Page 6 - Rolling Stone - India (December 2019)

Opening Act

David Byrne Wants You to

Dance

ON A CHILLY October night, in down on them with flash- The only noninstrumental
the middle of David Byrne’s lights,” Byrne says a few days prop in the show is the model
stunning Broadway debut, later. “When I tell them they of a human brain that Byrne
American Utopia, the former can, it’s like I popped the top brings out in the opening
Talking Head tells the audi- off the bottle.” number, “Here.” It sets up the
ence to get up and dance. He’s more or less the same whole show. “Here’s [my char-
He’s already played exuber- old Byrne but in a regular- acter] who’s inside his head
ant versions of “Once in a size suit, delivering brilliant at the beginning,” he says.
Lifetime” and “Born Under soliloquies about voting, while “By the end, he’s a different
Punches,” but the crowd is 11 backing musicians play a person.” KORY GROW
seated. People seem to be floor-shaking mix of Talking
under the misimpression that Heads hits and solo tracks.
this is like any other produc- It shows (Byrne hopes) how
tion. people can work toward his
“People don’t know if egalitarian vision of utopia.
they’re allowed to dance or if “Everybody gets a showcase,”
the ushers are going to come he says. “An audience can
experience a different kind
of social order. That has a
huge impact.”

6 | PHOTOGRAPH BY Sacha Lecca