S6 EP5: David Byrne on clashes in Talking Heads, neurodivergence, and culture wars

The Louis Theroux Podcast

Spotify Studios

Comedy, Arts, Society & Culture

4.1 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Louis sits down with David Byrne, the musician, author and iconic frontman of Talking Heads. David tells Louis about personality clashes within the band, how his neurodivergence plays a role in his music, and being at the centre of a culture-war storm. Plus, they discuss whether Donald Trump stole his ‘big suit’. Warnings: Strong language and adult themes. Links/Attachments: Book: Bicycle Diaries, David Byrne (2009) https://www.waterstones.com/book/bicycle-diaries/david-byrne/9780571371266 Album: Who Is The Sky, David Byrne (2025) https://open.spotify.com/album/5xDqZQlSx2gRrAyAgHQ8AB Song: ‘The Book I Read’, Talking Heads (1977) https://open.spotify.com/track/4OT7Ndu29Z7JfhwRS2iCJX Song: ‘That’s the Way (I Like It), KC & The Sunshine Band (1994) https://open.spotify.com/track/0RQTbMBgSq7xgdZSHFZg4R Book: ‘An Anthropologist on Mars’, Oliver Sacks (1995) https://www.oliversacks.com/oliver-sacks-books/an-anthropologist-on-mars/ Song: ‘She Explains Things To Me’, David Byrne (2025) https://open.spotify.com/album/5f6f5JMGxgNa0LAJqtaUXY Song: ‘Psycho Killer’, Talking Heads (1977) https://open.spotify.com/track/7dSCxR4LqkmxoBrq9MzVSD Artist: Randy Newman https://open.spotify.com/artist/3HQyFCFFfJO3KKBlUfZsyW Artist: Alice Cooper https://open.spotify.com/artist/3EhbVgyfGd7HkpsagwL9GS Album: Talking Heads 77, Talking Heads (1977) https://open.spotify.com/album/0r7o2FeARRr23EZ0TJ0a8S Artist: Ramones https://open.spotify.com/artist/1co4F2pPNH8JjTutZkmgSm Artist: The Clash https://open.spotify.com/artist/3RGLhK1IP9jnYFH4BRFJBS Artist: Sex Pistols https://open.spotify.com/artist/1u7kkVrr14iBvrpYnZILJR 2002 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Talking Heads performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBr0FJsDk1g Stop Making Sense (1984) https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/stop-making-sense/umc.cmc.4qcn1p5rridjzo742xirf9j8m The Silence of the Lambs (1991) https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/the-silence-of-the-lambs/umc.cmc.vo1hrvp25kr64fq8irp5jx75?action=play True Stories (2016) https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/true-stories/umc.cmc.7ffwwfhraf765c0l9l1v7a4tw?action=play Weekly World News: https://weeklyworldnews.com/ David’s online magazine: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/ Credits: Producer: Millie Chu  Assistant Producer: Artemis Irvine Production Manager: Francesca Bassett  Music: Miguel D’Oliveira  Audio Mixer: Tom Guest Video Mixer: Scott Edwards Shownotes compiled by Elly Young Executive Producer: Arron Fellows     A Mindhouse Production for Spotify  www.mindhouse.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	1212. Are we rolling?
0:07.2	Hello there, welcome to the Louis Theroux podcast.
0:20.5	Today I'm sitting down with New Wave Pioneer and Cultural Polymath.
0:26.1	He's basically a singer, okay? Let's not overcomplicate it. David Byrne.
0:30.9	David is perhaps best known as the founding member and lead singer, I said that, of the brilliant Talking Heads, originally formed in the mid-70s
0:38.4	in New York. Talking Heads became known for their distinctive blend of punk, art, rock, and world
0:43.6	music influences. They were part of that whole downtown New York scene. Blondie, Patty Smith,
0:52.2	television, Richard Helen, the Voidoids.
0:55.7	I'm getting quite far off-peased.
0:58.1	But a seminal moment in the culture that also had an influence, I think, on the UK punk scene.
1:06.7	They're big hits.
1:07.8	You'll know, Psycho Killer, we talk about that.
1:09.8	This must be the place.
1:11.1	Brackets, naive melody.
1:15.0	That's not going to help.
1:16.8	Once in a lifetime, doom do do, do do do do. I think I'm getting the bass line a bit wrong.
1:24.3	Burning down the house.
1:27.0	These will all be featured on the forthcoming covers album
1:29.4	that I've mentioned before. And many others. Since the band broke up in the early 90s,
1:34.7	David's continued a prolific solo career, releasing numerous albums, composing soundtracks,
1:40.0	and collaborating with a wide range of artists, from iconic producer Brian Eno to American songwriter St. Vincent.
1:48.0	I listened to some of his solo stuff in preparation for the chat,
	...

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