Last night I watched a double feature. First was the Talking Heads movie, Stop Making Sense, one of my favorites. We followed that with David Byrne’s American Utopia, his Broadway show coming out of his album by the same name. (We saw the show when it was in Philly back in 2018). Two remarkable performances spanning 35 years.
As I sat there entranced first by a young David Byrne showing so much energy, imagination and intensity, and then by a much older David Byrne, not quite as agile, but still showing that same exuberance and creativity, the thought crossed my mind that right now he was one of my heroes. I don’t say that lightly. Heroes are hard to come by and generally let you down. But I am at a time in my life where I welcome some new heroes for inspiration.
When I was growing up my heroes were sports figures. Initially it was Pete Rose, Bobby Murcer and Roger Staubach (sad, but true, fellow Eagle fans). I would always check to see how they had performed in their most recent game, what others were saying about them, and would go out of my way to watch them play when I could. However, by the time I was 12 or 13 it became clear even to me that I was more of a Bob Ueker than a Bob Gibson, and as much as I would want to emulate athletes, it just wasn’t going to happen.
It was easy to shift from athletes to movie stars. After all, I wasted way too much of my time watching TV. I was struck by the steely, suave actors. My favorites were Humphrey Bogart and Errol Flynn. (“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine…”). Again, however, reality struck hard. I was forced to admit that Maxwell Smart would have been a more apt role model for me than any of those Hollywood tough guys.
Like most people I came to that point in my life where heroes were no longer relevant. After all, I was just trying to survive in the work world and raise a family. Sure, there were a lot of people that I admired greatly over the years. People like Bobby Kennedy, at least as portrayed by Athur Schlesinger in Robert Kennedy and his Times. Or James Baldwin, after watching I am Not Your Negro, and reading a number of his books. Still, it made no sense to raise these people to hero status. It wasn’t as if I was anywhere near their path in life.
So why would I want to go back to heroes now, and why would David Bryne, of all people, fit that mold? I think that it is because I have moved into a new phase of life, much as I did 37 years ago when I first started working, and I would like some guidance to figure out what that means. All of a sudden I have time on my hands that I never had before. There are a lot of options, but not much clear direction. A hero could help guide the way.
To understand how that relates to David Byrne I have to go back to American Utopia. David Byrne has put together a show that is clearly part of his on-going, and apparently never-ending, attempt to understand the human condition. Many of the songs in the show are from the Talking Heads days, but they are all reimagined, not regurgitated. They blend well with the new material to create something that is a whole concept. Plus, he stages the music brilliantly, freeing himself and the band from wires and amps, so that everyone can move fluidly around the stage, interacting, overlapping, engaging.
What inspires me about this is how David Byrne is not content to rest on his many laurels. He could easily have gone out, put on the Big Suit once again, and redone the Talking Heads greatest hits. Everyone would have loved it, including me. But at 68 that was not enough. He wanted to dig deeper, stretch further, push the boundaries, risking that the audience would just sit on their hands waiting for the next hit to come along. That is heroic.
There are others that continue their creativity and exploration when it would be easier to sit back. Robert Plant was willing to alienate his hard rock fans by going in a different direction, and the result was the incredible Band of Joy albums, and his collaboration with Alison Krause. Phillip Roth wrote two of his most memorable books, American Pastoral and The Human Stain, after he turned 60, like David Byrne trying to make sense of this country, and the people in it. Jane Goodall continues her advocacy for animals and the environment, pledging last year to plant 5 million trees, part of the 1 trillion tree initiative.
There are many more out there doing small and large things that keep them looking ahead instead of looking back. They have begun my touchstones as I figure out what to do with the rest of my life, a question I haven’t had to consider since I was 22. As David Byrne would say, “We’re on a road to nowhere, Come on inside. Takin’ that ride to nowhere, We’ll take that ride. I’m feelin’ okay this mornin’. And you know, We’re on a road to paradise. Here we go, here we go.”
TOTALLY AGREE !! Great post !
Wondering if you’re familiar with the Chris Frantz book, and where you stand on the question of how to separate individual short-comings of those we admire from the art or public actions for which they are known. (Not that you or anyone else has to accept Frantz’ point of view.)
I would say that admiration is grounded in complex emotion and we all just muddle through and draw lines the best we can. Finding inspiration is what matters. (Ok, Shaffer, get your own blog.)
Tough question. I am inspired by David Byrne as a creator, his public persona. I haven’t read Frantz book, but I have no doubt that Byrne is a strange and complex human being. In some sense I think you need to separate the two aspects of the person, especially when your are talking about an artist as opposed to a politician, for example, though it can get difficult.
I think that’s right. Some artists present more of a challenge, especially where art and personal issues seem connected. Don’t think Byrne is one of those &really enjoyed the new movie.