In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, David Byrne discussed a host of topics, however a Talking Heads reunion was not among them.
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The former alt-art rock bandleader sat down with CBS‘s Serena Altschul for an interview featuring a variety of topics such as Byrne’s Broadway show American Utopia, his recent U.S. citizenship, Talking Heads, Reasons To Be Cheerful, and his outlook on life. However, Altschul steered clear of asking Byrne about that mysterious Talking Heads Instagram account.
Even though Byrne’s Broadway production, American Utopia, is named after his 2018 solo album, the show features many songs familiar to even the most casual fan. The show’s live album boasts Talking Heads classics such as “This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)”, “Once In A Lifetime”, “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)” and more.
Byrne also looked back on his childhood and how he was affected after immigrating to the United States from Scotland at age 8.
“I felt like a bit of an outsider,” Byrne said. “But then I realized the world was made up of people who were all different. But we’re all here.”
Unfortunately, Byrne was never quite able to shake that outsider feeling, even as his celebrity skyrocketed during Talking Heads’ heyday. While he became more and more outlandish onstage, the minute he stepped out from under those lights, he still retreated inward, but that’s over now.
“We can change. Thank god we can change.”
Perhaps something that contributed to that outsider feeling was that Byrne spent nearly six decades in the United States without becoming a naturalized citizen, a problem he remedied in 2012. However, the reasoning was less than patriotic.
“Because I was busted,” Byrne said. “I firmly believed that green card holders could vote in elections as long as they didn’t vote for president, and I did it for many years.” It is unclear in what Civics class Byrne learned this. “See, they were right. There was a lot of voter fraud.”
However, it was that same sense of civic duty in response to global events that inspired Byrne to commit voter fraud for decades that also spurred him to create Reasons To Be Cheerful. The online publication, as its name suggests, offers readers a positive spin on the state of the world with uplifting stories that go unnoticed in major publications. Meanwhile, Byrne still ponders his own outlook on life.
“Is my innate nature joyful and optimistic? Or, I think this is maybe more likely, that I love working with these musicians so much. I love performing. I love what I’m doing. I love the message we’re putting across. That that gives me optimism.”
Watch the full David Byrne interview with CBS Sunday Morning below.
On Broadway: David Byrne And “American Utopia”
[Video: CBS Sunday Morning]
David Byrne’s American Utopia is set to end its run on Broadway in February. Tickets are available here.