David Byrne explained how this generation’s musicians are “the triumph of art rock”
The modern music scene is forever indebted to David Byrne and his artistry. From his unique new wave sound to his iconic on-stage theatrics, the Talking Heads frontman provided the blueprint for artsy alternative guitar bands.
Many modern artists often cite Byrne and Talking Heads as pivotal influences on their work, but their admiration is not one-sided. From indietronica New Yorkers LCD Soundsystem to modern post-punk pioneers Squid, his influence on contemporary music has been enormous. The frontman seems just as enthusiastic about the new generation as they are about him.
In 2009, Byrne played at and contributed to The Dark Was the Night, a live show and compilation album aiming to raise money for the Red Hot Organization. Byrne was in good company – the likes of Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, The National, and Dirty Projectors joined him on the charity benefit album. Following his appearance at the live show, Byrne took to his blog and suggested that they represented the “triumph of art rock.”
It’s certainly not an unfounded claim – Sufjan Stevens has delivered some of the most heartbreaking and beautiful baroque indie folk of the century. Dirty Projectors have forged their own progressive form of art pop, even citing Byrne as an influence, and St. Vincent is one of the most distinctive art rock artists working today. After they met at the benefit concert, Byrne and St. Vincent, also known as Annie Clark, even went on to release a collaborative album titled Love This Giant.
Byrne’s admiration for the new generation of art-rockers wasn’t just limited to their music, though. When he was asked to expand on the quote from his blog in an interview with Uncut, the Talking Heads frontman was more enthusiastic about their artistic attitudes.
“I think I wrote at the time on my blog that with that crowd, Annie included, the ambition wasn’t, ‘I want to be a star. I want to throw televisions on the floor and be driven by chauffeurs,’” he explained. Rather than seeking commercial success, fame or money, the new generation, to Byrne, seemed driven by their craft.
“It was really, ‘What excites me the most is making great music,’” he explained, “That’s the vibe I got from this generation of musicians. That’s great. That seems incredibly healthy, besides the fact a lot of them are making really good music.” Despite prioritising creativity over consumerism, that crop of art rock musicians have continued to enjoy widespread success, triumphing in art rock.
This mirrors Byrne’s own attitude and consequential success towards his art form – “Never for money, always for love,” he sings on ‘This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)’. Byrne’s own artistry has always been driven by creative innovation and invention rather than mass appeal or popularity. It makes sense that he admires the new generation of artists with similar ideals – they’re just as excited about music as he is.
