David Byrne has addressed the prospect of a Talking Heads reunion in a new interview, dismissing the idea as something that would “probably be quite a number of steps backwards.”

The new wave band, who formed in New York City in 1975, disbanded in December 1991. They briefly reunited for a short set to mark their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, but have not played together since.

Speaking to The Creative Independent, Byrne mused on the idea of the band getting back together, listing both the pros and cons of the idea.


“[A] Talking Heads reunion might be incredibly successful for a specific generation, or maybe for many generations. It would make me a lot of money and get a lot of attention,” Bryne said. “It would also probably be quite a number of steps backwards as far as being perceived as someone who does a lot of different things.

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“For that reason, I feel like I have to sacrifice something, whether it’s money or name recognition or whatever, in order to be able to do a little bit more of what I’d want to do. In other words, you can’t have it all.”

While a Talking Heads reunion doesn’t seem to be on the cards, Byrne is expected to debut a new musical – about Joan of Arc – in New York in the spring.