Talking Heads’ David Byrne apologizes for wearing blackface in 1980s concert promo
David Byrne apologized in a series of tweets on Monday over a resurfaced clip of him wearing blackface.
The offensive clips were culled from a commercial in support of Stop Making Sense, a concert film documenting the band behind hits such as Burning Down the House, Psycho Killer and Once in a Lifetime.
‘Recently a journalist pointed out something I did in a promo video skit in 1984 for the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense,’ Byrne, 68, said. ‘In the piece I appear as a number of different characters interviewing myself, and some of the characters portrayed are people of color.’
The latest: David Byrne, 68, apologized in a series of tweets on Monday over a resurfaced clip of him wearing blackface. He was snapped in New Orleans in 2018
Byrne said he had ‘just about forgotten about this skit and [was] grateful that it has been brought to [his] attention.’
He said that he had made a ‘major mistake’ in composing the promotional clip.
‘To watch myself in the various characters, including black and brown face, I acknowledge it was a major mistake in judgement that showed a lack of real understanding,’ he said. ‘It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing someone else – you’re not, or were not, the person you thought you were.’
He continued: ‘We have huge blind spots about ourselves- well, I certainly do. I’d like to think I am beyond making mistakes like this, but clearly at the time I was not.
Throwback: The rock stalwart was snapped in 1987 in a promotional shot
Growth: Byrne said that he hoped the public would understand the shift in sensibilities he’s had since 1984. He was snapped in London in 2015
‘Like I say at the end of our Broadway show American Utopia ‘I need to change too’..and I believe I have changed since then.’
Byrne said that he hoped the public would understand the shift in sensibilities he’s had since 1984.
‘One hopes that folks have the grace and understanding to allow that someone like me, anyone really, can grow and change, and that the past can be examined with honesty and accountability,’ he said.
Owning up: The Strange Overtones artist took responsibility for his past actions in a series of tweets
Byrne has collaborated with Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee on an HBO documentary about his 2019 Broadway show American Utopia.
The production, which was held at Hudson Theatre in New York from last October thru February, was slated to have a fall comeback until the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway thru 2021.
American Utopia hits HBO Max on October 17.