Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth Says ‘The Band Wasn’t Started by David Alone’ in Tense Moment at Brooklyn Reunion
The core four members of Talking Heads — vocalist and guitarist David Byrne, drummer Chris Frantz, bassist Tina Weymouth and keyboardist and guitarist Jerry Harrison — split rather acrimoniously in 1991 and have rarely shared stages in the years since. But in celebration of A24’s 40th anniversary reissue of their galvanizing 1984 concert film “Stop Making Sense,” the erstwile bandmates have spoken more kindly of each other and reunited for a series of interviews, and on Thursday night the four sat down for a Q&A with Questlove at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre that followed a screening of the film.
While the Q&A was primarily a lovefest between the quartet, who shared frequently told anecdotes about the film’s complex production, shooting schedule and Byrne’s big suit that were common knowledge to most superfans who attended the sold-out event. Yet one moment while discussing the film’s narrative rattled the crowd.
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It occured while Weymouth, who got the biggest applause when the band members were brought to the stage, was discussing the opening section of the film. It begins with Byrne performing a song solo, then Weymouth joining him for the next, then Frantz for the next, and so on until the full backing band is all set up on stage.
As she described it, Byrne’s idea for this staging was creative but perhaps suggested a dynamic within the band to fans that wasn’t accurate.
“It was really good and he created something that was like a narrative,” she said. “Even though it’s a false narrative: The band wasn’t started by David alone.”
This was met with gasps, awkward laughter and applause from an audience nervously anticipating that just such a statement could start the group squabbling onstage.
However, her quip was followed by many moments of appreciation from Weymouth of Byrne, including reminiscing that he and Harrison were part of her wedding day to Frantz (“we were kind of a married band”), and that their “chemistry” was undeniable when she met Byrne and Frantz as students at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Weymouth has not shied away from taking shots at Byrne in the past, as seen in this 2022 interview with U.K. magazine Far Out.
“I think everybody was always afraid David would crack or break,” she said in the interview. “You really had to walk on eggs, and he could be a bully, but you couldn’t do it to him. He could be unfaithful, but you have to be loyal – it’s very Trumpian, in a way. One needed sacrifices in order to keep it going because we absolutely adored our fans. David never cared about people, but we did, and we loved our team.”
Frantz also wrote at length about his contentious relationship with Byrne in his 2020 memoir “Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina.”
Talking Heads were also guests on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” earlier in the day.
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