The Zane Lowe Interview Series David Byrne
Mar 3, 2022
David Byrne, Grammy-winning musician and founding member of the band Talking Heads, discusses his Broadway musical 'American Utopia', collaborating with Spike Lee on the film adaptation, and his love for collaborations in music.
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Presence Shapes Performance
- David Byrne prioritizes being present and responsive during performance rather than reciting lines by rote.
- He treats live shows as living interactions where audience response shapes the moment.
A Half-Awake Drumline Vision
- American Utopia began from a half-awake image of multiple drummers moving forward as one rhythm.
- Byrne imagined splitting percussion parts across players to create a communal, tribal energy on stage.
Stage Layout Becomes Spatial Sound
- Byrne designed the stage separation of players to create an enveloping, spatial sound experience.
- That physical separation translated naturally into a Spatial Audio mix for listening at home.