Song and Circumstance

This is the first book to offer a full account of Byrne''s sprawling artistic portfolio. The account of Byrne''s career while told in roughly chronological order is ordered by choosing a specific abstract approach or a combination of two approaches for each chapter discussing the parallels and contradictions between such approaches to benefit the interpretation of Byrne''s art. This is the first book to offer a full account of Byrne''s sprawling artistic portfolio. David Byrne''s work functions almost completely through the mass media - in popular music experimental theatre film television fine art and writing. The underlying connection is a conceptual approach to both high and popular art. Byrne has always accompanied his work with a stream of conceptual reflections by developing a loose theoretical patchwork of ideas on music ritual culture and myth reading widely in anthropology socio-biology neurology ethnomusicology art theory media theory comparative mythology and more. Based on the fame he gained with his band Talking Heads (1977-circa 1989) Byrne is able to enter into collaborations with many artists some of popular fame - Brian Eno Jonathan Demme - many known best in more specialized artistic circles - Joseph Kosuth (conceptual artist) Caetano Veloso (Brazilian singer/songwriter of Tropicalismo fame). The map of collaborations including the casual and incidental ones reveals an ongoing effort to combine avant-gardism with popular appeal. While Byrne developed his career in a pragmatic way grasping opportunities for collaboration when they presented themselves this theoretical patchwork is a constant factor. The account of Byrne''s career while told in roughly chronological order is ordered by choosing a specific abstract approach or a combination of two approaches for each chapter discussing the parallels and contradictions between such approaches to benefit the interpretation of Byrne''s art. As a result the fertile conceptual brew that characterizes Byrne''s way of making art is present from the beginning while each chapter adds to a thorough insight.