In praise of ... David Byrne
Editorial, The Guardian, April 13, 2009 [Link]

The bug eyes. The "herky-jerky" stage dance. The absurdly oversized suit. The critical shorthand for David Byrne, as used in reviews of the singer's current UK tour, emphasises his weirdness. Fair enough, anyone who thinks crowd pleasers begin with lines like "Lost my shape; trying to act casual" is probably a bit off-kilter. But then, the former Talking Head comes from an era when bands came together in art schools, rather than on TV reality shows. And of all the art students that drifted into pop in the 70s, Byrne remains one of the most interesting. He writes long essays about the future of the music industry, he designs bike racks for New York City - and last summer he took charge of an old ferry terminal, connected the plumbing to some organ pipes and invited the public to "play the building". Remarkable as these projects are, they can distract from what makes Byrne magical: the way he tempers his avant garde leanings with an earthiness and a rapture in the everyday. Of all the post-punk musicians, only Byrne really engaged with dance music, whether that was Fela Kuti's funk or disco. The result is work still being mined for inspiration by new bands nearly three decades later. And running through his lyrics is a preoccupation with family and companionship ("I'm just an animal looking for a home," runs one of his best songs, "To share the same space for a minute or two"). Often affectionately described as a "nerd who made good", Byrne is much more interesting and warm-blooded than that.