Another Reason You Wish You Were David Byrne
June 13, 2008 6:17 AM   Subscribe

 
I want to know who is is gonna tune that instrument between sets.
posted by three blind mice at 6:30 AM on June 13, 2008


I didn't need another reason, but thanks for giving me one.
posted by fiercecupcake at 6:32 AM on June 13, 2008 [1 favorite]


It doesn't make noise, oh no no no, it democratizes the music-making experience. Now everyone is as good a musician as your 2-year-old nephew.
posted by tylermoody at 6:32 AM on June 13, 2008


Ooh, I might go today. (I work across the street.)
posted by grobstein at 6:40 AM on June 13, 2008


Awesome.
posted by chillmost at 6:40 AM on June 13, 2008


David is a man possessed. By buildings.
posted by boy detective at 6:47 AM on June 13, 2008


Ooh, I might go today. (I work across the street.)

Another reason I wish I was grobstein.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 6:49 AM on June 13, 2008 [1 favorite]


I'm a few blocks away too and this sounds like as good an excuse as any for a nice long lunch break.
posted by JaredSeth at 7:08 AM on June 13, 2008


Love Free anything....might have to check it out!
posted by mmkaos at 7:10 AM on June 13, 2008


I hate house music

(I AM NOT SORRY!)
posted by Jofus at 7:12 AM on June 13, 2008 [7 favorites]


Cool, especially that insane, echoing, Hyuup hyuup hyuup hyuup hyuup at 6:04
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:39 AM on June 13, 2008


No refunds! If we give spammers their fivers back how would Matt light his cigars?
posted by Jahaza at 7:58 AM on June 13, 2008


Einsturzende Neubauten did something similar once and it brought the house down.
posted by Falconetti at 7:59 AM on June 13, 2008 [4 favorites]


burning down the house
posted by baker dave at 8:03 AM on June 13, 2008


See, this gives me the idea to turn a petroleum processing plant into a giant pipe organ.... now THAT would be Industrial.
posted by Sam.Burdick at 8:07 AM on June 13, 2008


Once Twice in a lifetime.
posted by rusty at 8:24 AM on June 13, 2008


Sure wish I could do that to my house. Think of the possibilities when there are overnight visitors!
posted by carmelita at 8:32 AM on June 13, 2008


More Songs aboutby Buildings and Food
posted by Eideteker at 8:48 AM on June 13, 2008


I'd take a bullet for Dave but yikee his solo albums of late really blow big chunks.
Hope this thing is good.
posted by Dizzy at 9:02 AM on June 13, 2008 [1 favorite]


When my love
Stands next to your love,
I can't define love
When it's not love.

It's not love.
It's not love.
Which is my face,
Which is a building,
Which is on fire.

and strung with wires.
posted by bitslayer at 9:38 AM on June 13, 2008


There's some very annoying about David Byrne. Maybe it's the fact that he hasn't produced anything worthwhile musically in decades, yet continues on with all these twee, arty-farty projects that wouldn't receive passing notice if he weren't David Byrne. Or maybe it's just his face. I'm not sure.
posted by decoherence at 9:51 AM on June 13, 2008 [3 favorites]


David Byrne and Xeni Jardin would make one crazy fucking couple. Seeing them sitting together, eerily similiar, I began to hope they would sing the All in the Family theme song while mashing keys and staring blankly at the camera.
posted by stavrogin at 10:07 AM on June 13, 2008 [2 favorites]


Just my requisite mention that, like many of the cool public art projects posted to the blue, Playing the Building is a Creative Time project.
posted by The Bellman at 10:34 AM on June 13, 2008


Freakin' David Byrne, all being brilliant and restlessly creative but not putting out pop music or being ruggedly handsome. What a jerk.
posted by cortex at 10:41 AM on June 13, 2008 [4 favorites]


My building has every convenience. It's gonna make life easy for me. It's gonna be easy to get things done. I will relax alone with my loved ones. Loved ones visit the building, take the highway, park and come up and see me. I'll be working but if you come visit, I'll put down what I'm doing, my friends are important.
posted by brevator at 10:57 AM on June 13, 2008 [1 favorite]


My building has every convenience.
It's going to make life easy for me.
It'll be easy to get things done.
I will attach solenoids to the rafters, along with my loved ones.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:58 AM on June 13, 2008


I kept wanting Dave to beat Xeni to death with his giant shoulders.
posted by basicchannel at 11:02 AM on June 13, 2008


And you may tell yourself
This is not my musical house
And you may tell yourself
This is not my real estate fife

posted by cortex at 11:04 AM on June 13, 2008 [1 favorite]


I have a serious man-crush on Talking Heads era David Byrne. It excuses pretty much anything else weedy he might get up to.
posted by maxwelton at 11:13 AM on June 13, 2008


Anybody who takes up mime as a response to being borderline Aspergers is ruggedly handsome enough for me.


/me puts Stop Making Sense videotape in for the umpteenth time
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:32 AM on June 13, 2008


AV... get the DVD! Way better quality, and the commentary track is interesting and enlightening. A word of advice from Byrne on the commentary: "Just mimic everything I do in this video and you will have quite an aerobic workout!"

I wore out my VHS copy and finally ordered the DVD through Amazon.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 11:52 AM on June 13, 2008


Fuzzy, I was watching SMS the other night and thought "I would collapse about halfway through Burning Down the House, let alone making it as far as Life During Wartime."
posted by maxwelton at 12:48 PM on June 13, 2008


The funny thing is that my daughter and I would use SMS as our "exercise program" on occassion. Minus the full-out running that he does, of course. Lots of fun. When we heard the comment on the DVD we cracked up.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:16 PM on June 13, 2008


I admire his stamina, of course, but the two dancers... they're not wearing bras... Life During Wartime: ow ow OW ow. ow ow ow ow OW ow. Now that's amazing.

Why aren't they wearing bras? I know it's a rather odd style point to get hung up on, but obviously it's deliberate... what's the idea?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:09 PM on June 13, 2008


Why aren't they wearing bras? I know it's a rather odd style point to get hung up on, but obviously it's deliberate... what's the idea?

Well, I would imagine it was entirely a Byrne decision since he described himself as "a little dictator" during that time. I think one or both of the singers got their hair cut prior to filming, and he made them go get weaves. Byrne also would not let any water or other beverage bottles be seen on the stage. Life during wartime indeed!
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 2:16 PM on June 13, 2008


I'm planning on going to this, but I hope it isn't so crowded that I can't noodle around on the organ for a little while. This project makes sense for David Byrne. He so clearly wants to be an architect. So many of his songs are about buildings, and he has more of the stereotypical architect personality than any non-architect I know. (That "writing about music is like dancing about architecture" quote usually reminds me of Byrne. He dances about architecture!)

SMS is fabulous. I've seen it in repertory theaters twice, and both times the aisles were crammed with people dancing. Love that movie.

Also, David Byrne hasn't done anything musically worthwhile in the past decade? Feelings and Look Into The Eyeball were friggin' awesome. And Lazy is as good as anything he did with Talking Heads.
posted by painquale at 4:56 PM on June 13, 2008


Anyone who thinks Byrne hasn't done anything fan-friggin-tastic in a while should check out (among countless other things) Live at Union Chapel.

Byrne is so prolific in so many different disciplines that I can't believe he is even human. It seems like every time I turn around he is finishing, working on, or starting a new project. It makes me embarrassed to see how little I have done with my meager talents in comparison. Just because he doesn't have a new top 40 hit on the radio does not mean he is doing nothing. I wish I could do as much nothing as him. A recent Filter Magazine article is inspiring to read.

Byrne is at a position in his life we should all envy. He can do exactly what he wants, no matter how popular, crazy, weird, or inspiring. He doesn't do it to impress people; he does it because it's in him to do. He could jump back on the Talking Heads gravy train any time he wants, and I would be first in line for a show ticket, but he is interested in doing something new. I don't like all of it, but thank God he does it. I rarely get on a fanboy rant, but I'll do it for Byrne any day.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:07 PM on June 13, 2008


« Older 42 days and a resignation   |   Inconvenient Truths: Get Ready to Rethink What It... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments