After not talking to each other for a long time, the Talking Heads will finally meet again. They will come together for the first time in 21 years since they were put into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Do keep one thing in mind, dear readers, the band is not coming together for a big comeback tour or a performance at Coachella next year. Instead, they will be seen together at a special event celebrating the 40th anniversary of their movie, “Stop Making Sense,” at the Toronto International Film Festival. After the event, Spike Lee will lead a discussion where they will answer questions.
Since the Speaking in Tongues tour ended in early 1984, the Talking Heads have not performed a concert together. However, they kept making music in the 1980s. The only time they played live was on July 17, 1989.
The Tom Tom Club, which included Talking Heads member Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth, had a show at Ritz in New York. During that show, David Byrne and guitarist Jerry Harrison joined them on stage to perform “Psycho Killer.”
What is the problem with the Talking Heads member?
Over the last 20 years, Weymouth and Frantz have been vocal about their dislike of Byrne. In 2004, Weymouth said David couldn’t be good friends and ended relationships when he felt they were no longer useful or that he felt his ego was being challenged.
In 2020, Frantz wrote, “Remain in Love.” It deals primarily with his long marriage to Weymouth but also examines the band’s many problems over the years. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine that year, he was asked if the Talking Heads could get back together. Frantz said it would be nice if that happened, especially since all of the band members are still alive, unlike some of their peers.
He described a conversation he had with David about a possible meeting. David said he needed time to think and would call her back. Frantz agreed. This happened on Friday night. But the following Monday, David sent an email to make something clear: he would never approve another Talking Heads session and asked Frantz to give it back. This email was sent in 2023.
Byrne’s actions didn’t make matters any better. He decided to do a show called “American Utopia” for Broadway, where he a lot of the group’s popular songs. Frantz wanted to attend the show, but he did not want to go there uninvited because he thought it was weird. He believes that a Broadway show would not have been successful if the Talking Heads musical was not included in it.
Harrison and Byrne’s relationship
Compared to Weymouth and Frantz, Harrison and Byrne have been good friends. Now he’s performing the album “Remain in Light” on tour with guitarist Adrian Bellew. In a Rolling Stone interview in 2020, Harrison said that he and David have a friendly relationship.
When in New York, he calls David and asks if he wants to have dinner together. They may not always agree on everything about the band’s history or other things, but that doesn’t stop them from working well together.
Byrne’s decision to be seen in public with his old bandmates will generate a lot of interest and could lead to talk of a possible reunion tour. It’s easy to imagine Live Nation, a major music label, giving them a lot of money for a tour like this. They are one of the rare and very famous bands that are no longer active, but all members are still alive and well.
However, the odds of this reunion taking place are still quite small. Byrne just does not want it to happen.
