Talking Heads haven’t collaborated on a project, music or otherwise, in 40 years. They started appearing together again after decades during the 2023 re-release of their concert film Stop Making Sense, but there hasn’t been any new Talking Heads work in a long time.
That changes on May 18, 2027, when the band’s new coffee table book, Talking Heads: New Feeling, becomes available. In a rare appearance, all four members of the band came together to discuss the book. The video was then posted on the social media page for Abrams Books, the publisher of New Feeling.
David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison, and Chris Frantz sat together in a quad, passing the impressive book around. They each shared what it means that they’re coming together now to document 50 years of their artistic lives. Notably, the book coincides with the 50th anniversary of their debut album, Talking Heads: 77.
Talking Heads Discuss New Collaborative Book of Archival Material and Personal Stories
Tina Weymouth noted the unique situation of all four of them coming together “to write and curate the comprehensive coffee-table book”. A collaborative effort from the Talking Heads hasn’t occurred in some time, as longtime fans surely know. The book is also unique because some of the content has never been seen by anyone other than the band.
“For this book, we pulled out handwritten lyrics, original album sketches, and private photos, some of which haven’t left our archive in over 40 years,” said Jerry Harrison.
Chris Frantz described the book as “the story of three art students who met at the Rhode Island School of Design and found their way to C.B.G.B., the heart of New York’s punk and emerging new-wave scene in the 1970s.”
New Feelings tracks the Talking Heads through their art school beginnings, into their prime years, and beyond. It follows the band through interpersonal turmoil and the break up, telling their stories from the start all the way to the 2023 Stop Making Sense re-issue. It’s a truly unique and comprehensive look at their creative process through handwritten lyrics to songs like “Psycho Killer” and “Life During Wartime”.
Among the never-before-seen photos, lyric sheets, and other ephemera, each member wrote a personal essay. Truly, Talking Heads: New Feeling sounds like a prize for any lifetime Talking Heads fan.
Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns
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