Has there ever been a group like Talking Heads? Jonathan Gould’s Burning Down The House explores their affluent background, the root of their ambition and the springboard of the New York scene of the late ‘70s (he was a regular at CBGB). Along with …

... the romanticised image of CBGB and the reality

… their black music roots: “the same instrumentation as Booker T & the MGs”

… the influence of the Modern Lovers: “Jonathan Richman and Byrne were both oddballs, appealing but peculiar”

… how the economy of New York’s real estate let them rent a 2,000 square foot loft for $289 a month

… bands from affluent backgrounds take greater commercial risks: “there was always a Plan B”

… the art-school drop-out lineage that began John Lennon and Keith Richards

… how different they were from the CBGBs acts, a band that sang verses in French and “didn’t dress like the New York Dolls”

… the band’s dynamic, Chris and Tina “effectively one person”

... did Byrne really make Tina Weymouth “re-audition”?

… the success of the Tom Tom Club and the tension that caused

… Byrne’s invention of his own “white choreography”

… Stop Making Sense, as big a part of their legacy as any album

… and why there can never be a reunion

Mentioned in dispatches: Brian Eno, Adrian Belew, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Ramone and Fela Kuti.

Order ‘Burning Down The House’ here:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/9780063022980

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