Everyone I’ve talked to who went to see the David Byrne show here in Asheville on Sunday said the show was absolutely fantastic. From the band’s white suits to the perfectionism of the choreography to the music itself, everyone raved about the show. I’m sorry I missed it.
Speaking of David Byrne, Pitchfork Media has an excellent interview with the former Talking Heads front man. Here’s a sample:
Pitchfork: Especially in pop and rock music, that dread often manifests itself as alienation. But you seem really engaged with the world right now, both on the record and on your blog.
DB: Yeah… well, that might just be that I’m older, in a way. Things that might have alienated me in the past, now I just figure, well, that’s the way that person is or that’s just the way things are. I’m not going to let that bother me too much. And maybe it’s because being older there’s a certain kind of don’t-give-a-shit attitude, in a good way. Not that you don’t care what you’re doing, but you don’t care quite as much that every little thing is the be-all and end-all, or that every statement you make or every person you meet has to be exactly right. Sometimes the results end up being more right than what you kind of obsessively… it was a kind of paranoia that demanded everything be right.
Pitchfork: For a long time I think people painted a simplistic portrait of you, or at least your personality. This anxious, nervous, neurotic guy. But listening to your singing on the new record, and in fact your last couple of records, I don’t think you’ve ever sounded more at ease with yourself. It’s very warm.
DB: Thank you. I’m glad that comes across. It’s kind of the way I felt when I was singing. That’s probably a little bit reflective of various… being older, being a slightly different kind of person. I realized that was changing some years ago, and I thought, oh, people are going to miss the old kind of more nervous, yelpy guy. But there’s nothing much I can do about that. Those records still exist. It’s not like it’s totally unavailable.