Book Review: How Music Works by David Byrne

How Music Works by David Byrne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love, love, love Byrne's books.

Whenever, I read negative reader reviews, it's usually because they are expecting something else. Indeed, there are people more qualified to write a book called "How Music Works"- music historians, sound engineers, social scientists, linguists, and so on.

Still, Byrne has such a keen insight, and takes what can be a dry university subject and make it really interesting.

The most cursory of looks at Byrne's career will remind you he's seen and done alot. Punk pioneer at CBGBs. Pop hero headlining stadiums. MTV artist who pioneered modern-day visuals with some of the most memorable pop music images of the last 50 years. World music hero who experimented with sounds (and Eno) and found audiences for artists largely undiscovered in America.


He looks at music from a lot of different angles. How the way we listen to music affected architecture (Wagner and modern day music hall). The history of recorded music and the days where recording music was frowned upon by the old guard (Recording is Killing Music must have been the late 19th Century mantra). Then taking that recorded music on the road. The time eternal argument of pop art vs high art.

How a scene comes about and why CBGBs was so magical, and how you can do it in your hometown (not the way you might think of trying to duplicate it exactly on purpose). How music sales in a post major-label world. Selling your record in the pre-Napster age and now, what it looks like to be a major label artist or an indie artist or a self-distributed artist. Cassettes and vinyl and CDs and MP3s.

The dynamics of music and what music can do, with references from the likes of Eno (naturally), John Cage, Tom Ze, and many other innovators. The visual possibilities, and what Byrne was trying to accomplish with those big suits. The science of sound from birds to drum circles.

Inspiring creativity and kids and the less fortunate. Patterns in music that correspond to math and recur in science including astronomy, geometry, and even into religion.

Even then, I am still leaving stuff out. Byrne is a smart student and has done his homework. He also brings a lot of unique experiences based on his individual career. You don't have to be a Talking Heads fan to enjoy the book (Wait, who's not a Talking Heads fan?), though as a fan, it has some keen insight.

It's a very smart, accessible, read. The type of book you could read over and over again, and the McSweenys book format is nicely illustrated but still has plenty of text. It's (for the right party, anyway) a cocktail party book. I am sure you can find plenty of reasons to hate the book-it's too simplistic, it's not "deep" enough, it's too personal to Byrne's experience, why does Byrne hate Classical music so much etc.. but for me this is one of those perfect books to pull off the shelf now and again.



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