S6 EP5: David Byrne on clashes in Talking Heads, neurodivergence, and culture wars
The Louis Theroux Podcast
Songwriting as Construction, Not Inspiration
Byrne outlines his craft view: building songs to trigger emotions rather than waiting for inspiration to strike.
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:
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
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