Nardwuar vs. David Byrne

As you might expect, Nardwuar had a few questions ready that David Byrne has never been asked in an interview – ba-boom! 

Brian Eno biopic "Eno" screens at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, Monday

"Eno," Gary Hustwit's new look at musician/producer Brian Eno is presented by the director tonight at 6:30 pm. Watch a chat below.

Here's the scoop...

Famed producer, musician, and artist Brian Eno (Talking Heads, David Bowie) is no ordinary creator. To tell the story of his 50-year career, acclaimed director Gary Hustwit had to do something different. Using generative technology, Hustwit constructs the film on stage, live in real-time. This groundbreaking new technology constructs an evergreen performance and a different cinematic experience at each screening, Eno reveals new, previously unreleased music and artworks from over 500 hours of archive to track a creative evolution from art student to ambient music pioneer. Eno is principled, engaged and playful as he guides us through a life that uses art as its guiding principle.Join this original documentary filmmaking process underlining the relationship between technology and creativity. 

Accompanying the new film is a soundtrack that serves as a companion audio journey touching on Eno’s output throughout his rich career. The 17 tracks included on the album feature work from Eno's early solo outings such as 1974’s ‘Taking Tiger Mountain’ and 75’s ‘Another Green World’, acclaimed collaborations with the likes of David Byrne, John Cale, Cluster and more recently, Fred again… all the way through to music from his latest album, ‘FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE’, and a live recording of "By This River" from his 2021 appearance at the Acropolis in Athens with brother, Roger (watch a clip below). Eno: The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack is available right here. Check out the new Brian Eno recording "All I Remember" which closes the film following a chat with director Gary Hustwit below.  

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

Monday, April 29, 6:30 PM

Guest: Director Gary Hustwit

For more info, visit the Hot Docs site right here.

That time the Talking Heads played NYC's The Kitchen in 1976

The first band that The Kitchen's musical director Arthur Russell booked was David Byrne and Tina Weymouth's new group.

Yoko Ono tribute album Ocean Child curated by Ben Gibbard out Friday

Flaming Lips, David Byrne, Yo La Tengo, Sharon Van Etten and Death Cab contribute covers of Yoko Ono's much-maligned tunes. 

Here's the scoop...

Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard, frustrated with the way Yoko Ono's music has been unfairly assailed over the decades – largely out of ignorance – has decided it was time for a rethink of Yoko's songwriting accomplishments. So he called up a few celebrated pals who also happen to be Yoko fans,  including David Byrne, Sharon Van Etten, Stephin Merritt, along with the members of Yo La Tengo,  Flaming Lips, Deehoof and US Girls, to revisit a few of Yoko Ono's compositions and perhaps offer a fresh perspective. 

The result is the 14-track Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono tribute album set for release by Canvasback Music/Atlantic on Friday, February 18th which happens to be Yoko's 89th birthday. Looking over the tracklist, it appears that Gibbard missed an opportunity to have the members of Redd Kross resurrect  their Tater Totz alter ego to reprise their raucous version of "Don't Worry Kyoko" which got them booed off the stage by angry Beatles fans at BeatleFest 1988 in Los Angeles (watch the entertaining footage after the track listing below).  

To coincide with Ocean Child's release, there will also be a podcast hosted by Gibbard and Rolling Stone contributing editor & Sirius XM personality Jenny Eliscu who will speak enthusiastically about why Yoko Ono's songs are so darn wonderful with the artists who chose to cover them. 

Check out the preview trailer, David Byrne & Yo La Tengo's lullabye-style update "Who Has Seen The Wind?" and Death Cab's jaunty run at "Waiting For The Sun Rise" followed by the track listing and the vintage Tater Totz performance footage from L.A.'s Bonaventure Hotel. 

Various Artists – Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono

Toyboat - Sharon Van Etten

Who Has Seen The Wind? - David Byrne And Yo La Tengo

Dogtown - Sudan Archives

Waiting For The Sunrise - Death Cab For Cutie

Yellow Girl (Stand For Life) - Thao

Born In A Prison - US Girls

Growing Pain - Jay Som

Listen, The Snow Is Falling - Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields)

No No No - Deerhoof

Don't Be Scared - We Are KING

Mrs Lennon - The Flaming Lips

No One Sees Me Like You Do - Japanese Breakfast

There Is No Goodbye Between Us - Yo La Tengo

Run Run Run - Amber Coffman

Hamilton aces could be David Byrne's trump cards at Meltdown 2015

From the moment David Byrne was announced as the curator of Meltdown 2015, there has been wide-ranging speculation about which artists the Talking Heads founder will feature at London's prestigious week-long arts festival taking place at the Southbank Centre from August 17 to 28.

While some seem to think the multi-disciplinary explorer will play it safe by flipping through his rolodex to select a few reliable collaborators from a hefty file that includes Brian Eno, Arcade Fire, Caetano Veloso, St. Vincent, Fatboy Slim, Dirty Projectors, Paul Simon and others, Byrne is far too wary about his programming being perceived as predictable not to try throwing in at least a few wild cards.

It's a safe bet that William Onyeabor is near the top of Byrne's wish list. But knowing that the enigmatic Nigerian Afro-disco legend has never performed his music in public – even before becoming a born-again Christian – the notion of convincing Onyeabor to make his stage debut at Meltdown seems like a long shot. Also an exceedingly remote possibility is a Talking Heads reunion. We all know that loads of people would love to see a top to bottom reprise of Talking Heads '77 – echoing Patti Smith's triumphant tear through Horses at Meltdown 2005 – but Byrne has never shown much interest in retracing his steps. Even if the group's impending 40th anniversary (they first opened for The Ramones at CBGBs on June 20, 1975) makes the timing look right, the long-standing issues between Byrne and "The Heads" cast serious doubt on any jovial stroll through the oldies for Meltdown.

Perhaps the one move that no one is anticipating is for Byrne to salute his boyhood home of Hamilton, Ontario by selecting a slate of artists from the Steel City and surrounding area. However unlikely, the "Hammer Homage" concept could significantly bolster Byrne's carefully cultivated rep as a visionary talent spotter while giving some overseas exposure to Hamilton's finest. Here are a few suggestions:  

Iconic Hamilton space-rock blasters Simply Saucer would add a devastating wallop to any Meltdown line-up like few participants have done before. Check out what Edgar Breau and crew were doing with aspiring local producers Daniel and Bob Lanois back in 1974. And yes, they've still got it.


Reckless punk upstarts The Dirty Nil could be counted on to shake the sit-down crowd at the artsy extravaganza out of their seats. Here's a recent live clip which ends abruptly when the cameraman gets knocked over in the mosh pit.


Juno-nominated jazz chanteuse Diana Panton would add a quiet elegance to the proceedings with a repertoire that ranges from deftly delivered American songbook standards and French chanson gems to Brazilian classics. Check out her sweet sweep through Samba Saravah off To Brazil With Love.


Of course, you'd need a bit of marquee magic to sell some advance tickets and that's where Grant Avenue ace Daniel Lanois and Dundas overachiever Dan "Caribou" Snaith come in. Meltdown would provide Lanois with the right environment for the atmospheric sounds of his Flesh and Machine album (see below) and give Snaith the perfect platform to undertake a larger orchestral production.