is kind of like the evolution of Talking Heads starting off with the bare minimum and as each song goes on, it gets more complex, so it kind of represents the band itself getting more complex visually as each show or tour goes on
it missed out the acrimonious episodes and breakups though. would've been a nice story for a real play
Great to see David open up like this. Some interviews he really seems to close off. In this interview, he seems really comfortable with Conan...great to see him open up.
I think that's the gift Conan has with more introverted or private people in that he gets them to loosen up and talk more than they usually would in interviews.
This was a delightful interview between two of my favorite people.
As he got older, he became more comfortable in interviews.
@@allendracabal0819Yeah, but also Conan is just an exceptionally great interviewer. He makes sure that everyone is comfortable before and after asking a question so people are naturally drawn to open up more than usual around him.
He's also great at making people laugh to defuse any awkward situation and always makes himself the butt of the joke.
Conan is a masterful interviewer. I don’t think David would have opened up like this to many others.
Conan is a masterful interviewer. I don’t think David would have opened up like this to many others.
I had a NY firefighter friend, who once responded to an alarm at the apartment of David Byrne. It was only after they finished with the call, that he frustratingly realized he missed the opportunity to ask, "David Byrne, are you burning down the house?" Has been kicking himself ever since in retelling this story.
That was a Once In A Lifetime opportunity
@@mistershirt Lol. Another appropriate reference
To be fair, David’s response would have been an awkward “heh, yeah, good one…”, so I don’t think your friend missed much.
@@LuschanIt's not about his response or David really, but making a witty statement.
Yes I recall the fireman had to check the basement based on a resident telling them that "there is water underground"
They were so talented. You will not find another band that sounds like them. Damn near every song is a hit.
Almost all of their songs were *not* hits.
The first 4 records are so good that you just hit play and walk away.
@@zelmoziggy Yep, thats true of every band. Or to be more accurate, the overwhelming majority of any band's songs are not hits. Probably The Beatles had the highest percentage of hits in their catalog, but i would still say no more than 35% of their songs are hits. Maybe "hit" is not the word @musicspider911 meant to use, or doesnt understand the word's meaning. Or maybe s/he meant "damn near every *single* is a hit", which is also not true. About half their singles were hits
@@robertbloom4424 IMHO Naked, the last, is an absolute Materpiece.
And influence. We wouldn't have LCD Soundsystem without Talking Heads
Saw him on the "American Utopia" tour. He did "Once in a Lifetime". If you'll remember, in the "Stop Making Sense" performance, there's an instrumental break where he just sort of vibrates across the stage, a move that, like many in that show, must have been physically demanding. When it got to that part in the "Utopia" performance, he just slowly dropped down on his knees, like he was exhausted, and two of his backing vocalists rushed to his side and slowly helped him regain his feet...I thought it was a hilarious comment on aging and live performance...
It's a James Brown move from several decades ago (the TAMI Show)
@@007ndc Yeah, I hadn't thought about the James Brown thing...
In an earlier segment of this interview Byrne said he was a big James Brown fan growing up, I assume that's where this move was borrowed from.
Yes, I saw the show and immediately thought "James Brown" at that point.
Brilliant, brilliant show. I have always been a huge Talking Heads fan, but never got to see them. This was a bucket list occasion for me.
I was lucky enough to see that tour. David Byrne expended more energy on stage than any other performer I had ever seen. The show was excellent and amazing.
So cool to be in the right place at the right time.
Cocaine is a hell of a drug lol
same - will never forget it!
If the talking heads were to get back together and announce a tour, it would easily be one of the biggest tours even today. Their music is timeless. I recently saw Jerry Harrison and Andrew Belew play with another band and it was amazing. They opened up for Les Claypool. Probably the closest thing I’ll get to seeing the real thing 😢
Is this the twin brother of Adrian Belew?
@@EddieDuesentrieb yes
😂 I loved seeing Belew on the Remain In Light tour. And that tour with Harrison and Belew is coming towards me soon. I think it is called The Remain In Light tour. That's the Heads album Adrian played on.
@@shawnuel czcams.com/video/m92CNXxG5xg/video.html A great band!
I've seen David 3 times, and each time the show was very different. He creates really creative shows every tour.
I don't think Conan can in any way make people uncomfortable or else it triggers himself, he'll get them to the edge but always keep them in his sphere of influence. It's an amazing skill and he doesn't even know it.
No one was more ahead of their times than Talking Heads. Insane creativity and musicianship. I didn't grew up with them but exploring their stuff is a relief. Stop Making Sense is for the ages and I can't believe it turns 40 this year. Watch it once in a lifetime (badum-tss)! Just do it! It's lifechanging.
I was extremely lucky as both of my parents were huge fans while I was growing up in the 80s. My parents always had great taste in music, through their whole lives.
Go see Sheila E on tour because Lynn Mabry from the Stop Making Sense band (and P-Funk) is her second lead vocalist and the show is awesome
They had so much more to do without repeating themselves. That's how open they'd made that road.
Conan, this is great! More musician interviews please! 😁
If anything deserves to get promoted it is the coming 40th year anniversary of 'Stop Making Sense'. I'm not even a particularly big Talking Heads fan, but that is a GREAT concert film.
I second that.
Third it.
Fourth it
I'd go even further and say it's the best concert film I've seen. Not only that, but I was lucky enough to see their Stop Making Sense tour, and I've been to no better concert, although Peter Gabriel and Springsteen might be in a 3-way tie with the Heads for best live rock show. (And, no, I never saw U2 live, alas.)
They're putting it back out in theaters. I believe thats the most they could do, short of a tour where they play it but thats the antithesis of what they'd do.
Fascinating. I could listen to these two talk to each other for hours about music, comedy and life.
It's not just one interview, it's two, with each asking the other questions. Two for the price of one. So interesting and enjoyable.
I'd like to see the other part. It reminds me of the time that David Byrne interviewed himself as different characters. If you haven't seen it, check it out.
Byrne-ing down the house.
Good interview.
That gave me douche chills
I still love that song "Nothing But Flowers" after all these years. It's quirky.
This was such a great podcast! Man love conan
Byrne was one of those people that came up with stuff that as I enjoyed it, I thought, this is new and something I’d never have thought of. It never got old and continuously surprised and entertained. His reference to Bowie was exactly right.
I just watched an episode of Video Killed the Radio Star about Davids videos , talks with friends and colleges, and there it shines so through that David has always been sound and vision. Those Talking Heads videos are still classics and fun to watch. Truly wonderful legacy!
It's fascinating watching two super-talented artists in different fields commiserate about the creative process. You can tell they "get" and respect each other.
Yea.. but conan is there too..?
Fear of Music was the FIRST Cassette Tape EVER owned as a kid. I listened to it NON STOP ON REPEAT! Them and Weird Al! That was my childhood! LOVE you David! I agree 100% with Conan, they had their time and they absolutely killed it, No reason to keep reforming a band with different members, It just NEVER has the same feel. You lose the essence of the original Group.
There's a point Conan is touching on about loving old typewriters. It's much the same reason I love a big drum set and suspension bridges and big muscle road bikes. When the intricacy and complexity of the form is also the mechanism of the fuction, their is a transcendant beauty there. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot woodwind instruments.
conan has a direct connection to rock history. conan is a drummer and in the 1980s at harvard he sold his drums to damon kurowski who used them to form galaxie 500 with naomi yang and dean wareham. and they also later broke up for similar reasons to the talking heads breakup.
Psycho Killer and Watching the Detectives broke my stereo mold and changed my life when they were released in 1977. Back in the day when there were radio stations, I listened to them on WMMR in Philadelphia driving to high school. You know Byrne was a control freak and hard to deal with when Chris and Tina formed TomTom Club, and made such delightful, easy and fun music.
7:20 This is such a sweet moment that really shows why this interview works so well. Just that display that Byrne is interested in Conan's history, the interviewee asking the interviewer a question. These guys get each other.
Yep and when Conan responded to David's question, you could see David fully related.
living legend.
I love both these people
Slippery people?
people with real dance skills?
@@wuffalo huh
@@lesclaypoolonbass9431 don't tell me you've never seen Conan dance before lol
@@wuffalo oh ya I see what you're saying. David definitely has a similar vibe in Stop Making Sense
what a good interview. David byrne seems a lot nicer and down to earth, how i imagined him to be, than in other interviews i've seen.
I love Conan. Thanks for David Byrne ❤
Two of my favorite people....in the whole world. In one podcast!!
Thanks
What a lovely interview 😊
Two entertainment geniuses here sitting across from each other. Amazing!!! 💥
So much talent right here!
His book, How Music Works was an interesting read. Recommended.
I'm reading "How Music Works" by David Byrne. Not sure if this makes sense but on the one hand it's eye opening as to how music is shaped by various factors and on the other hand it makes common sense the way he explains it, only maybe I never articulated it the way he does. So far, it's my favorite non-fiction I've read in the past 5 years.
That was a great chat, two interesting intelligent humans ❤❤
I watched Stop Making Sense at IMAX theatre in Melbourne last night, was fantastic to see it so large. David Byrne gorgeous then & gorgeous now.
To me David Byrne is a musical genius
David Byrne is a world treasure.
oh two faves of mine..the big tall cinnamon stick and David Byrne!
Whoa... two of my all-time favorite people.
Conan that was a great interview.
Both David and his musical event show on Broadway absolutely fantastic..everyone thinks so..
omg! when i was younger he make da music that make feel a certain way now im old an remember an feel a way
Conan has a gift of matching the energy of his guests without seeming fake. I mean compare him talking to David vs Eric Andre hahaha
I got to see Talking Heads when I was 16 in 1981 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Was a great concert & love 'bragging' that I was fortunate to see them.
I'm literally (and I mean literally) crying. I love David so much.
Get a grip.
Priorities….
@@blahzay_ of a peckah
@@blahzay_ Yeah booo feelings. Feelings are lame!
@mint2marie People are dumb. 👍
Ok Ok Ok! What a Conversation... david wrote my most favourite song ever, the less we say about the better 😅
*I absolutely LOVE the Talking Heads and David Byrne...I also love David Bowie and he borrowed a lot from Bowie. The large suit, Adrian Belew and Eno to name a few.*
literally drooled over this
I was listening to Stop Making Sense when I got the notification for this video.
Good podcast
That HoF performance was riven with tension - you could see they could barely stand to be up there with each other. I find it funny in a way how the disagreements and dislikes in the band never resolved themselves and clearly still persist.
David: Did you ever work with a team like that?
Conan: No…
*pan to Andy sitting next to him*
Love love ❤David Byrne 🎉shoutout to my Bowie
Is the whole epi on Conan needs a friend ? On spotify?
Peter Gabriel was also doing this in the early days of Genesis.
I still write letters by hand. I only type them if it's business related. Personal is handwritten.
the big suit was hilarious
Saw them in Auckland on the 77 tour.
White light the whole time, no colour, flashes etc and street clothes just like he said.
I can't tell one from another...
I find you, or you find me...
...I am oozing out of the hole in my brain...
The first four Talking Heads albums show the evolution of a band as impressive as the Beatles (yes, I said it).
I saw Stop Making Sense redone film earlier this week and left thinking they were like the Beatles of the ‘80s
This is a very appropriate description of the progression and evolution they went through.
Conan is the king
And She Was, was my favourite song. What was the story behind that song.
He's right, social media and by extention almost every app has become a gross continuous streams of advertising after advertising after advertising.
I was so lucky to have seen their “Stop Making Sense” tour in Chicago! BTW; who wears that cowboy hat?
It's Turd Ferguson.
David is a head of the time.
Never seen David act like a human. I was convinced that he was a robot or an alien. He seems pretty normal and chill here.
a u t i s m
Yeah his early interviews were pretty off-putting.
Oh my heart breaks seeing talking heads have finished up , I hope Tina and Chris can get David back on board to tour Australia please please
Go read about the group, then look at your comment again for a hearty laugh. The last thing Tina and Chris want or need to do is 'get David back'. They aren't the ones who stole HIS work. They aren't control freaks. They didn't break the band's spirit.
@@jamescarter3196 never even realised things went so bad , such a shame
I mean its not like they are saints either, they been bad mouthing him for 30 years and he stopped talking about them for a long time, that and you know, dissing him for being autistic, they tried to kick him out, they sidelined Adrian Belew and you know, the weird accusations Tina made of David with that kid in Brazil, overall neither is good in that fight they had@@jamescarter3196
very good
I could see Conan busting balls of the SiriusXM / Conan film team about the BLINKNG RED LIGHT in BOTH the front and behind shots during MY iconic interview with DAVID BYRNE!!! 🤣😂🤣
When David brought up the big tech companies, Conan was like “LETS NOW TALK ABOUT TYPE WRITERS bc I don’t want any trouble from my bosses 😅”
Talking Heads rock!
We’ve heard this story a million times!…. Bring out the Counting CrooOoows! Iykyk lol
where can one buy that hat in the background
Is that John Madden in that thumbnail with Conan? God bless him and the turducken!
Each time I hear him speak, I’m surprised they lasted that long. He was the talent, but also the ego.
Damn, I was really hoping this would be the interview in which someone asked David about the post Stop Making Sense output of the Talking Heads. Has anyone seen Byrne talk about the last three albums?
He doesn't talk about them because all the stories lead back to him being a jerk, taking credit for other people's work, and ruining the band's energy with his egotism. He probably tells interviewers to avoid the hard stuff so he can paint a fluff picture that avoids most of the real story. To him it's just 'I was doing great because I'm so great'.
@@jamescarter3196why are you posting dozens of comments whinging? Did David Byrne personally wrong you?
Please for the love of god, TOUR AGAIN, just once! PLEASE!!
“Stop Making Sense” …. Tks Conan, always loved this guy, that band. I still enjoy having people watch that amazing film the first time and I still enjoy both he and The Talking Heads music. Great interview.
Always wanted it to be a great theatrical experience, then quotes the single time in a near 50 year career when Byrne even came close to doing that.
Cute clip - WHERE IS ALL OF IT?
Amazing how well this genius has aged...
👞👞
🧐
I love how David's trying to tell a story about a turning point in his attitude towards his collaborators and Conan's like NOPE TIME FOR A BIT
My first act as Emperor of the Known Universe would be to order a Talking Heads reunion.
Byrne is right about "social" media (Although, here I am, ha ha!)
🙂
45 years of solemnity. Hard getting used to the new smiley man.
I wonder if Byrne ever listened to Moon Dog. If you listen to one of his albums on You Tube, you find quite a bit in common with some of Byrne's work.
At 1:45, just put a spot light.
You catch more BEES with honey than you do with vinegar.
And David is so full of vinegar that he doesn't even know how the expression is supposed to go. 'What, like be a decent person and not an arrogant jerk? How?'
Love Conan. Kids, never underestimate a Harvard Graduate....
Interesting when he starts talking about being in a band becoming irritating. My favourite band, Rush, said many times over the years that they would come together, create, tour, and then get away from each other for a year on purpose for that very reason. Ultimately they all became better friends for it.
I learned more about Conan than I did about David Byrne in this segment. I wish Conan would've let him finish a story, and it sounds like Byrne has lots of good stories.
Met Mr.Byrne here in Baltimore in the 90s…he’s from here….solid dude
It is remarkable how much David Byrne looks like Harpo Marx now. Not at all in a bad way - more like a reminder of an old, beloved friend.
I think he looks like Christopher Walken when he laughs.
The irony, for me, I suppose was the degree of sophism in the bay area at that time around punk rock and then on and I mean, I was tempted to turn my back on punk rock simply as a relative modicum but I ended up working with Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers so, I mean, for me, I strove to convey what I knew to be true about so called 'art rock' into contemporary rock and alt rock in that era which I mean, ultimately rejected in many ways the earlier protest anodynes as another 'failed revolution' but I mean, I ended up working with a lot of rap artists for a while so I mean... I dunno, that stuff always stuck with me, like I remember getting President Bush to invite Easy E to the White House for instance, but I mean, that is yet another twist in the story that... I mean, so many twists and turns in so few years, I mean, in a lot of ways the cocaine 70s turned into the cocaine 80s turned into the cocaine 90s... not for me ofcourse, I don't do drugs, but the vibe was nascent across an entire generation...
I feel like, as an observer the hard swing into afrobeat as a totality up until "Roots" came out was like definitely a political statement against Apartheid but I mean also, in many ways a call to arms to people who listened to Talking Heads to be conscious of the idea that in their lives there were people of African descent, African Americans and so on who they treated as 'invisible'... so, I mean. I remember talking to Jello Biafra once about Talking Heads and I mean, punk rock at that time was so stylistically aligned that like two non-dissimilar movements were like, on different planets.
I know itll never happen but id consider giving my left arm for Talking Heads to reunite
Same as it ever was.
Same as it ever was
@@zacharyqueyrouze6604 ...and you may ask yourself- Well, how did I get here? 🤔
Okay after hearing Byrne at 5:40, I watched the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame performance (3 songs). Could someone *please* point me to the musical mistakes to which he refers? I spot one moment where the earpiece of a keyboardist (not Jerry Harrison) falls out and *maybe* it causes him to come in a moment late with a fill. Otherwise I can't find a thing, and even the above-referenced moment is so minor it could drive "round the bend" only someone with a complete lack of perspective. Seemingly in agreement, Conan closes his eyes, nods, and says "yeah" as though he knows exactly to what mistakes Byrne is referring. And while I believe Byrne noted the mistakes, I doubt Conan did.
David flubbed a line during "Life During Wartime".
@@TroyDate Thanks for responding. I noticed (I think it was two, actually). But here he says "musical" mistakes. Also it seems clear (to me anyway) he's expressing frustration with others, not himself. Were he referring to his own mistakes, normal usage would be to make that clear and say, "I made mistakes that drove me round the bend." But maybe you're right and that's what he's referring to. If so, weird not to clarify as much because failing to do so leaves the impression it was others who messed up.
I noticed that Bernie Worrell was a bit off as well. Looked like an in-ear monitor problem that might have caused the issue. @@Ben-to8vt