David Byrne Says Talking Heads Reunion Would Be A “Steps Backwards”

It’s been 25 years since US icons Talking Heads went their separate ways, and while other members of the band have expressed interest in a reunion over the years, it seems driving force David Byrne still can’t justify going down that path.

Prolific to no end, the founding member and internationally acclaimed muso said in a recent interview with The Creative Independent that while a Talking Heads union would be “incredibly successful for a specific generation, or maybe for many generations", it would come at a cost.

“It would make me a lot of money and get a lot of attention,” Byrne said.

“It would also probably be quite a number of steps backwards as far as being perceived as someone who does a lot of different things.”

Having penned books, scored films and even worked on a musical about Joan Of Arc in recent years, Byrne went on to say, “You can’t have it all.”

“I feel like I have to sacrifice something, whether it’s money or name recognition or whatever, in order to be able to do a little bit more of what I’d want to do.”

The band produced eight widely acclaimed records during existence their final LP, Naked, dropping in 1988 before they split in ’91.

The last time Talking Heads performed together was at their 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.