IS IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, AND TODAY HE'S RELEASING
HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM IN OVER A DECADE.
PLEASE WELCOME DAVID BYRNE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪ ♪ ♪
( APPLAUSE ) HEY, NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> GOOD TO BE BACK.
>> Stephen: AS YOU KNOW, I'M A BIG FAN.
IT'S ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, NICE TO HEAR DAVID BYRNE.
I LOVE YOUR MUSIC.
DON'T GET TO TALK TO YOU AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE, AND I'M REALLY
EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM-- THIS WAY-- "AMERICAN UTOPIA."
THE FIRST TOLL SEOULO ALBUM IN 10 YEARS.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH YOURSELF FOR 10 YEARS?
>> I DID A COUPLE OF MUSICALS.
I DID ONE WITH IMELDA MARCOS.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A DICTATORIAL FAMILY RULE A
COUNTRY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THAT
YOU GO, "I'D LIKE TO WRITE A MUSICAL ABOUT THAT PERSON?"
>> OH, I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS EARLIER.
I WAS THINKING ABOUT JARED KUSHNER.
( LAUGHTER ) VERY UNLIKE --
>> Stephen: A JARED MUSICAL?
>> WELL, I WAS THINKING IF I HAD TO WRITE FROM HIS POINT OF
VIEW-- BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO WRITE FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW AND GET
THE AUDIENCE TO BUY INTO WHAT HE'S FEELING.
AND, OBVIOUSLY, HE HAS THE FACE OF STONE.
YOU DON'T SEE ANY -- >> Stephen: JUST A MASK.
>> JUST A STARE.
>> Stephen: OF INDIFFERENCE.
>> AND YOU GO BUT SOMETHING'S GOG IN THERE.
AND I THINK IT'S-- HIS THING IS "I DON'T WANT-- I CAN'T LET WHAT
HAPPENED TO MY DADDY HAPPEN TO ME."
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WHICH IS THAT HE WAS--
>> WENT TO JAIL.
>> Stephen: WENT TO JAIL.
>> DADDY WENT TO JAIL FOR DOING SOME BAD THINGS.
>> Stephen: RIGHT.
>> AND JARED-- IT'S LIKE A GREEK TRAGEDY.
( LAUGHTER ) EVERYTHING THAT JARED DOES TAKES
HIM CLOSER TO WHAT HAPPENED TO DADDY.
AND IT'S LIKE--
HE CAN'T STOP IT.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE, "EVERYTHING I DO, IT'S LIKE THIS MAGNET
PULLING ME INTO MY FATE, MY--" YOU KNOW, LIKE A GREEK TRAGEDY.
THE FATES ARE GOING, "YOU ARE GOING TO RELIVE YOUR FATHER'S
SINS."
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING.
SO HE'S GOT THIS TERRIBLE--
SORRY.
>> Stephen: NO, NO, I LOVE IT.
I'VE ALREADY BOUGHT A TOICT THIS MUSICAL.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: I'M IN THE FRONT ROW RIGHT NOW.
>> BUT JARED HAS THE FACE OF STONE SOMEHOW.
SO THE ACTING PART MUST BE HARD, I THINK.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
( LAUGHTER ) I UNDERSTAND THAT-- DO I HAVE
THIS RIGHT-- YOU'RE CATALOGING REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL UNDER
TRUMP.
I COULD USE SOME OF THOSE.
HONEST TO GOD, I THINK THAT'S A TOTALLY WORTHWHILE UNDERTAKING.
>> THIS IS QUITE SERIOUS.
YEAH, THIS IS A SERIOUS ENDEAVOR THAT I'M DOING.
AND, WELL, FOR INSTANCE, THERE'S A MAYOR IN A SMALL TOWN IN TEXAS
AIR, REPUBLICAN MAYOR WHO DECIDED TO HAVE HIS LITTLE TOWN
BE ENTIRELY ENERGY SUFFICIENT, ENERGY-- USING ALL RECYCLED
STUFF.
AND HE DID IT.
HE LOOKED.
IT'S OIL COUNTRY.
HE'S A REPUBLICAN.
OBVIOUSLY, HE WAS UNDER PRESSURE NOT TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY.
BUT HE LOOKED AT THE MATH, AND JUST SAID, "THIS IS WHAT MAKES
SENSE."
>> Stephen: THIS IS CHEAPER, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE IN OIL
COUNTRY.
>> THIS IS CHEAPER.
IN THE LONG RUN, THIS IS CHEAPER.
AND I THOUGHT THAT TO ME IS REALLY ENCOURAGING, THAT THERE
ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE BREAKING WITH--
( APPLAUSE ) BREAKING WITH PARTY, POLITICS--
WHETHER FROM THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT, DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN--
AND KIND OF DOING XAACTUALLY MAKES SENSE.
AND I THOUGHT THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE NOT A FAN OF NOSTALGIA, AND YOU DON'T LIKE
LOOKING BACKWARDS, BUT I WANTED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING ABOUT
TALKING HEADS.
IT'S ABOUT THE "STOP MAKING SENSE" TOUR IN 1984?
WASSA IN '84, '83?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: I WAS IN COLLEGE AT THE TIME, AND I WAS AN
ENORMOUS FAN.
AND I HAD TICKETS TO GO SEE THAT TOUR UP AT U.V.A.
I WAS AT A COLLEGE IN VIRGINIA, AND I HAD A PAPER DUE THE NEXT
DAY COMPARING THE OCCULT IMAGERY IN MARLO'S TAM BERLIN THE GREAT,
WITH THE OCCULT IMAGERY OF JULIUS CAESAR, BUT I HAD TO GO
SEE YOUR SHOW.
I HAD TO.
I HEAR IT WAS AMAZING.
SO AS WE'RE DRIVING OUT OF THE COLLEGE, ABOVE THE GATES OF THE
COLLEGE IT SAYS, IN LATIN, "ENTER AS BOYS.
LEAVE AS MEN."
AND I SAID, "STOP THE CAR," AND I GOT OUT.
I SAID, "SELL ME TICKET, I'M GOING TO WRITE MY PAPER."
AND I THOUGHT A BOY WOULD GO TO THE CONS EXPERT A MAN WOULD
WRITE HIS PAPER.
AND I ALWAYS WONDERED IF I MADE A MISTAKE.
DAVID BYRNE, NO PRESSURE, BUT DID I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE?
>> WHAT-- WHAT DID YOUR FRIENDS SAY?
DID THEY SAY -- >> Stephen: THEY SAID YOU'RE--
"NO, YOU'RE THE SUM TOTAL OF YOUR EXPERIENCES.
THIS IS AN EXPERIENCE YOU NEED TO HAVE.
YOU CAN GO WRITE YOUR PAPER ANY TIME.
THIS IS AN EXPERIENCE YOU WILL NEVER HAVE AGAIN."
>> WELL, THEY'RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT, LISTEN, WE'RE GOING TO DO
SOMETHING LATER IN THE SHOW WHERE I THINK, WHERE I THINK YOU
CAN TURN TO YOUR FRIENDS AND GO, "UH-HUH.
SEE?" >> Stephen: COULD I?
>> YEAH!
I THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GO, "SEE?"
"SEE WHAT HAPPENED?" >> Stephen: I CAN'T-- I CAN'T
WAIT TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT.
( LAUGHTER ) WELL, DAVID, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
I CAN'T WAIT TO RUB IT IN THER FACE.
>> Stephen: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY
DAVID BYRNE.