David Byrne

making sense

when did it stop being a byrne/eno collaboration and start being a David byrne record?

With the earlier record Brian had fairly full instrumental tracks done. With this one he mainly had drum programs fed through an algorithm that he and a friend had made. Writing over these, the songs came quickly and I proceeded to add more players and instruments and shape the tracks as I felt the songs themselves were dictating. Around that point, Brian offered that it had become my record.

You seem very concerned with the state of american politics – is that an accurate reading?

These songs were written two years ago, so they are not a reaction to The Donald, but to the world that gave birth to him. I believe we are following a path that was begun in the ’80s. Obama may have been a stopgap, but the juggernaut rolled on. Trump is a symptom of that… Fox, Reagan and many others created a place for him.

You have been exploring reasons to be cheerful on your website. Do you just not see the point in protest songs or do you have bigger fish to fry?

Protest songs unify a community, to help create solidarity, but they don’t change minds. Movies, TV shows and novels might do that, though. A soap opera is changing Indian attitudes about women, a game show is helping with corruption in Africa. That said, my favourite protest song in recent years was Janelle Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout”.