Talking Heads
David Byrne – Vocals & Guitar, Tina Weymouth – Bass
Jerry Harrison – Guitar/Keyboards & Chris Frantz – Drums
Let’s face it Talking Heads were not in the remotest sense punky either fashion or music-wise. But like similar unpunky bands such as The Police and Elvis Costello in the UK, they would have been unlikely to achieve the success they did without punk. Plus they were part of that of that loose disparate collection of bands that played places like CBGB’s that could range from Blondie to The Ramones to Television to The Cramps to the Dead Boys to Richard Hell.
“We used to complain bitterly that we weren’t punk…I think we fitted in because our music was stripped down and unconventional in that it didn’t match any radio formats, so it was a reaction against everything that was going on around us in the commercial music world.”
David Byrne 2004 – http://www.contactmusic.com
Formed for their own amusement at the Rhode Island School of design by Frantz, Weymouth and the itinerant Byrne as The Artistics in 1974. The trio moved to New York in early 1975 becoming part of the nascent CBGB’s scene along with Television, Patti Smith and Blondie. In fact their first gig was supporting The Ramones at CBGB’s and was one of those strange combinations that worked (or didn’t!) as Talking Heads would often support The Ramones.
“On our second trip over in ’77 it was us and Talking Heads…Erics…I don’t think The Heads went down too well there – too rowdy a bunch, they wanted to rumble with the Ramones. Talking Heads were too intellectual for that crowd.”
Joey Ramone, 1998 Flash Bang Wallop!, Ian Dickson
With a fast rising, though quirky reputation, fuelled by the local press they signed with Sire in early 1977 and debuted with Love Goes To Buildings On Fire. They were now a quartet with Jerry Harrison from the Modern Lovers joining them.
Their punkiest moments came with Talking Heads 77 and punk anthem Psycho killer (Byrne’s attempt to write a song in the style of Alice Cooper). In Feb ’78 they released their second Eno produced album, More Songs About Buildings And Food, which made the top 30 in both the US and UK. The album was quirky, funky and playful. It also displayed the world music influences that would be expanded on later in their career.
Talking Heads later went on to become massive across the world.
“When we were performing at CBGB’s alongside Television, The Ramones, Patti Smith, and Blondie, there was never any doubt in my mind that something unforgettable was going on,” he (Frantz) recalled,“ To me it was obvious that history was in the making; in no small part thanks to Hilly Kristal who owned CBGBs and gave these bands a stage to play on when no one else would.”
Chris Frantz, 2004, Track It Down
Check out as well the pivotal Fear Of Music album (1979) with Drugs (written after reading about Joy Division but never hearing them) and Memories Can Wait that saw them almost go more indie/post punk than funk based but we all know which route they took.
TalkPunk
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