David Byrne Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED
Legendary musician David Byrne takes the WIRED Autocomplete Interview and answers the internet's most searched questions about himself. Why is David Byrne's play called American Utopia? What was David's first hit song? Did he start The Talking Heads? Who introduced him to music? David answers all these questions and much more!
Go see American Utopia on Broadway now through the end of this year! americanutopiabroadway.com/
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David Byrne Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED
This is a once in a lifetime interview
Nice one!
Nah man, this is the same as it ever was.
Great one
Everything is once in a lifetime, as long as you're letting the days go by...
This must be the place to make Talking Heads puns
David Byrne: “You may find yourself questioning if David Byrne started the Talking Heads. And you may find yourself wondering if David Byrne designed bike racks…”
And you may say to yourself "My god! Who does David Byrne look like?!".
🤣 Perfect commentary
Hahaha
And the Oscar goes to David Byrne for writing the soundtrack to The Last Emperor.
@@Agropio Oh my, sooo funny! 🤣🤣
I've seen him twice in concert and let me tell you that man puts his heart and soul into every performance
I am so bummed I never saw Talking Heads.
I’ve watched Stop Making Sense about 1,000 times. Does that count?
😎
Don't forget the sweat.
Same. Two times. Both wonderful. Amazing live artist.
He's the David lynch of rock music.
Naw bro his name is David Byrne thats close tho
@@agostov.4508 I meant his personality and auro, matches david lynch's. u dumb or sum?
@@kundan906 you're not the only one who can make jokes...
@@benjaminherrera1987 yes i am, read the bible.
you spelled david bryne funny that was a nice joke
David Byrne answers the web’s most byrning questions
That was pretty clever ngl Good job 👍👍
Lmao
Like Byrning down the house 🎵
Why isn’t this pinned
@@alexandercollins5704 great question
Pretty disappointed "Is David Byrne the same as he ever was?" didn't show up in the video!
he basically said he wasnt
SAME
@@nexisol7760 yes
I see what you did there 😬👍
Look where his hand was.
I like that David never speaks ill of his ex bandmates in public. He talks about Talking Heads as something he did in the past with his friends at that time and that's it. No need for nostalgia and no need for reunion.
Yes!
bollocks, his music have NEVER been as vital without the others...
He's still throwing shade.
@@jeroenvermiljoen i respect them for being honest
Absolutely a gentleman about that hun
“This is the type of *bleep* you can find on Google.” 🤣🤣🤣 Pure comedy gold.
It's funny course it's true
…which is exactly where people were typing them in, Dave
@@TheGreatAtario that's the joke
I could listen to this man for hours.. I need that part two with metaphysical and philosophical, weighty questions right now!
Absolutely! Where should we send our philosophical conundrums and musings?
Why is David Byrne?
@@daveteves Shouldn’t we ask “How is David Byrne?” first?
Listen to the audiobook version of his book! It’s exactly that.
His interview with himself delivers it.
"It was considered too funky for rock radio" is now my favorite all time David Byrne quote
I'd be honored if some Talking Heads fans would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal KZhead performance of THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (re-interpreted as a ballad) in tribute to one of the most unique & iconic bands of the late 70s/early 80s era. Live acoustic with no autotune or digital editing. Peace and stay safe.
I really like this older, more lucid, chattier version of David Byrne. But I also kinda miss the younger, completely spaced out and reticent version of David Byrne. He was positively cryptic back in the day.
I cannot put into words how happy makes me seeing David like this, so confident, so much secure with himself and comfortable. This man has been and keeps being an absolute inspiration for everyone.
David Byrne overwhelms the image of Talking Heads. With his herky-jerky mannerisms, loopy persona and arch lyrics - not to mention his command of the songwriting credits through much of their catalogue - he eclipsed the efforts of every other member of the band. Yet according to a new memoir by Talking Heads’ co-founder and drummer, Chris Frantz, titled Remain in Love, Byrne’s dominant image wasn’t merely a by-product of a legitimately outsized talent, but a clear power grab, driven by ego, greed and a skewed mindset. “It’s like he can’t help himself,” Frantz said in a phone interview. “His brain is wired in such a way that he doesn’t know where he ends and other people begin. He can’t imagine that anyone else would be important.” Remain in Love by Chris Frantz review - once in a lifetime with Talking Heads Read more Towards that end, Frantz contends, Byrne often seized sole writing credit on songs the whole band had created, denigrated the other members’ musicianship and put enough space between him and the other members socially to suggest contempt for them as people. At the same time, Frantz appreciates the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity the alchemy of Talking Heads provided for him and the other members. As evidence, his book proudly details the artistic highlights of a band that rates as one of music’s most creative units - a group so visionary that, as he writes, “We were post-punk before punk even happened.”
@@oppothumbs1 I believe some of this might me true, but I also believe the band never understood that David had mental health issues to deal with, who could portray him as selfish and distant, but all that issues wasn’t even a thing back in the 70’s people weren’t exactly talking about mental health
@@Mmxxaamm I’ve read that David Byrne is on the Autisum Spectrum and I think that’s always made a lot of sense for him. People can often misinterpret the actions and words of people on the spectrum.
@@myoona648 Yes, this exactly
@@oppothumbs1 Chris Frantz knows David Byrne better than I do but it rubs me the wrong way to hear him speak with authority about how his "brain is wired"
David AND Mitski?!? I'm so happy to be alive rn
An absolute unheralded genius this man is. People don't talk about his contribution to mainstream punk funk and synth inspired music enough. His musical is pure performance art magic
unheralded? he had a god damned track included on every copy of windows xp.
everybody knows he's a genius lol
Not just punk funk and synth inspired music.... Latin American Classical Music for ballet Opera
Do you know what "unheralded" means? Hint: people with worldwide recognition are not
Winning an Oscar is the very definition of heralded.
This Must Be the Place Naive Melody is literally the greatest song of all time.
So many people say something like this and yet I’ve played it 50 plus times now and it still sounds benign, bland. There’s a number of songs that took a long time and then BANG it clicked (Pyramid Song by Radiohead is the most prominent example) but This Must Be The Place still hasn’t charmed me. Can anyone help me?
It’s pull up the roots
@@latenightlogic Have you listened to the album version and the Stop Making Sense version? I love both but the latter has this passion and sincerity to it that really clicks with me. I don't think that checking out different recordings will make it your favorite song of all time lol, but it might give you a better sense of what people see in the original
@@latenightlogic you need to listen to the "stop making sense" versión!
@@latenightlogic I can help. Once you get off the crack, all the irrational feelings and thoughts will subside. Best of luck 👍
David seems far more normal than I anticipated. I’ve heard stories about him before that made me think that he’d be really out there. Seems surprisingly chill.
@Milk and Honey touche hunny
You have such a profound impact on my carrier that even the biggest thank you text would fall short to express my gratitude. Thanks for your support ❤️❤️❤️
@@davidbyrne7043 youre not slick bro 💀
nothing wrong with being out there
@@davidbyrne7043 its him !!!!
These are legitimately becoming really important historical documents. Like think of what a treasure trove it would be if JFK, or MLK, or Orson Welles, etc... had interviews like this where they just answered questions about themselves. It's cool we get to witness this.
I'd love to see JFK on Between Two Ferns.
a few quick searches revealed hours of filmed interviews with JFK, MLK, and Orson Welles.
But did you find any taped interviews with etc.?
they.... they do....
Orson Welles interviews are awesome
Man, when he started talking about that Neko Case song his voice cracked up a bit. That's how you know he loves and lives music Such a sensible and talented man. What a legend.
That's a magnificent song - gut wrenching, honest, raw. I'm floored to find I have a shared experience with David Byrne.
My first time hearing it and I cried too.
He looks like an elder cashier at a store that gives free fashion advice to young nerds.
And if you have any sense you'd take it.
I was thinking the cool movie theater attendant was gives you a free ticket when you’re on a first date, but that works too
@@plkrtn agreed lol
He looks more like the overly helpful, but very sweet, customer at a craft store.
Where did you grow up?? Wtf
One of the greatest musicians of all time. Period.
Truth.This is the best interview ever..I'm thoroughly impressed at how down to earth he is.My admiration and respect for him general just magnified 500%!
Musician? Artist.
He pathologically honest and precise. I would love to watch an espionage movie starring David Byrne as a spy who can't lie. He could inadvertently start an international crisis which culminates in a World Dance Off. Cameos with Albert Brooks etc.
You should send him an outline for that script! He'd love it
You really got that figured out 👍
As a fairly big Talking Heads fan, I didn't expect him to be this cool and humble. Wow.
If you’re that big a fan, wouldn’t you have already seen interviews with him?
@@andybaldman Nah, I just listen to the music.
A fan then, not a big fan.
@@JonnySublime Sure thing sweetie, whatever you say.
You can totally be a big fan without listening to a single interview. I'm a huge fan of some obscure bands that have no interviews.
"Psycho Killer", released in 1977, was the first Talking Heads track to make it into Billboard's Top 100, though it only made it to #92.
Are you sure??? Facts just twist the truth around, ya know.
@@GorgeousRoddyChrome Look it up for yourself... but, since I was personally around at the time (I'm 66), and I still retain some memories of that period in time, I'm pretty confident that the facts and the truth are brother and sister in this instance.
@@jeffreyslotnikoff4003 My comment was a tongue-in-cheek joke. Hence, the lyrics quote. I was around then too. Wonderful times. Saw them live before the "big band" days with just the 4 of them. Cheers!
@@GorgeousRoddyChrome Didn't get the lyrics quote because, and I confess this with a bit of red in my face, I was not that big of a Talking Heads fan. I had a couple of their albums, but my any other familiarity with their music was through FM radio.. way, way, way back when.
I was so disappointed when he didn’t mention “Psycho Killer” while listing off songs. I thought it had to be their first hit.
I like his practicality and frankness. No BS.
That right there, the definition of inspiration: "When you don't try to imitate them, but inspires you to be more of yourself to express yourself and find your own way of expressing things."
Yes this! ❤
"Life during Wartime" got extensive FM radio airplay in Chicago circa 1977. That's how I discovered Talking Heads. My god what an oeuvre he has. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦 ➺ BEAUTYZONE.CAM/Anna Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
This man is a national treasure.
You have such a profound impact on my carrier that even the biggest thank you text would fall short to express my gratitude. Thanks for your support ❤️❤️❤️
International treasure*
"American Utopia" is marvelous. A David Byrne interview - even something as superficial as this - shows what happens when someone with a rich history takes time to consider the question before giving an honest sound bite free answer.
Yess!!!!!!!! Been waiting for an autocomplete with David. Man a Byrne Bowie collaboration would have been beyond awesome.
I heard Life During Wartime as a young kid, wore out a cassette tape of True Stories, and had a vague paranoia ever since that has served me well.. thanks David! Considering living that song as a volunteer in Ukraine, got some groceries, some peanut butter, should last a couple of dayys
Hugs to you
I love how genuine he is throughout this whole thing. You can tell he just...loves music and making music and talking about music...and as an autistic musician myself, I *wish* my infodumps were as clear and enlightening as his are.
This guy is fiercely clever, intelligent and funny to boot. An international treasure.
Love that he mentioned Caetano Veloso. Byrne introduced me to Caetano. Amazing artists, both of them.
I really appreciate you for being a fan of mine 😊❤️
I love caetano
HE IS SO POLITE I LOVE HIM
So love how Byrne shaped his life... Asperger's only added to his talents and weirdness...n btw: Psycho Killer - first major, well underground hit for them i.m.o...lotsa college airplay, around the time of REM's beginnings..❤️
the ending is supreme, thank you David for reminding us how superficial wired can be.
Next time the card only says "Why is David Byrne"
It was actually a clever joke on his part, considering that these were google searches.
Intensely honest answers. No pretense. Pretty rare these days. Refreshing
The way he explains things is so thoughtful and kindly expressed :)
My absolute favorite artist ever. Him and the Talking Heads appear on almost every playlist I have
Finally a David Byrne interview where he isn’t asking himself the questions
Its like 60 minutes on acid
I don't like Byrne and the Heads much but I have the utmost respect for their talent. Every time I see them it makes me sad because a sadly-departed friend of mine was a huge fan and wrote a book about them. Rest in peace my friend.
I don't know why, but this may be my favorite interview yet 🤍 what a treasure this man is.
You have such a profound impact on my carrier that even the biggest thank you text would fall short to express my gratitude. Thanks for your support ❤️❤️❤️
@David Byrne most people in the west have had the Internet for a very long time. We don't believe celebs reach out to us in comments. Stop being weird. You misspelled something.
David seems very chill, and there's no doubt about that at all.
Please, please, please give us a movie about Talking Heads with Cillian Murphy playing David Byrne.
That...honestly is an amazing idea
I dunno if it's still the most played song but around about 2004, "Like Humans Do" was the demo track included with Windows Media Player on Windows XP. Massive spike in plays around this time. Microsoft knew how to pick em back in the day. Every demo track was a banger and turned out to be a band I'd really like in future. Meanwhile Apple included a U2 Album once on an iPod and everyone was furious lol
I love that none other than Tony Basil choreographed his dance moves for Once in a Lifetime. She had that one hit, "Mickey", but her real passion was dance and choreography
I remember as a kid jamming out to a few different Talking Heads CDs that my parents had. They were some of my favorite albums in their collection, but I never went back and really listened to them after my teen years. I think it's long overdue for me to put on a good set of headphones and dive into his music more in depth.
If you want to immediately fall in love, start with their Stop Making Sense concert film. It's the best live performance I've seen (not that I personally saw it live)--and I've been to some pretty intense ones (including Mastodon). But either way, their music is tons of fun to listen to.
His salsa album is awesome too. Dirty Old Town is a great song
Lol I’m probably your parents age then! Glad you like their music! Great stuff, the next gen definitely needs to check it out!
Seeing David Byrne say that he's inspired by Caetano Veloso makes my Brazilian heart melt 🇧🇷 ❤ A collab with these two would be epic.
Saw American Utopia two weeks ago. Simply beautiful, one of the best live shows ever!!
agree ! this was my broadway first show, not into musicals, but this was incredible !
His description of it makes it sound enticing. I like that he doesn't mock the idea of people finding their happy place.
You have such a profound impact on my carrier that even the biggest thank you text would fall short to express my gratitude. Thanks for your support ❤️❤️❤️
Inarguably one of the coolest people in music.
It's like 60 minutes on acid.
It's so disappointing that he's had to apologize for that bit because of "blackface" allegations, it's ridiculously funny
I'll tell you later.
he has one of the sweetest smiles i’ve ever seen
I’m so glad someone asked about the big suit
I was going to say "national treasure" but we really need a term like "global treasure" for this guy.
Shouldn't this be called "Byrning" questions? Love David Byrne, he's the absolute coolest.
𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦 ➺ BEAUTYZONE.CAM/Anna Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
A missed opportunity right there
I’ve been following this man and his projects for the last 40 years…the world is a better place with David around.
i am so in love with this man
same
His most played song (on Spotify at least) is Psycho Killer for anyone wondering
This is the best wired autocomplete interview ever, without question.
Byrne seems friendly, funny and articulate, not at all like the some of the negative junk I’ve read about him; he seems like a guy you could simply chat with for hours, and not once bring up any Google crap.
For what this man did in the 70s and 80s, he is a genius and a legend of alternative rock music. And now he is at that stage in his life where he is able to do amazing collaborations with a wide range of different artists and musicians to the great musical benefit of all of us. Lucky enough to experience the American Utopia show in 2019 which was awesome. Definitely one of my musical heroes. 👍
thank you david byrne for making my day a lot better just by being yourself :) i had a really bad anxiety attack & this made me calm down and cheered me up. i love him and his music so much
I know right.
You have such a profound impact on my carrier that even the biggest thank you text would fall short to express my gratitude. Thanks for your support ❤️❤️❤️
I really appreciate you for being a fan of mine
He is so intelligent yet humble, a true wonderful creative mind and human being. Also, he has beautiful black eyes.
"This is the kind of **** you can find out on Google". I love this man.
When he asked "Who does David Byrne look like?", I immediately thought of Anthony Perkins. Very similar ways of talking, very similar body language, and both remarkably comfortable speaking with strangers.
I think John larroquette 🤣
His younger self definitely had a Cillian Murphy look, but yes Anthony Perkins also.
I'm not surprised a lot of people get married to This Must Be The Place, I mean, that's one of the most beautiful songs I know.
So lucky to get this insight into David and the band,thank you David.💙
This guy is incredible. I saw his show on my birthday, American Utopia and I'd watch it again. I know of him of course growing up as we all danced and sang to his songs. Today I believe he is so insightful, interesting and worth listening to.
I am happy to see him still happy and healthy. Always enjoyed the music.
The ending. Brilliant.
You’ve just gotta love this guy, man is a genius 🙌🏻
He really is just a pure artist. No BS, no pageantry - what you see is what you get and it's guaranteed quality.
Im asking myself “how did i get here?”
One of my favorite artists it’s good to see him in good health take it easy Byrne ❤️
The man behind Talking heads. What a legend.
I love this man with my whole heart
This was such a pleasant surprise. Love this man.
This is brilliant interview with David thank you . I was at Talking Heads concert in Melbourne in early 80s, one of the most enjoyable shows I've ever seen. I remember David walked on stage with his acoustic guitar and a ghetto blaster, he sat down on the front edge of stage and hit play, as psycho killer started one of the crew walked around with a battery light and projected the shadow upwards, was such a simple but moody effect.
That was basically the beginning of Stop Making Sense as well…
I adore the way he speaks. It's so him and so honest.
Classic Byrne closing. Love that!
Thanks Dave, I brought my 12 year old daughter to one of your shows in Shelburne VT in 2008. She kept asking me after the shoe "Why were they wearing to-tos?" Great show, big fans.
Love David Byrne, such an interesting guy with a great discography both as part of Talking Heads and in his solo career
𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝 𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦 ➺ BEAUTYZONE.CAM/Anna Anna is a beautiful girl. He's the person I love, he's my light day. The way the music flows and sounds is extravagant and fun. Anna is icon, legend, beautiful girl, princess, inspiration, a star. I could go on and on, understand this. I love NBA Anna.#垃圾
"Not only does he think I'm a fictional character, but it's a psycho killer." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 David Byrne changed my life... in a good way? I had '77 & 'More Songs..." on constant loop for 6 months.
My 2nd favorite part of the interview!🤣
I love that I can hear a bit of his singing voice in his normal speaking.
I absolutely fangirled once I saw this was posted 4 days ago.
What a great, positive comments thread! If David inspires this much warmth, that's something special in itself.
I want a David Byrne and Jeff Goldblum podcast.
I love him. He has such a friendly, approachable energy.
True Stories is highly underrated. Love that film
“Most people around here have eaten dinner already, don’t want to be late! Y’know what I mean? … or do you?”
@@thismustbeisaac ^^^one of my favourite lines in one of my favourite movies. It's a truly unique experience. Surprised he didn't mention it here, I feel like people would love it today if they only knew about it!
@@elrabeechum5180 i love that quote :) Whenever I find myself saying “y’know what I mean” I’ve developed a habit of saying “or do you?” afterwards
@@thismustbeisaac Haha same, it confuses people so much
Puzzling Evidence is a great song, too.
Such a humble and chill guy
I just adore David's laugh. He's so genuine.
this guy is as honest of a human as I have ever seen, met, or known.
Definitely not the same as it ever was !! Always thought of David as a kind of scientist/artist who used music as a laboratory. Listening to a lot of TH's lately and it's aged amazingly well. Timeless
Have loved him my whole life! Thanks for this!!!
He is so inspiring - great man - great human beeing
I absolutely adore talking heads and even some of david's solo stuff and colabs with st vincent. He seems like a very down to earth guy and I'd love to see a more long form interview with him.
I cannot love and admire an artist more than DB. Otherworldly & Magical. Always prescient, endlessly unique.
Absolutely love him. Thank you for the interesting info and the laughs. He's so comfortable now, unlike the early years. What a wonderful man.
I have just recently became a talking heads fan and this came out just at the right time.
I can’t believe they missed the brilliant pun of the web’s most Byrneing questions
David is Himself and its beautiful!