David Byrne Declares Talking Heads Will NEVER Reunite Years After Unofficial Disbandment

David Byrne Declares Talking Heads Will NEVER Reunite Years After Unofficial Disbandment
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for The Moth

David Byrne reflected on Talking Heads' breakup and stated that the band would never reunite again.

Byrne looked back at his past relationship with Talking Heads during an interview with Anderson Cooper for "60 Minutes." The musician spoke about the way the band ended despite its blooming career.

According to Byrne, he became obsessed with getting Talking Head's 1983-1984 tour. He recalled not being "the most pleasant person" to deal with at that time.

"As I became more relaxed as a person, started writing different kinds of songs, songs that maybe weren't quite as angst-ridden and peculiar, so fans were probably disappointed," he said, quoting, "'We liked the really quirky guy' or 'We liked the guy who was really struggling with himself and really having a hard time."

In 1992, drummer Chris Frantz famously told the Los Angeles Times that the band never truly had a formal breakup. He added that Byrne decided to leave suddenly.

Despite the lack of formality, Byrne affirmed that Talking Heads would never be on one stage for a reunion again.

For Byrne, he could never trade his happiness "for some cash."

Why Did David Byrne Leave Talking Heads?

Talking Heads had a reunion in 2002 when the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With Byrne, Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison, they enjoyed a successful musical career for nearly two decades, not until Byrne decided to leave in 1991.

At that time, he issued a statement and straightforwardly told the public they could say Talking Heads just broke up or call it whatever people like.

In the years thereafter, the band members shared different sentiments as to why the former bandmate left them hanging.

In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Frantz and Weymouth said they expected a breakup for a long time after a manager told them that Byrne wanted to "strike out on his own for the money." To do that, he started focusing on his solo projects and collaborations with other artists as a soloist.

Although he had been preparing to leave the group, Byrne still played Talking Heads' songs during his tours.

His comment regarding the impossible reunion resonated with what he said in an interview with Rolling Stone. Byrne, at that time, dismissed the rumors regarding the reunion, saying that the other bandmates' plans for the bands would be strictly their own business.

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