“I Was a Little Tyrant”: David Byrne Speaks About Talking Heads Split

August 18, 2023

David Byrne has opened up about the breakup of former band Talking Heads in a new interview with People, telling the publication that when he was younger he was not “pleasant to be around”. The songwriter also revealed he has “regrets” about how the band’s sudden breakup in 1992 was handled.

“I don’t think I did it in the best way, but I think it was kind of inevitable that would happen anyway,” Byrne told People. “We have a cordial relationship now. We’re sort of in touch, but we don’t hang out together.”

Talking Heads: ‘Road To Nowhere’

“As a younger person, I was not as pleasant to be around,” Byrne admitted. “When I was working on some Talking Heads shows, I was more of a little tyrant. And then I learned to relax, and I also learned that collaborating with people, both sides get more if there’s a good relationship instead of me telling everybody what to do.”

“I think [the end] wasn’t handled well. It was kind of ugly,” he added.

Byrne founded the band in the early 1970s with drummer Chris Frantz – the band was later rounded out by Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison – and they would go on to release eight studio albums, becoming one of the most influential acts of the era. Byrne reportedly walked away from the band with little warning in 1992, with left the remaining members confused and angry.

It was recently announced that the members of Talking Heads would be reuniting on stage for the first time in more than two decades for a special screening of their classic concert film Stop Making Sense. The band will come together for a Q&A session hosted by filmmaker Spike Lee at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

It’s all happening because production house A24 are releasing a special 4K restoration of the film in honour of its 40th anniversary. The film will be released on Thursday, 22nd September, while a deluxe edition of the soundtrack is due out this Friday, 18th August.