S6 EP5: David Byrne on clashes in Talking Heads, neurodivergence, and culture wars

Louis sits down with David Byrne, the musician, author and iconic frontman of Talking Heads. David tells Louis about personality clashes within the band, how his neurodivergence plays a role in his music, and being at the centre of a culture-war storm. Plus, they discuss whether Donald Trump stole his ‘big suit’. Warnings: Strong language and adult themes. Links/Attachments: Book: Bicycle Diaries, David Byrne (2009) https://www.waterstones.com/book/bicycle-diaries/david-byrne/9780571371266 Album: Who Is The Sky, David Byrne (2025) https://open.spotify.com/album/5xDqZQlSx2gRrAyAgHQ8AB Song: ‘The Book I Read’, Talking Heads (1977) https://open.spotify.com/track/4OT7Ndu29Z7JfhwRS2iCJX Song: ‘That’s the Way (I Like It), KC & The Sunshine Band (1994) https://open.spotify.com/track/0RQTbMBgSq7xgdZSHFZg4R Book: ‘An Anthropologist on Mars’, Oliver Sacks (1995) https://www.oliversacks.com/oliver-sacks-books/an-anthropologist-on-mars/ Song: ‘She Explains Things To Me’, David Byrne (2025) https://open.spotify.com/album/5f6f5JMGxgNa0LAJqtaUXY Song: ‘Psycho Killer’, Talking Heads (1977) https://open.spotify.com/track/7dSCxR4LqkmxoBrq9MzVSD Artist: Randy Newman https://open.spotify.com/artist/3HQyFCFFfJO3KKBlUfZsyW Artist: Alice Cooper https://open.spotify.com/artist/3EhbVgyfGd7HkpsagwL9GS Album: Talking Heads 77, Talking Heads (1977) https://open.spotify.com/album/0r7o2FeARRr23EZ0TJ0a8S Artist: Ramones https://open.spotify.com/artist/1co4F2pPNH8JjTutZkmgSm Artist: The Clash https://open.spotify.com/artist/3RGLhK1IP9jnYFH4BRFJBS Artist: Sex Pistols https://open.spotify.com/artist/1u7kkVrr14iBvrpYnZILJR 2002 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Talking Heads performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBr0FJsDk1g Stop Making Sense (1984) https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/stop-making-sense/umc.cmc.4qcn1p5rridjzo742xirf9j8m The Silence of the Lambs (1991) https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/the-silence-of-the-lambs/umc.cmc.vo1hrvp25kr64fq8irp5jx75?action=play True Stories (2016) https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/true-stories/umc.cmc.7ffwwfhraf765c0l9l1v7a4tw?action=play Weekly World News: https://weeklyworldnews.com/ David’s online magazine: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/ Credits: Producer: Millie Chu Assistant Producer: Artemis Irvine Production Manager: Francesca Bassett Music: Miguel D’Oliveira Audio Mixer: Tom Guest Video Mixer: Scott Edwards Shownotes compiled by Elly Young Executive Producer: Arron Fellows A Mindhouse Production for Spotify www.mindhouse.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices