David Byrne's Reader Interview: Ramones' Leather Jackets, Lou Reed's Ice Cream Spoon, and the Talking Heads Days

David Byrne answered Guardian readers' questions to mark the release of the American Utopia tour film in theaters, opening an unusual scrapbook of memories from some of the most unforgettable turns in his career. Byrne recalled touring the UK with Ramones starting at Eric's Club in Liverpool in May 1977, right in the middle of the punk explosion: "That tour was lovely in a way, because apart from a couple of singles, audiences had never seen either of us before; there was huge curiosity and openness toward both us and Ramones. At one show at the Roundhouse, someone was spitting on the bands; Ramones, rightly, didn't see that as a sign of 'respect.' They got spat on even more than we did, but at least they had leather jackets. We didn't."

Having sought since the Stop Making Sense tour to free his live shows from the physical constraints of a typical rock concert, Byrne also detailed where that approach came from. Realizing his guitar could go wireless, he was inspired by a tour he'd done with St. Vincent, where the horn section evoked Rio samba schools and the American football "drumline" tradition. He asked his percussionist, Mauro Refosco, how many people it would take to break a drum kit down into its individual components; when the answer came back at six, Byrne thought, "I guess we can afford that." Then, discovering a self-powered MIDI keyboard developed by a Hungarian company, the band was fully liberated: "I can never go back to everything being tied down by cables."

Byrne, who often repeats John Cameron Mitchell's line "Love and kindness are the most punk things you can do right now" during his shows, said that attitude is also what makes him happy. Asked why he hasn't made another film since True Stories, he gave a candidly self-reflective answer: he'd funded the screenplay and research himself, but whoever puts up the money for the next film also wants a say. "That can sometimes be helpful, sometimes it derails you. Eventually I said, 'I can make a record and put on a show,' and I went back to music. Still, I hope one day I'll make a new film shooting on digital cameras and editing on a computer."

Byrne, who was born in Scotland to Scottish parents before moving first to Canada and then the U.S., said that background gave him the ability to observe American culture from the outside, and emphasized that Scottish humor is both very dark and very distinct. He described working with Brian Eno as a warm friendship: "As a producer, instead of scratching his chin and saying 'I'm not sure,' he was like a cheerleader who'd say, 'This could be the start of something incredible, let's go this way.'" He admitted he took on that same "cheerleading" role himself on Fun Boy Three's Waiting album and the Our Lips Are Sealed collaboration. Perhaps the most delightful memory in the interview comes from the CBGB days: Lou Reed once invited them to his home, polished off two pints of ice cream right in front of them, then picked up a guitar to play "Tentative Decisions" and suggested slowing it down to a Velvet Underground tempo. Byrne also remembers his look at the time, with dark, hairy arms: "My arms were pitch black and hairy, like a monkey's. Lou said, 'Never wear short sleeves onstage.'"