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foosnark · Post by **foosnark** » Mon Sep 08, 2014 4:45 pm

How Music Works

I'm only about 1/3 of the way through the book so far, but it's been pretty fascinating so far. I'm only the most casual of Talking Heads fans, but this isn't really about the band as about music and related issues. So far there have been chapters about musical inspiration, the setup for live performances, how recording changed music. There's a lot of history and culture in here, and it's pretty clear Byrne put in a lot of thought and research before putting anything into action, more so than most of us I expect.

He doesn't seem to be aware of some aspects of electronic music, but that can be forgiven since it's really a small bubble in the music world and he's pretty knowledgeable about a lot of other things.

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:05 am

I bang out notes on push and play some power chords on guitar. Makes for interesting and boring at the same time

Might be interested in this one. If it's not some biographical thing of his life and all the chicks he scored and that nonsense.

musical android · Post by **musical android** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:34 am

Almost nothing autobiographical unless it relates to the theme of the book
It is an interesting read and it gives a good perspective on why certain music evolved the way it did.
Plus some other things but the above is what is the more interesting part of the book.
A good read to. Nice entertaining style that is not too technical but not dumbed down either...
Recommended!

foosnark · Post by **foosnark** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:30 pm

The closest it gets to biographical is practical stuff -- things he tried, and whether it worked out or not.

Lots of historical trivia told in a fun way too.

cron · Post by **cron** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:57 pm

foosnark wrote:He doesn't seem to be aware of some aspects of electronic music, but that can be forgiven since it's really a small bubble in the music world and he's pretty knowledgeable about a lot of other things.

Quite surprised by that as he was a bit of a champion of more esoteric electronic music in the early noughties. He wrote quite a bit on it and released compilations featuring Mouse On Mars, Matthew Herbert etc on his Luaka Bop label. Maybe he'll get on to it later in the book. Not a particularly dedicated Talking Heads fan here (although they made some outstanding music I still often listen to) but always interested to read Byrne's thoughts. May well check this book out. Thanks for the heads-up.

masterhiggins · Post by **masterhiggins** » Tue Sep 09, 2014 8:07 pm

I'm a casual TH fan. Listen to them on occasion when I'm randomizing playlists. However, I've never been a fan of David Byrne. He has a disproportionate amount of ego and "artiste" facade compared to actual talent.

-Sam

xoxos · Post by **xoxos** » Wed Sep 10, 2014 3:32 am

think i've seen his name associated with a couple of electronic pro-jects/-ducts.

imo the most notable i have not been able to find since.

iirc it is a collection of partly electronic/sequenced music from india, byrne is wearing a turban and moustache on the cover and has a producer credit?.

wouldn't mind finding that again. that, and that group that rerecorded paul's boutique in finnish..

how music works... sells books!

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Sep 10, 2014 3:09 pm

So his observations in a book amount to 'How Music Works' as a title?

I like two Talking Heads numbers more for the lyrics than the music. I remember when they were a brand new band and I saw them, I think it was late 1977, at Bogart's in Cinci. I found the entire thing just dull. I thought getting other musicians in the group was a good idea, but while a lot of people I otherwise may tend to agree with enjoy that stage act (cf., Adrian Belew), it never does anything to move me musically.

I want to like him because of 'This is not my beautiful house!' and 'This ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around'. So when he adopted the pose of Brazilian music for at least a record and a TV show via PBS, I hoped it was good. I always hope things are good. I saw the TV presentation. He can't sing a lick. It was completely fraudulent.

So he's kind of artistic! I don't think he knows how music works so much.

foosnark · Post by **foosnark** » Wed Sep 10, 2014 3:44 pm

It's not the most appropriate of titles, and I agree Byrne is not exactly a great singer. And he's worked a lot with Brian Eno, who (as a musician more so than a producer I guess) I also think of as being full of ideas but not actually resulting in stuff I want to listen to.

But the book has been entertaining, regardless.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Thu Sep 11, 2014 6:26 am

I think the title and the minimalist cover of the book are astute marketing devices. I can see it could be a good read for a moment.
I tend to agree with the 'artiste' poseur assessment, like he's floating way up here above caring about singing the tunes. No one seems to have much noticed in that one show how he was nowhere near the notes an alarmingly high percentage of the time, presenting himself as something he's not.

ccDuckett · Post by **ccDuckett** » Thu Sep 11, 2014 8:37 am

The book's a good read- got for a present last year; he does a good job of avoiding the "scattering pearls from the ivory tower" thing. I've enjoyed Talking Heads material more or less over the years, but "The Forest" did surprise me; he didn't absolutely fall flat on his face, which was what I'd predicted.. most of the time big vanity projects that far exceed a famous artist's musical grasp result in that, but he's got a knack for finding people that can see what he'd like to be able to do, and want to help him do it. It helps that he doesn't micromanage folks once he finds them. Somebody who knows exactly what they want, like a James Brown or Frank Zappa, can be exacting and succeed with it, but Byrne's more of a collaborative idea guy who likes fleshing out the details with others as things progress; the less input from others he's been willing to take on board, the less interesting his work's been.

aMUSEd · Post by **aMUSEd** » Thu Sep 11, 2014 8:56 am

I liked the Howard Goodall TV series with the same name:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/how- ... rd-goodall

SODDI · Post by **SODDI** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 7:24 pm

foosnark wrote:He doesn't seem to be aware of some aspects of electronic music, but that can be forgiven since it's really a small bubble in the music world and he's pretty knowledgeable about a lot of other things.

Byrne worked with Brian Eno on one of the most influential electronic albums ever - "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts".

So he's not up on the latest computer geegaw or gimcrack some "producer" is using. Big deal. He's mainly a guitarist. And he worked with THE god of the Minimoog - Bernie Worrell.

EDM is not the beginning and end of electronic music.

annode · Post by **annode** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 8:15 pm

I`m not a Byrne fan at all...but I do feel his work on "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" and the EP from B-52s "Mesopotamia" are both brilliantly created and I still listen to them. Byrne I believe is just producing on Mesopotamia, but I can strongly hear his style and influence on that recording. Anyway, would like to read about those sessions...but that`s about all the interest I have for Byrne. (I did live through the whole TH career, and did see them live once)

Winstontaneous · Post by **Winstontaneous** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:52 pm

I got the book when it came out, I really enjoyed it. I think it's aptly titled, Byrne talks about inspiration, the impact of technology, collaboration, recording, performance, and the logistics/economics of the modern music biz. Also I feel he's pretty candid about his own shortcomings/quirks, both as the head Talking Head, and regarding the process of trying on a bunch of different styles after the band broke up.

FWIW Byrne has said he is/was on the autism spectrum. I don't think his awkward persona was calculated - he's doing the best with what he's got.

Growing up in the '80s, "Remain in Light" was the album that alerted me to Brian Eno and made me wonder what exactly a producer did, because it didn't sound or feel like any album I'd heard before. And as a shy, awkward child perplexed by human interactions, the Talking Heads' lyrics really resonated with me - they examined human behavior from an almost anthropological perspective.

I saw Byrne twice on the "Everything that Happens Will Happen Today" tour (featuring music by Byrne & Eno), and it was great, not just musically but for the choreography. It's worth checking out the "Ride, Rise, Roar" video if you're a fan. IMO Byrne is one of the most underrated rock guitarists and and an excellent songwriter.

David Byrne book: "How Music Works"