David Byrne on leaving Spotify and turning 70: ‘I think I am more optimistic now’

Talking Heads frontman speaks about his new song with Australian musician Montaigne, the bravery of Taylor Swift and why he feels hopeful for the future

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David Byrne has a night off. A tireless collaborator, the 69-year-old Talking Heads frontman has been especially busy recently, serving as the guest music editor of Harper’s Bazaar’s March issue, releasing a duet with Mitski and a new book titled A History of the World (in Dingbats), an illustrated meditation on life’s oddities. He is also performing his Broadway show American Utopia – adapted from the 2018 album and into the 2020 Spike Lee film – until early April.

Even a “night off” is a misnomer – he’s speaking to Guardian Australia from his home in New York, following an interview and performance on The Tonight Show. “It’s my night off, now that we’ve done a TV show,” he clarifies, checking his wristwatch. “It’s 8:30 in the evening here, so I’m probably going to go to a restaurant across the street, get myself some dinner and take a little tablet and read a book.”