Byrne is a multi-talented if not peculiar man. In addition to his success with the Talking Heads (four albums listed on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time), his work has been used in numerous soundtracks including collaborating on the score for the movie, The Last Emperor, which won an Oscar for Best Original Score. He has also scored dance, Broadway and operatic productions. His photographs have been shown at various galleries. He co-wrote, starred and directed the movie, True Stories and designed the stage and choreographed one of the greatest concert films of all time, Stop Making Sense. More recently he founded the record label Luaka Bop.

I can still remember first hearing “Life During Wartime” in high school. I immediately began memorizing the lyrics and I was hooked on this quirky, post-punk, new wave band.

So why all the fuss? For one, I was fascinated to read the online journal and blog of David Byrne - a music legend in my mind. How cool is that? What a thrill for me to read words from his pen and voice, not the voice of a spinmeister or PR firm or agent.

Byrne certainly has adopted the power of the web and is putting it all out there.  He creates playlists and arrangements that stream on his Radio page. He introduces you to his art on Arts & Books. In particular, check out Corporate Signs, where photographs of original corporate name transform into a virtuous attribute – e.g. International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) transforms to “Trust.” There is more…Sound & Video, Film & Theater, Performances, News & Bio and of course Music.

What is so enjoyable about it all is the lack of commercialism in all that is offered. Oh sure, there is a tab called Stuff to Buy, but that is about the only place you see anything from this huge volume of work that is promoted for sale. I would not suggest that this is how all web sites should look but I sure like its feel. Byrne has offered glimpses into his life’s work without beating us over the head with it and his own greatness. He has merely offered. Partake if you wish.

In an interview in Stop Making Sense, Byrne quipped, “The better the singer's voice is, the harder it is to believe what they're saying.” Perhaps he was referring to a loss of genuiness and authenticity that comes from too much polish. Davidbyrne.com is by no means unpolished but you can feel its authenticity, its value and its  soul. In the Talking Heads song Heaven, from the album Fear of Music, Byrne sings,

“It’s hard to imagine that nothing at all, could be so exciting, could be so much fun.”