48 LISTENER OCTOBER 13 2018
BOOKS&CULTURE
in the band’s evolution. What do you
remember of those early band visits?DB: I don’t remember the shows so
much but I remember the extracurricular
activities. One tour we went swimming,
possibly not too far from Auckland, and I
got caught in a rip and was fairly terrified.
Nothing bad happened, but I learnt my
lesson. On another tour, I convinced some
other band and crew members to arrive
early and visit Rotorua and then go down
and do the Tongariro Crossing, which
was exhausting but spectacular. Last tour,
some of us had dinner at Neil and Sharon
Finn’s house – it was great to hang out,
and the food was good, too.K: American Utopia has been compared
to the theatricality of Talking Heads’ Stop
Making Sense period, which Kiwis saw at
Sweetwaters. What do you think?DB: It’s dangerous to make comparisons,
but there are some similarities. Both shows
are what one might call “high concept”- they take one fairly simple idea and let
it play out. The idea might be technically
simple – in this case we have a completely
empty stage with all the musicians mobile - but behind the scenes it’s pretty tricky.
That said, it doesn’t seem like a tech-heavy
show. The tech is all invisible.
K: You’ve lived in New York through many
defining eras of culture and music. What
year would you say encapsulates your
favourite memories of the city?DB: I’m not very nostalgic – one of the
most recent New York moments was the
Afropunk Festival I attended as an audi-
ence member. Great vibe, good music,
crazy clothes.K: The thing I admire about you most is
your endless curiosity, an almost child-like
inquisitiveness that leads you to follow
your nose down fascinating rabbit holes.
This has always been clear in your music
but also in you as a person in the times
we’ve hung out. What methods, rituals
or practices do you follow to ensure you
remain open to the world?DB: I’ve heard other people say this to
me and, to be honest, I don’t know how
to be otherwise. There’s so much that is
interesting, moving and exciting in the
world that I don’t know about – there
are endless discoveries ... there are many
people doing strange and often wonderful
creative things.K: We’ve both been drawn to the world of
musical theatre, and the format of focus-
ing on narrative before production or even
song craft. What’s the pull for you?DB: I’ve written two musicals, and for a
songwriter, a story and character is a great“I convinced some other
band and crew members
to arrive early ... and do
the Tongariro Crossing,
which was exhausting but
spectacular.”
GETTY IMAGES
Byrne and band in Milan in July on their
American Utopia tour. Right, Talking Heads’
Byrne, front, and Jerry Harrison in the 1980s.Backstage at
the Rock and
Roll Hall of
Fame in 2016.