The David Byrne/Talking Heads Reunion at Coachella 2009 Thread

[BlackSwan]

Obviously a Talking Heads reunion would be the greatest performance to grace the polo fields... ever, but David Byrne playing a Talking Heads set wouldn't be too bad either. This is thread to concentrate all the will of the general obsession with the Talking Heads on this board to making one of them happen this year.

Also, for all of the people who know lots of details about the rift between the band, include whatever you know here to educate the younger crowd who never got a chance to see Talking Heads live and didn't follow the break up as much as you may have.

[robotrock1382]

i read recently that one, they all despise him and two, he absolutely refuses to play any of those songs live. ever. i'm not sure, but i think it would be a long shot before that ever happened. it sucks

[Quadromarshia]

i read recently that one, they all despise him and two, he absolutely refuses to play any of those songs live. ever. i'm not sure, but i think it would be a long shot before that ever happened. it sucks

Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA

“Strange Overtones”
“I Zimbra”
“One Fine Day”
“Help Me Somebody”
“Houses in Motion”
“My Big Nurse”
“My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)”
“Heaven”
“The River”

“Crosseyed and Painless”
“Life is Long”
“Once in a Lifetime”
“Life During Wartime”
“I Feel My Stuff”
Encore:
“Take Me to the River”
“The Great Curve”
“Burning Down the House”

[boarderwoozel3]

Talking Heads indeed. Everyone just needs to hug, makeup and play Coachella

[orbit]

byrne said he wouldn't get the talking heads to reunite even for $100 million.

[BlackSwan]

David Byrne doesn't seem the sentimental sort. A Talking Heads reunion at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony six years ago had his ex-bandmates beaming and the audience a little misty. It was, after all, the first performance by the legendary New Wave act in years. Byrne, however, seemed a little twitchy and uncomfortable that night.

But twitchiness and discomfort have served him well. They've resulted in more than three decades of music that rarely doubles back. Through his inventive work with the Heads and a variety of solo projects in addition to film, photography, art and running a label, Byrne comes across as a guy always thinking about the next thing.

We still seem to be in the throes of reunion fever, but your band is one of the holdouts. Do you look back at Talking Heads with anything resembling nostalgia? Discomfort? Glee?

Ohhh ... [Long silence.]

Like a yearbook photo?

It is kind of like a yearbook photo. To be honest, I don't think about it that much. Now that I'm about to embark on a tour I can reference stuff -- things I did on Talking Heads tours. What I learned from them. Things I felt were done wrong, things I felt were done right. It's just part of a learning experience, I guess. I do I have a little nostalgia for the very early days before we were cast into the public eye. There was nice period where you could kind of experiment and try different directions and different instrumentation or different kinds of songs. And you had about 20 people paying attention, but that didn't matter. You could feel your way around and there wasn't a blogosphere commenting on your every move.

So if that ABBA investor guy offered you $100 million to get the Talking Heads together, you wouldn't go out and sing?

Oh, my God. [Laughs] You know I'm just not interested in the reunion thing -- though it's been very popular and lucrative for a lot of people.

http://www.spinner.com/2008/08/21/da...or-talking-he/

[orbit]

yeah, that's the interview.

time to let this thread die and focus on bowie's.

[BlackSwan]

time to let this thread die and focus on bowie's.

or you can just sod off.

[Quadromarshia]

I would approve of this thread more if the word "reunion" wasn't in the title.

Or if it was just a David Byrne '09 thread. Which i'm behind completely.

Because honestly, who's dick does a guy have to suck to get him (and the other DB of course) to come to Coachella?

[boarderwoozel3]

For fuck's sake! Who do all the good ones have the issues?

*Psst* David, we know you don't need the money, but we would really like to see you play with the Heads!

[boarderwoozel3]

I would approve of this thread more if the word "reunion" wasn't in the title.

Or if it was just a David Byrne '09 thread. Which i'm behind completely.

Because honestly, who's dick does a guy have to suck to get him (and the other DB of course) to come to Coachella?

Oh snap. (DB)2 @ Coachella 09!

I'd settle for a David Byrne set only if he incorporated a solid number of Talking Heads songs.

[BlackSwan]

I would approve of this thread more if the word "reunion" wasn't in the title.

Or if it was just a David Byrne '09 thread. Which i'm behind completely.

Because honestly, who's dick does a guy have to suck to get him (and the other DB of course) to come to Coachella?

I was trying to be all inclusive here... when it comes down to it I want a full set of Talking Heads songs.

[Quadromarshia]

His live versions of TH songs are fantastic. I don't think I would want to see TH now; the main reason would be to just be there, in front of them, surrounded by their music.

Their live albums capture them (especially SMS) at their peak. There was still magic back then, and they actually liked each other. You're not going to get a stage performance like SMS out of them even if they did play a reunion. You'd get another R&R hall of fame performance, which was underwhelming.

I would take a David Byrne solo performance over a forced, plastic TH reunion show.

[Quadromarshia]

Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA

“Strange Overtones”
“I Zimbra”
“One Fine Day”
“Help Me Somebody”
“Houses in Motion”
“My Big Nurse”
“My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)”
“Heaven”
“The River”

“Crosseyed and Painless”
“Life is Long”
“Once in a Lifetime”
“Life During Wartime”
“I Feel My Stuff”
Encore:
“Take Me to the River”
“The Great Curve”
“Burning Down the House”

Add This Must Be The Place to that, and I'd say that's a pretty solid TH heavy set list.

[sbessiso]

jesus christ, why is he being such a little bitch? He MUST be BFFs with Morrissey

[robotrock1382]

well damn. sorry for that post. my mistake. i'm not a huge fan but a friend is and i think he told me what i posted about db not playing talking head songs.

[kitt kat]

I'd be TOTALY 100% OKAY with a D. Byrne solo set with Heads' songs.

D. Byrne is a crazy-ass motherfucker who just has no human desire to get the Heads back together, even if for only one night. Maybe it has something to do with his Aspbergers (sp?) because I know that really strained the relationships he had with people in the band. (Esp. Chris and Tina?)

Oh, and Pitchfork recently interviewed him and it touched upon some very telling things about why he'll never get the Heads together:

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/articl...ew-david-byrne

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.

Pitchfork: When you do hear those old records, does it sound like a different person at this point?

DB: Oh, yeah! I mean, I realize it's me, and I can remember writing that stuff. But I also realize I would never write the same things now. It's kind of sad, but that's the way it goes.

[boarderwoozel3]

^^

O NOEZ!

[enriquevs]

what reunion do you think it's more possible? talking heads or the smiths?

i go for the smiths.

i want david byrne and bowie for 09.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

Don't put all the blame on Byrne for not wanting a reunion. The majority of his former bandmates despise him and want nothing to do with the Talking Heads.

The Smiths are no more possible than Talking Heads for 2009. What was Morrissey's quote, something like he would rather eat his own balls than reunite the Smiths? Once again, another band where the members hate each other now

[BlackSwan]

Don't put all the blame on Byrne for not wanting a reunion. The majority of his former bandmates despise him and want nothing to do with the Talking Heads.

I've heard that, but in this write up it says...

Talking Heads reunion at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony six years ago had his ex-bandmates beaming

Something tells me that if Byrne wanted it to happen... it would.

[SoulDischarge]

As disappointing as it is, you have to give the man credit for trying to always move forward and not fake his way through forced nostalgia. I really hope I can make it to his solo show next week.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

I've heard that, but in this write up it says...



Something tells me that if Byrne wanted it to happen... it would.

Where is that write up from? I didn't even think that performance was the original lineup.

[the long grift]

It's alright... Talking Heads are boring, anyhow.... I am not a kid, by any means, but be real, TH were probably awesome if you were to see them at CB's, or soonafter, but would there not be so many more EXCITING reunions to see... I mean, TH would be playing like Sonoma Winery w/ Blondie, sooner than later... They are a band that only douchebag music critics like, good musicians sure, but no passion.

They would be boring, is what I mean, kind of a waste of a slot... It will not happen anyway, as much chance as Black Flag, Kyuss, Faith No More... Three, without a doubt, that I would rather see more...

[the long grift]

I would rather see The Smiths do it, and that it saying something because Morrissey is god awful... That won't happen , either...

[SoulDischarge]

Point taken.

[BlackSwan]

Where is that write up from? I didn't even think that performance was the original lineup.

http://www.spinner.com/2008/08/21/da...or-talking-he/

....

[anonimouse]

i would be very happy with david byrne, talking heads or no

so with him now we just need bowie and one more headliner with the first name david and the last name starting with a b

[Jman4321]

My friend lives in Tiburon, CA and that is where Jerry Harrison, the keyboardist and guitarist for the Talking Heads, resides. Jerry, Chris Frantz, and Tina Weymouth put on a show in the city about 3 years or so back called "All Talking, No Heads" where the three of them played instrumentally without David Byrne. Jerry's son went to high school with my friend, a huge Talking Heads fan, and thus the topic of reuniting frequently came up between the two. Apparently when Jerry was asked about the reunion, this instrumental show was intended to be a full fledged reunion and when they called David he sternly (and apparently quite angrily) said that it would never happen.

About a week or so ago I saw David Byrne play in San Francisco and at the beginning of the set he introduced the concert as being "songs he made with Brian Eno and some other people." One fan in the orchestra pit took the dive and yelled "Bring back the Heads!!!" to which David shrugged off by adding, "Yeah, those would be some of those people." He seems very adamant to keep that period of his musical career in the past. It sucks. I would love to see the original band play. I think their appearance as a group would bring out a lot of energy between them and thus be grounds for an amazing set. I just don't think it will happen.

[BlackSwan]

Now that is a useful post... just to clarify you meant No Talking, Just Head. The also put out an album in '96... here the review from allmusic.com that sheds more light on it...

Since David Byrne refused to join Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz in reuniting Talking Heads, the trio truncated the group's name to the Heads and recorded an album with a variety of lead singers, who all contributed their own lyrics as well. Therefore, it's no surprise that much of No Talking Just Head depends on the quality of the group's collaborators. Unfortunately, much of the band's partners -- which includes Debbie Harry, Andy Partridge, Richard Hell, Maria McKee, Shaun Ryder, Michael Hutchence and Johnette Napolitano -- are as barren of ideas as the Heads themselves. For instance, the group and Napolitano decide that sub-Nine Inch Nails noise is "scary" on the excrutiating "Damage I've Done." Though the rest of the album doesn't feature anything quite so wretched, most of it is simply bland and only Andy Partridge and Shaun Ryder demonstrate much imagination with their contributions.