Author:Chris Frantz
I really wanted to like this book. And Chris Frantz. I pre-ordered it, because I read promo interviews with CF who sounded like such a nice guy and hey – he’s a successful musician in a band I love, he’s stayed married to the bass player and if he’s got a few gripes with the lead singer – well what’s new?
As the subtitle to Remain In Love says it’s a rock ’n roll love story – Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina (Weymouth, in case you’ve got this far and don’t know who I’m talking about)
And it’s all beautiful. He’s a kid from Kentucky, Dad’s in the army, he discovers Marvin Gaye and black music, finds his way into a band, but also he’s an art student, and ends up at the Rhode Island School Of Design, where he meets the aforementioned Tina W and the devil in the detail, David Byrne.
It turns out (according to CF) that he and Tina wrote Psycho Killer. And a few other early hits. It took a while for DB to credit them (heard this story before?) And don’t mention Brian Eno, who doesn’t get a good rap here.
Then there’s the New York scene in the late seventies, CBGBs, The Ramones, Blondie, all lovingly described. The thing is, every now and then, in between these first hand stories of a legendary music scene, there are little anecdotes about David Byrne, and folks, they’re not complimentary.
I loved the first Talking Heads album, and the second. I especially liked the lyrics, and I’m not generally a lyrics person. But the songs about “my friends are important” and so on resonated with me. Now I learn that DB was/is on the autistic spectrum. It figures, but back when I heard those lyrics they were refreshing for me to hear.
Much of the book is taken up with rock star stories – flew to Paris, did the gig, met Bowie backstage etc. But there’s also a couple of great chapters about Tom Tom Club and working at Compass Point in The Bahamas.
And stories of excess, of course. It takes CF until the final couple of chapters to admit that he had a problem with cocaine and that Tina threatened to leave him if he didn’t clean up. Which one assumes he did.
I think Chris Frantz has lead something of a charmed life, and he does kind of admit this – middle class upbringing, supportive parents, a bit of luck when Talking Heads started, and he’s an excellent musician.
It made me go back to the TH albums, and that music is all so wonderful
Length of Read:Long
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Talking Heads
Tom Tom Club
The whole New York scene in the late seventies
One thing you’ve learned
Nothing new – people are not what they seem!
Watch this – Tina Weymouth’s speech at the Hall Of Fame induction 2002
David’s relative composure during that interminably self indulgent verbal (drunk?) splurge would be commendable even without his difficulties.
I’ll be reading this memoir at some point, but I am suspicious about accepting that barbed remarks about David Byrne are anything other than a reflection of some long lasting artistic jealousy.
With the release of Spike Lee’s movie of the apparently incredible American Utopia stage show (stupidly missed out as had too many other gigs to go to that month), DB has been hitting the interview circuit hard. When asked by the Sunday Times what he thought of CF’s book he diplomatically replied he hadn’t read it and didn’t intend to read it so he genuinely could not make any comments as to its contents.
The one good thing about THs’ falling out is that, unlike many other bands before them, they are unlikely to get back together as an on-the-road juke box and besmirch the wonderful music they made and memories they gave us.
Wish I’d succeeded in getting a ticket to see them in Manchester in 1979/80!
Amen to all that^, especially @jaygee.
I love Chris but I don’t want to read this book, though I’m glad he’s had the opportunity to vent. I’d rather have had a book from Tina.
Likely 1500 pages of it, on the evidence above! And a 50 page epilogue. Plus indices. Not forgetting 25 pages of ‘acknowledgements’ between the 8 page frontispiece and the first words of Chapter 1. And the ‘special thanks’ after the epilogue. All 30 pages of them. And… (enough. Ed.)
I for one would be quite happy with Tina’s frontispiece.
….I’ll get me enormous white suit.
I started the book but I have really struggled with it – I’m interested in the Talking Heads, not a die-hard fan – but it takes AAAGES to get going. I’m not really that interested in the detail of who he went to prom with.
The difficulties that the rest of the band had with getting proper credit from David Byrne are pretty well recorded , and were mentioned at the time – Fear of Music is one example where they were re-credited on later pressings.
I hope the book picks up with some interesting stories once he gets to the Rhode Island School of Design ….