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David Byrne: How Do Spaces Shape The Music We Make?

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode The Power Of Spaces

David Byrne says “context has a huge effect on creativity.” He draws on his time with Talking Heads, as well as Bach, Gregorian chant, even birds—to show how spaces affect the music we write and play.

About David Byrne

David Byrne is a musician, author, and interdisciplinary artist—best known for fronting the American rock band Talking Heads, one the most critically acclaimed bands of the 1980s. The group released three platinum albums and is featured on Rolling Stone’s list, “100 Greatest Artists.”

He has also written several books, including Bicycle Diaries, a journal of what he thought and experienced while cycling through the cities of the world. His 2012 book How Music Works expands on his TED Talk to imagine how music is shaped by its time and place.

In 2018 he released American Utopia—again partnering with Brian Eno. The album inspired the Broadway production David Byrne’s American Utopia (2019 – ), which also featured songs from Talking Heads.

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Maria Paz Gutiérrez and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at [email protected].

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. utm

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Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.

Zomorodi is a co-founder of Stable Genius Productions and is the co-host and co-creator of ZigZag, the business podcast about being human. She also created, hosted, and was managing editor of the podcast Note to Self in partnership with WNYC Studios, which was named Best Tech Podcast of 2017 by The Academy of Podcasters.

Prior to her time at WNYC, Zomorodi reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters, including a few years in Berlin.

She was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business for 2018 and has received numerous awards for her work, including The Gracie for Best Radio Host in 2014 and 2018. Her book "Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Creative Self" (2017, St. Martin's Press) and her TED Talk are guides to surviving information overload and the "Attention Economy."

Zomorodi received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in English and fine arts. She is half-Persian and half-Swiss but was born in New York City, where she lives with her family.

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