Talking Heads will reunite for a Q&A at the Toronto International Film Fest today (September 11), and founding member David Byrne has been speaking lately about the group’s dissolution that occurred in 1991. A24 is re-releasing the band’s 1984 concert film, Stop Making Sense, in theaters on September 29. The 4k restoration of the film will be screened at TIFF.
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During a recent interview with The New York Times, Byrne elaborated on comments about his band’s split he made to People in a previous interview. “Divorces are never easy,” Byrne told The New York Times. “We get along OK. It’s all very cordial and whatever.”
[RELATED: David Byrne Opens Up on His Behavior After Talking Heads’ Breakup]
“It’s not like we’re all best friends. But everybody’s very happy to see this film coming back out,” he continued. “We’re all united in the fact that we really love what we did here. So that kind of helps us talk to one another and get along.”
During the interview with People back in August, Byrne discussed how he isn’t proud of some of his behavior during the height of the Talking Heads’ fame. “As a younger person, I was not as pleasant to be around. When I was working on some Talking Heads shows, I was more of a little tyrant,” Byrne recalled. “And then I learned to relax, and I also learned that collaborating with people, both sides get more if there’s a good relationship instead of me telling everybody what to do.
“I have regrets on how that was handled. I don’t think I did it in the best way, but I think it was inevitable that would happen anyway,” Byrne added. “We have a cordial relationship now. We’re sort of in touch, but we don’t hang out together.”
In early 2023, Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth discussed Byrne’s actions in several essays penned for the Sunday Times. “He always seemed very insecure about himself and would often try to blame other people if things went wrong,” Weymouth wrote. “Chris and I loved him dearly and we did our best to overlook these disastrous character flaws, but it seemed obvious that Talking Heads wasn’t going to last.”
The upcoming Q&A will be the first time the band is all together again in more than 20 years. The Q&A celebrates the 40th anniversary of Stop Making Sense.
Photo by: Jody Rogac / Courtesy of Grandstand Media
