Rating: 
Summary: Being a die-hard TH fan...
Review: ... I was more than thrilled to find what seemed to be a comprehensive book on possibly one of the most intelligent and mold-breaking bands of the 80s. Being a young woman, David Byrne has always struck a soft spot in my heart and I have always found myself crediting David as the genius of the group. While I did not know the whole story of the band, and have heard stories of David's incorrigible temper, one viewing of Stop Making Sense is enough to see that TH was truly David. I do not discredit the rest of the band, but it was David who gave TH that edge that most of us adore the band for. The author of the book, David Bowman, wrote a book not about the evolution of the band, but a cruel misrepresentation of Tina Weymouth and a vague report of David's outstanding offerings to the band. His terribly biased book presents Tina (mind you, i'm not a big fan of her to begin with) as this power humgry wolf with hatred and despise for the band's lead singer. This may have been an acceptable method to present the band if Bowman had given any of David's views on the tension between he and Tina or had justified Tina's views in any way. Bowman just preferred to bash Tina, and haphazardly give facts on David and even fewer on Jerry and Chris. Another irritant that I suffered from was Bowman giving this historical, politcal perspective of New York city. Again, if the history and politics played a huge role with the band, I can see why Bowman would add this large bulk of information. Giving the context and setting of a band is excellent; wasting space due to the fact that the author clearly did not have enough information on the band is terrible. Half of the book could have been burned -- the rest is information that any person with the internet and the knowledge of three internet sites on the Talking Heads could have put together. I aplogize to the band for having such a terrible book written. I've waited for a truly fair and insightful book on the Talking Heads, and I am very sorry to say that this book is not it.
Rating: 
Summary: Why go to nightschool?
Review: ... when you could read this brilliant, sometimes scathing chronicle of life during wartime. This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, it's a fun, funny and outrageous look at the behind-the-scenes machinations of the single best band from the eighties. Bowman examines not only the Heads' heads, but the rarified and oft-polluted air they breathe in a NYC unnerved yet terrorized by psycho killer, Son of Sam, fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa. Even Tina Weymouth, known for her moodiness and irresistable cuteness onstage, comes off smelling like a ... well, you'll have to read it to find out. This ain't no fooling around. This is brash and witty "Salon" interviewer David Bowman at his best.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm writing about the book I read
Review: A pretty well-done and engrossing bio of a great band. One of the great things about the book is that it's made me listen to all the albums again. I had been biased toward 77/More Songs but am gaining a greater appreciation for Fear of Music and Remain in Light. My biggest quibble is with Bowman's treatment of Tina Weymouth. Yes, she seems to be difficult and her hatred of Byrne now is unfortunate. But Bowman seems to subtly mock her, perhaps in an attempt to downplay her own talents and contributions -- saying that her outfit in "Stop Making Sense" made her look like big clown, indirectly comparing her to a fat woman in an African tribe, regularly pointing out that she's not as cute as she was when the band first debuted, ridiculing her singing and (to a lesser extent) her bass playing. It's all a bit unseemly. That said, it's still a good read and an important document. Loved all the stuff about the colliding music/art world of 1970s New York. Despite everything, here's one reader who still hopes the Talking Heads play together one more time.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, could have been better.
Review: Bowman uses interviews from band members, friends and articles to write the story of Talking Heads. He succeeds about half of the time. While I did get some insight into how the band got together, rose through the ranks of NY bands and made a name for themselves, I also felt a lot was left out. Bowman takes too much time in writing about dance and art and the people that inhabit that world. These subjects are certainly part of the TH's (or mainly Byrne's) history and should be included, but not at the expense of what was let out or not followed up upon. This band had a very dysfunctional relationship between it's members and Bowman does point this out, but leaves several questions hanging. The tense relationship between Weymouth and Byrne is not really fleshed out (we know Weymoth has problems with Byrne, but why? How did these problems get started?)and the breakup of the band is treated almost as an afterthought. I do think Bownman does a good job going over the Big Suit tour and also pointing out what made TH sound so special. His writing style could be irritating to some, but, except in some spots, didn't really bother me. This is not a bad effort, it's just inconsistent.
Rating:
Summary: The complete history of Talking Heads
Review: Bowman's book maps the early years, the huge worldwide success and eventual breakup of this talented band Talking Heads. Book One deals with Byrne and Weymouth's early years (Byrne's first band was called Revelation) and how the band came together. They began as New Wave art rockers who understood soul music. This part also covers the scene at the famous New York clubs CBGB's and Max's Kansas City, including interactions with other famous musicians like Patti Smith and John Cale - for example an interesting account of a John Cale gig at Lower Manhattan's Ocean Club. Book Two includes the account of the recording of More Songs About Buildings And Food with Brian Eno at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, discussions of the albums Fear Of Music and Remain In Light, a quote from the respected rock critic Lester Bangs on the song The Big Country, the involvement of Adrian Belew with the band, Twyla Tharp as choreographer, Byrne and Eno's influential album My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, Weymouth an Frantz's solo project Tom Tom Club and much more. Book Three deals mainly with Little Creatures, True Stories and the conflict between Byrne and Weymouth that led to the demise of the band. The book concludes with a bibliography and notes, a discography, filmography and index. Black and white photographs enliven the text. Bowman's book is filled with memorable incidents, rock personalities and musical insights and reads like a novel. Highly recommended to all who enjoy the music of this unique band.
Rating:
Summary: When I've got nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Review: David Byrne on "This Must be the Place": "I have not read the This Must Be The PLace book (a T Heads bio by David Bowman) and I don't intend to. I was under the impression that he was going to be our Greil Marcus and put the music into a larger social, cultural, etc context- which is what he said was his concept...but it seem he became a different writer and it's a bio as told to...with some mistakes (I overheard someone laughing at Loco de Amor being called Coco de Amor!) Anyway, I'll live through it, as Miss CL said...but what a waste!" Tina Weymouth on "This Must be the Place": "That yet another "unofficial" TH biographer would fail to know our story should come as no surprise. So much bunk has been written in the absence of knowledge, it would be impossible for an "unofficial" biographer to do little but promote revisionist theories patched together from the hype of a few old music mags while regurgitating past rumors and stale half-truths. Even his biased questioning of band members couldn't bring light to his dark perspective. Out of his depth, Bowman could only sink to the bottom. Still, you have to feel as sorry for him as for what he does to our group. He might have used a pseudonym when he accepted the only offer he could get in lieu of a novel. Writers who can't otherwise get their books published need to eat same as anyone: to understand this is to forgive, perhaps, an otherwise foolish weakness for the dumbed-down polemics of a tabloid, an immoral exploitation that doesn't care who gets caught in the crossfire."
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK no matter what.
Review: Do you like VH1's Behind the Music? Well this is that plus a novel with cream on top. READ THIS GREAT BOOK even if you've never heard/liked Talking Heads. I was only a girl when they first came on the scene but this smart, interesting, funny, impossible-to-put-down book reads so well that it wouldn't matter if I'd never heard a single Talking Heads song. Author Bowman could write about the history of the can-opener* and make it engrossing and thought-provoking. He's that smart, sensitive and eloquent. I just wonder if he meant for me to hate Tina Weymouth or if that's my own deal. All I know is that I'll never spend one cent on Tom Tom Club. Instead I'll buy another copy of This Must Be The Place, because 3 people have already asked to borrow mine. *I stole that from the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading, in spite of Bowman's amatuerisms
Review: Facts don't do what you want them to, but that's about all that makes this book worth picking up. If you want to get the general story of the rise and fall of this band, it's valuable as a collection of details, but from the first chapter I found Bowman's attempts to provide insight and explanation incredibly banal and horribly executed. Bowman *learned* a lot about the band, but Tina is right, he *knows* pretty much nothing about the inside story and his attempts to spin off in literary examinations are pitiful. Just skip it till he gives up and gets back to the basic facts he's managed to collate from photocopying every article he could find at the library. The interviews and direct sources are equally inadequate. It's very, very clear that no one wanted to cooperate with him, and even those insiders who did speak to him have little of substance to offer. As a fan of Talking Heads, I enjoyed learning more about their story. But as a critical reader, I'm disappointed that such a poor job was done on this project. I guess the best thing you could say about this Talking Heads biography is that it makes you desperately want to read a much better one.
Rating:
Summary: Who's worse, Bowman or his editor?
Review: I came here to read these reviews to see if it was just me, or was this book truly that bad. I'm pleased to say that reading these reviews has confirmed two things - yes, the book really is that bad, and also that the majority of the people who've read the book and written a review here can actually write better than David Bowman. This entire novel reads like an undergraduate essay by someone with half a grasp of his subject matter and not enough research to reach the word limit. It's woefully researched and the only photos from the scant selection offered that aren't from stock sources seem to come from Mark Kehoe - a minority player in the overall story who commands an inordinate amount of space. (Is he a friend of Bowman's?) There are also some dreadful attempts to theorise and contextualise in an attempt to pad out the common knowledge that forms the bulk of the book. This book would be dreadful if it had been published as a vanity imprint. The fact it's got through an editor and into hardback is a sad indictment of the industry.
Rating:
Summary: Who's worse, Bowman or his editor?
Review: I came here to read these reviews to see if it was just me, or was this book truly that bad. I'm pleased to say that reading these reviews has confirmed two things - yes, the book really is that bad, and also that the majority of the people who've read the book and written a review here can actually write better than David Bowman. This entire novel reads like an undergraduate essay by someone with half a grasp of his subject matter and not enough research to reach the word limit. It's woefully researched and the only photos from the scant selection offered that aren't from stock sources seem to come from Mark Kehoe - a minority player in the overall story who commands an inordinate amount of space. (Is he a friend of Bowman's?) There are also some dreadful attempts to theorise and contextualise in an attempt to pad out the common knowledge that forms the bulk of the book. This book would be dreadful if it had been published as a vanity imprint. The fact it's got through an editor and into hardback is a sad indictment of the industry.
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