THIS IS EXCITING, EVERYBODY.
OUR NEXT GUEST IS AN INCREDIBLE MUSICIAN, ARTIST, FILMMAKER AND
WRITER AND A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE BAND "TALKING HEADS."
HIS SPIKE LEE DIRECTED MUSICAL DOCUMENTARY, "AMERICAN UTOPIA,"
IS OUT NOW ON HBO MAX.
THE SUPREMELY TALENTED, DAVID BYRNE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> THANK YOU!
>> James: HOW ARE YOU, DAVID?
WHAT A PLEASURE.
SO NICE TO SEE YOU.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE HERE WHO ARE INCREDIBLY EXCITED THAT YOU
ARE JOINING US ON THE SHOW.
NOW, YOU'RE IN NEW YORK CITY RIGHT NOW, WHICH, LAST WEEK,
PRESIDENT TRUMP DESCRIBED AS A GHOST TOWN.
WOULD YOU AGREE WITH HIS ASSESSMENT, YOU'RE THERE, YOU'RE
IN IT, HOW IS IT IN NEW YORK RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, AS MAYBE SOME PEOPLE HAVE HEARD, NO, IT'S NOT A GHOST
TOWN, THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE OUT, AND THEY'RE WEARING THEIR
MASKS, MOST OF THEM.
THE RESTAURANTS HERE, AS THE COLD WEATHER'S COMING IN, THEY
USED TO HAVE EVERYBODY DINING al-FRESCO, WHICH THEY STILL
HAVE, BUT NOW THEY'VE TURNED THEM INTO LITTLE SHACKS.
SO THE STREETS ARE LINED WITH CUTE LITTLE SHACKS WITH LITTLE
FAIRY LIGHTS AND PLANTS AND THINGS, BUT IT'S KIND OF A
SHANTY TOWN, BUT IT'S VERY NICE.
IT'S A CUTE SHANTY TOWN.
>> James: NOW, IN RESPONSE TO HOW FRAGMENTED THE COUNTRY IS AT
THE MOMENT, YOU LAUNCHED A PROGRAM CALLED WE ARE NOT
DIVIDED, AND FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS TO SEARCH THIS OUT, IT'S
COMPLETELY WORTHY OF YOUR TIME.
YOU WROTE ABOUT A BIKE TRIP THAT YOU TOOK TO STATEN ISLAND WHICH
IS THE ONLY BOROUGH IN NEW YORK CITY WHO VETTED FOR TRUMP.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ON THAT TRIP?
>> I INVITED SOME FRIENDS TO COME ALONG.
I LIKE INVITING FRIENDS FOR BIKE TRIPS.
I SAID, WE'RE GOING TO GO TO -- IT'S KIND OF TRUMP TERRITORY BUT
ALSO THE LAND OF THE WU TANG.
SO SEE IF YOU CAN WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND THAT.
AND I REALLY LOVED IT.
AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS I SAW THIS LARGE SRI LANKAN COMMUNITY
THERE.
THERE'S AN AREA DESIGNATED AS THE WU TANG DISTRICT.
THERE'S A GUY WHO PAINTS FLAGS ON THE SIDE OF BUILDINGS AND
THINGS LIKET THAT, AND HE'S A TRUMP SUPPORTER, BUT HE SAID I
WOULD NEVER DO A CONFEDERATE FLAG BECAUSE I THINK THIS
COUNTRY SHOULD BE FOR EVERYONE, ALL THE IMMIGRANTS AND PEOPLE
WHO LIVE HERE.
SO I THOUGHT THINGS ARE NOT AS SIMPLE AND BLACK AND WHITE AS I
MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT THEY WERE.
I HAD ALL THESE PRECONCEIVED IDEAS ABOUT STATEN ISLAND AND I
WAS MISTAKEN ON A LOT OF THIS.
>> James: I DO THINK IT'S OFTEN WORTH, WHENEVER YOU CAN,
TO OPEN YOURSELF UP TO THOSE EXPERIENCES, TO THOSE
ENCOUNTERS, PARTICULARLY TODAY WITH THE WAY THAT WE CONSUME
NEWS AND MEDIA, SOME OF IT CAN BE SO DIVISIVE, BUT, ACTUALLY,
GOING TO SPEAK TO PEOPLE CAN REALLY BRING ABOUT A SENSE OF
OPTIMISM, I FIND.
WOULD YOU AGREE?
>> YEAH, IT DEFINITELY CHANGED MYOPINIONS.
I THOUGHT, NO, THINGS WERE A LOT MORE NUANCED, A LOT MORE
COMPLICATED THAN I THOUGHT THEY WERE, WHICH MAKES ME VERY
HELPFUL.
>> James: NOW, WE HAVE TO CALCULATE YOU ON AMERICAN UTOPIA
WHICH IS A FILM OF YOUR BROADWAY SHOW WHICH IS DIRECTED BY SPIKE
LEE.
FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW, EXPLAIN TO US WHAT THIS IS.
>> IT'S A SHOW THAT EVOLVED OUT OF A CONCERT TOUR THAT WE DID.
WE TOOK IT TO BROADWAY AND I CHANGED IT, SO IT BECAME MORE OF
A -- THERE WAS MORE STORY TO IT.
SO IT'S A CROSS BETWEEN A KIND OF BROADWAY STORY THING AND A
CONCERT.
THE BAND IS ENTIRELY MOBILE.
EVERYBODY'S CARRYING THEIR INSTRUMENTS, SO WE CAN GO
ANYWHERE.
SO THE BAND AND I ARE CONSTANTLY IN MOTION, THE SET IS BASICALLY
EMPTY BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S CARRYING THEIR INSTRUMENTS
INSTEAD OF SITTING DOWN AND PLAYING THEM LIKE YOUR BAND
IS -- ALTHOUGH YOUR BAND COULD PROBABLY MOVE AROUND, TOO, IF
THEY WANTED TO.
>> James: WE PREFER IF THEY DON'T.
( LAUGHTER ) >> OKAY.
>> James: I SO WISH I'D GOT THE CHANCE TO HAVE SEEN THIS.
I MEAN, DOING COUNTLESS LIVE SHOWS DURING YOUR CAREER, YOU
KNOW, SOLO AND, OF COURSE, WITH "TALKING HEADS," HOW DIFFERENT
IS IT FOR YOU AS A PERFORMER DOING EIGHT SHOWS A WEEK TO A
BROADWAY AUDIENCE?
>> WELL, IT'S A BIT DIFFERENT.
WHEN WE WERE ON CONCERT TOUR, THE AUDIENCES ARE THERE TO
REALLY HAVE A GOOD TIME AND THEY'RE UP AND DANCING BY THE
THIRD SONG.
BROADWAY CROWDS, THEY TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONVINCING.
THEY HAVE COMFORTABLE SEATS, REALLY NICE SEATS THAT THEY PAID
A NICE PRICE FOR, AND, SO, THEY REALLY HAVE TO KIND OF SELL THEM
ON THE IDEA OF DOING THIS.
THEY GO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET UP AND DANCE UNTIL
WE'RE GOOD AND READY.
BUT I TOOK IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY, SO IT ALLOWS ME TO KIND OF -- US
TO KIND OF BUILD SLOWLY AND KIND OF FOR ME TO TALK TO THEM AND
KIND OF GET TO KNOW THEM A LITTLE BIT BETTER, WHICH IS KIND
OF AN INTERESTING THING, BECAUSE BROADWAY AUDIENCES USUALLY DON'T
TALK BACK TO THE PEOPLE ON STAGE.
>> James: FOR SURE.
WELL, I SO HOPE IT COMES BACK TO BROADWAY LIVE BECAUSE I WOULD
REALLY REALLY LOVE TO BE THERE.
BUT I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU FILMED IT.