This Must Be the Place

After a hearty breakfast topped with a double yolk egg courtesy of Joni, I drove into Brighton feeling truly blessed to be here, marvelling in the views from the coast road.  

Smoke stack clouds and the sea
Massive blue grey shot through with silver foil
White knuckle cliffs kissed by rainbows.

It was good to be alive and savour the free things in life.

On the way I listened to the new David Byrne/St. Vincent collaboration which is really rather good and succinctly pulls together the tangents of his career. The song ‘Who’ has become a firm favourite from the album and I love the circling horns and insistent strident pulse. Byrne is also a master of visuals and the video can be seen here http://vimeo.com/48153500

Who sees these constellations
Seen in those spinning round
Carry these men and women
Who get lost when the sun goes down?

 

I first saw Talking Heads play at the Electric Ballroom Camden Town in 1979. My friend Paul Necus persuaded me to go and I am forever in his debt. It was an amazing and intimate night and they were on fire. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark where second on the bill with U2 bringing up the rear. Their name didn’t even make the poster bless their inflated egos.

At the time Talking Heads were in town to promote ‘More Songs about Buildings and Food’ which is a work of wonder. If you haven’t got it in your collection you should be ashamed as it’s a master class in song writing and a taste of the inventive wonders to come. Here’s a live recording of ‘Warning Sign’ which gives you some idea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq9K6cneRQA

 

 

I had the good fortune to meet David Byrne in San Francisco at a book signing. He’d just published ‘Your Action World’ a visual attack on corporate America. My friend Manuel came along for the ride but he waited outside feeling a little embarrassed if memory serves. I bought the book and joined a long queue. As I got closer to the man, a young woman patrolling the throng asked for my name, which she wrote on a post it and fixed to the cover. ‘It’s so David doesn’t have to ask’ she drawled.

I rolled my eyes in complete disdain but when it was my turn to meet him I realised the reason. He was simply painfully shy and struggled to look up at me as he mumbled hello and wrote ‘Harry – David Byrne’ on the book’s inner sleeve. I was a little disappointed and so decided to re join the queue and try again. Primed and ready, I did the talking and opened with a recollection of the Electric Ballroom show. This time he looked up with a wide grin and said he remembered the night fondly J  I was besotted with San Francisco so I asked him to write ‘This Must Be the Place’ on one of images of the city contained in the book. The song is a great favourite and one that signals my love for a place, a time or someone. The lines ‘I come home -she lifted up her wings. Guess that this must be the place’ makes me feel grounded, safe and warm.

 

Out of all those kinds of people
You got a face with a view

 I'm just an animal looking for a home
Share the same space for a minute or two
And you love me till my heart stops
Love me till I'm dead
Eyes that light up, eyes look through you

This version is taken from the movie ‘Stop Making Sense’ directed by Jonathan Demme. It’s wonderfully conceived and the finest concert movie ever made, showcasing the band at a creative peak. I saw it at a little independent Cambridge cinema in 1984 and remember dancing in the aisles with the rest of the audience - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqg_ZGcuybs