Quotes by David Byrne

About David Byrne:

David Byrne is a Scottish-born American musician who was a founding member, principal songwriter, and lead singer and guitarist of the American new wave band Talking Heads, active between 1975 and 1991.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

I try to devote my afternoons to making music in my home studio, but it's a lot more fun hanging out with musicians and friends, and trying subtly to influence a band than making your own stuff.

David Byrne

Doing the box set is one of those things where you get to rewrite your own history to some extent. We could take out some of the songs that we felt weren't as strong as some of the others, so you look better.

David Byrne

You can know or not know how a car runs and still enjoy riding in a car.

David Byrne

On a bike, being just slightly above pedestrian and car eye level, one gets a perfect view of the goings-on in one's own town.

David Byrne

There's a certain amount of freedom involved in cycling: you're self-propelled and decide exactly where to go. If you see something that catches your eye to the left, you can veer off there, which isn't so easy in a car, and you can't cover as much g...

David Byrne

I never listen to the radio unless I rent a car.

David Byrne

I don't listen to the radio very much, but that could be because I don't have a car.

David Byrne

The true face of smoking is disease, death and horror - not the glamour and sophistication the pushers in the tobacco industry try to portray.

David Byrne

The voting booth joint is a great leveler; the whole neighborhood - rich, poor, old, young, decrepit and spunky - they all turn out in one day.

David Byrne

I'm concerned that my technical skills have advanced to the point where I can get closer to what I'm aiming for, which is not such a good thing.

David Byrne

Cycling can be lonely, but in a good way. It gives you a moment to breathe and think, and get away from what you're working on.

David Byrne

The imminent demise of the large record companies as gatekeepers of the world's popular music is a good thing, for the most part.

David Byrne

Yeah, I like to keep myself interested - I'll kind of throw myself into some area that I don't completely know or understand, that I'm not adept at, so I'm forced to swim in order to stay afloat. There's a good feeling that comes from that.

David Byrne

I don't think people are going to switch over to bikes because it's good for them or because it's politically correct. They're going to do it because it gets them from A to B faster.

David Byrne

When I was in high school, there were these British blues-rock-type bands with really good guitar players that would jam on one song for half an hour. And as much as I was amazed by some of those guitar players, seeing them prompted me to make a note...

David Byrne

There's more good music being made now than ever before.

David Byrne

I cycled when I was at high school, then reconnected with bikes in New York in the late '70s. It was a good way of getting around the clubs and galleries of the Lower East Side and Soho.

David Byrne

I've noticed a lot of younger artists have less fear of doing different sorts of things, whether it's various types of music, or gallery artists moving between video and sculpture and drawing.

David Byrne

Why not invest in the future of music, instead of building fortresses to preserve its past?

David Byrne

Life tends to be an accumulation of a lot of mundane decisions, which often gets ignored.

David Byrne

The assumption is that your personal life has to be a mess to create, but how much chaos can you allow in before it takes over?

David Byrne

Author Bio

  • NameDavid Byrne
  • DescriptionScottish alternative rock musician and promoter of world music
  • BornMay 14, 1952
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionFilm Producer; Composer; Actor; Singer; Screenwriter; Musician; Writer; Bicycle Racer
  • AwardsAcademy Award For Best Original Score; Webby Lifetime Achievement Award