Name: Talking Heads’ David Byrne Explains How He Came Up With The Giant Suit | Letterman
Uploaded: 2022-03-04T22:28:53.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Talking Heads’ David Byrne Explains How He Came Up With The Giant Suit | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-03-04. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Talking Heads’ David Byrne Explains How He Came Up With The Giant Suit | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-03-04. Transcript available.

- Thank you very much, and welcome back to the program.
My next guest was here once before
with his band, Talking Heads,
and it's a pleasure to have him back.
He and the band are the stars of a great new film
called "Stop Making Sense."
From Talking Heads, please welcome David Byrne.
Hi, David.
- Hi. - Nice to be here, sir.
- Yeah.
How long ago were you here before, you and the band?
A long time, wasn't it?
- I think it was at least a year.
- About a year, nice to have you back again.
- Nice to be here.
- I saw the movie two days ago.
It's really terrific.
- I heard you saw it all by yourself.
- I did, it was, it was any,
well, no, it was not because of poor turnout or anything.
It was, they were kind enough to let me come in early,
and it was great, I really enjoyed it.
Explain what we saw there, "Stop Making Sense."
That's the title, what does it mean?
- It's, it's good advice.
- Mm-hmm.
- It's, it's, it's advice not to be rational all the time.
- Yeah.
And this movie was your idea for a concert film?
- Yeah, I wanted to capture the, the show.
- Mm-hmm.
- And the director, Jonathan Demme approached us
at one point and said he'd like to direct it and film it.
- Yeah, you're a, you're a very interesting performer to watch,
in addition to the music being terrific,
but you're very interesting to watch you do.
It's going to sound strange, but, well,
like I'm telling you what you do, but,
you know, you, you do peculiar things on stage.
- I was, I've been reading about that.
- Is, for example, what we just saw there in the clip,
banging yourself in the, sometimes, should I demonstrate?
- Please do.
- Sometimes I, I actually hit myself on the head
and sometimes I fake it.
- Uh-huh.
- This is a, if I really do it, you can hear a sound.
If I don't, it doesn't make as much of a sound,
but it looks about the same, I think.
- It looks about the same.
But I'm guessing unless the audience actually hears the sound,
they feel cheated, don't they?
- Yeah, you bet.
- Uh, in, in the opening of the, of the film,
when you come out and you, you do the song,
they feel cheated, don't they?
- Yeah, you bet.
- Uh, in, in the opening of the, uh, of the film,
when you come out and you, you do the song,
and then, uh, while they're moving other elements onto the stage,
you kinda, you walk around the, the stage,
sort of stumbling and weaving.
- You don't want me to do that now, do you?
- No, no, no, but, but again, why, what, what is that exactly?
Why are you doing that?
- It's the, the music is, uh, hitting me.
I mean, I'm serious, that's what it feels like.
- Yeah.
- Uh, it happened the first time in a rehearsal
where I have the, the tape that I play.
I mean, I'm serious, that's what it feels like.
- Yeah.
- Uh, it happened the first time in a rehearsal
there's a tape that I play on that little tape player.
- Yeah.
- And that provides the rhythm track.
And at some point, I, I programmed in for it
to do little drum fills, but I'd forgotten when they happened.
- Uh-huh.
- And so, whenever the, when they, I'm playing along and singing,
then these things would happen, and I felt like I was being slugged.
- Uh-huh.
- I've kind of reeled back.
- Yeah.
- Whoa, there goes another one.
- Yeah.
You know, you, you mentioned the rhythm on the, on the, uh, the video,
or on the, the audio tape you use there, but, uh, that's, that's really a, uh,
a very exciting part of your music is the, uh, I don't know exactly how to
describe it,
but it's a rich texture of rhythms you don't normally hear in music, right?
- Gosh, thanks.
- Thank you.
- You gotta be very happy.
This is a swell piece of work here.
- I am.
I'm pretty happy about it.
- Explain the giant, the jumbo suit.
- Family size.
I, uh, it was an inspiration I had when I was in Japan.
And, uh, a man over there told me, you know, in the theater,
everything should be a little bit bigger than real life.
Uh-huh.
And he was referring to, I think, gestures and the way you talk and whatnot.
And I thought, oh, well, that solves my costume problem right there.
- Sure.
- Well, it, uh, again, visually, it's very effective.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
Uh, what are you working on now?
- I'm, I'm working on another, uh, I suppose it's a film project.
- Mm-hmm.
- It's, it's taking, uh, characters and music and, uh, pictures
and putting them all together.
And it could take the form of a film.
- All right.
- All right.
Well, we'll, we'll look forward to that.
Uh, the, uh, now the, is the movie and release all over the country?
- No, it's gradually getting all over.
- All right.
Well, if it, uh, comes to your neighborhood, uh, by all means,
have a, have a look at it.
It's terrific.
Uh, and the album, of course, stopped making sense.
Uh, Talking Heads.
Uh, nice to see you again, David.
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much for your time.
- We got applause here for, uh, Station Identification, but we'll be right back,
folks.
Stay right there, David.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.