The singer who blew David Byrne’s mind with two searing albums
The idea of one artist only having one facet is a boring and outdated view. When you have musicians willing to expand what they do, move past just the idea of music and instead fall head first into visuals, costumes and personas, you get fully fleshed-out projects that are, simply put, some of the greatest pieces of art ever made. For an example of this, look no further than Talking Heads.
In 1984, Talking Heads made musical history when they delivered Stop Making Sense, an enticing stage show that was a culmination of great songs, weird dance moves and engaging set design. It captured the hearts of music lovers around the world and proved its timelessness recently, decades after its release; it was re-issued to new generations of audiences who lapped it up.
This was a great example of what can happen when a band looks beyond the music and instead examines every aspect of its creative outlet. At the forefront of the Talking Heads show was David Byrne and the character he created to front it. With an oversized suit and some bizarre dance moves, he delivered an utterly enticing performance.
He drew from reality in a bid to create this character. “It’s me as a character – or me as myself – being anxious and isolated in the beginning, and then gradually finding himself with this little supportive community,” he explained, which can be seen throughout the gig. When he initially takes to the stage, he is alone, reserved, and with a boombox; by the end, he is moving around chaotically and having the best time ever.
Byrne is undoubtedly an admirer of artists who are willing to embrace these different aspects of their shows. He admired one artist in particular because they were not only forward-thinking with their approach to music but also thought about all the different aspects of a performance that could add to an overall tone.
“Björk’s Debut and Post were mind-blowing records at the time,” he said, initially speaking about how she took electronic music to new heights. “That somebody could use electronic beats and then do super innovative stuff with it.” Byrne certainly has a point; though electronic music was rising in popularity, there was a negative stigma attached to it, as it didn’t have the same emotion that other genres possessed. Björk showed this wasn’t the case, as her songs, despite being largely electronic, were also packed with emotion.
Afterwards, Byrne began discussing her vision as an artist. “Then she continued doing things that explored lots of different other areas, with the Greenland Choir and with sounds made with the mouth,” he said, “Once in a while you see this amazing total artist, where you go, ‘This person thinks about the stage, the shows, the costumes, the record covers, and the music, and it’s all part of a total thing’.”
