Bicycle Diaries
David Byrne
Barnes & Noble link (paperback coming this September!)
Talking Heads’ lead singer/guitarist David Byrne is no stranger to the publishing world. His earlier books go into conceptual art, especially in his last work Arboretum. If one would pick up his latest release Bicycle Diaries, one might get a jarring sensation. I mean, whoa, where did this come from? Where’s the art? Where’s the abstract thought? No worries, earlier Byrne readers. All that’s in there, but it is, as the Python boys famously said, “something completely different”.
Byrne’s mission statement for this book of surprisingly organized essays (despite being separated into city chapters) is to prove the importance of bicycle-riding. A casual reader, and maybe serious Talking Heads fans such as yours truly, might be put off by such a random topic. Trust when it’s said that the book ends up being an adventurous read in the best sense of the term.
Bicycle-riding has been a pastime for Byrne since his days with Talking Heads. Instead of relying on cars and public transportation (for the most part), our loveable eccentric rolls around in a bicycle. He has dealt with the grief of having bikes stolen and having to dodge drivers, and since he’s in New York, he’s got it down to a fine art, pun sort of intended. Byrne writes of his experiences riding around in the streets of various locations, including but not exclusive to: San Francisco, London, Berlin, and Buenos Aires. While catching the sights and sounds of the city, Byrne learns more about the cities he visits and the people who live there. Instead of being confined to a car, he gets the gist of culture on a more open level. This is probably the book’s more amazing point.
Byrne’s style is dense, but worth all the thinking and trouble to read. He writes pretty much how he talks (see this for a good idea on Byrne’s speaking voice). His random sense of humor will catch readers off-guard, but all one can do is laugh and proceed. Prepare to fire up Google or Wikipedia to understand some of his esoteric cultural jokes, but even without doing that, the references aren’t too jarring. Some of his opinions one may not agree with, but the point is to understand his perspective. For those wondering if he name-drops any of the Heads, well, there is a sentence-long mention of guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison at the end of the “San Francisco” chapter. It’s not exciting, but there you go.
He makes a case for bicycle-riding, not just because it is environmentally-friendly (he even agrees that if everyone rode bikes, it may not solve the whole global warming issue), but because it offers a freedom that he sincerely believes cars do not offer. He offers tips on how to maintain a bike, dress the part (a humorous moment when he dismisses spandex), and what helmets to wear. He also lists some websites to check out more on the issue of bike-friendly roads and safety laws and rules.
Informative, world-weary, and true (to a point), Byrne’s Bicycle Diaries is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Warning: inspiration to ride one’s bike may be a side effect.
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