Published on 12, July, 2020
https://youtu.be/5IsSpAOD6K8?si=po0fNe2Rsy08SqEa
This song and video might actually just relate most of what autism is.
First, look at David Byrne's movements (dyspraxia, stimming ?)
Then listen to the words:
"How did I get here?" ( A feeling of not being in control?)
"How do I work this?" ( Problems with social interaction ? )
"Where is that large automobile?" ( A feeling of under-achievement? )
"This is not my beautiful wife" ( Imposter syndrome? )
"Am I right, am I wrong?" ( confusion due to miscommunication? )
Lots of repetition of "same as it ever was" ( obsession with routines? )
Lots of reference to water - flowing underground, at the bottom of the ocean, under the rocks and stones, water dissolving ( Sensory pleasure from water? Special interest in geology? )
I had never heard this track.
Talking Heads.
Life During Wartime. Live
youtu.be/8al5cSQNmME
And then I remembered this song!
"Beautiful world" by Devo.
www.youtube.com/watch
I often listened to ‘Talking Heads’ when I was a teenager, never really watched the videos, radio was my only access. David is trying to express so much. “Road to Nowhere’s a track I have always loved. Just never thought about the lyrics before.
I want that suit.
He also did an excellent track about drugs.. The video is proper weird.
Not The Same (Australia Eurovision 2022) is apparently about that, as the singer (Sheldon Riley) is autistic himself.
I could list quite a few, but if I had a top 2...
Tom petty "you don't know how it feels (to be me)"
Love/hate "social sidewinder "
And here's another article about David Byrne and how being autistic has influenced his life and career:
https://lwlies.com/articles/david-byrne-and-the-autistic-euphoria-of-stop-making-sense/
"The title, Stop Making Sense, is David Byrne’s plea to you as a viewer to not make yourself palatable to the social norms of allistic society, and to instead choose happiness by unmasking and freeing yourself. As Byrne sweetly stated about his autistic identity, “We all don’t have to be the same.”
He brings joy to people by being autistic
Yeah, I love David Byrne and also like most of David Bowie's work too.
I like it. I'm a big fan of David Byrne. I particularly like Road to Nowhere. I'm a big fan of the surreal and Byrne channels that well.
There are probably quite a lot of songs that embody autism though. I've always thought Bowie's Space Oddity was a bit of an autistic anthem, with its themes of alienation from the rest of humanity and inability to communicate or do anything about it.
Snap, I was just about to post that article!
with his oversize suit he may well have sensory issues with tight clothing too...
II hadn't realised that David is on the spectrum:
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-david-byrne-helped-to-change-public-perception-of-autism/