David Byrne: listen to his cycling playlist

David Byrne has released a new playlist designed to accompany his bike rides, once again confirming just how central cycling is to his worldview. For the former Talking Heads frontman, the bicycle isn't just a sustainable means of transport, but also a space for reflection and listening — an idea he's been championing for years, dating back to his 2009 book "Diari della bicicletta" ("Bicycle Diaries").
Byrne is currently on tour for "Who Is The Sky?", his latest studio album, made with contributions from Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and Tom Skinner of Smile. While traveling, Byrne and his band bring along folding bikes and, whenever their schedule allows, use them to explore the cities they visit. "If I have a free afternoon, I'll often go for a ride to clear my head. And if I'm alone and on a safe bike path, or a quiet road, I listen to this playlist," he explained. This habit gave rise to the new selection on his David Byrne Radio, titled "Biking Playlists" (listen below).

The playlist features 40 tracks and perfectly reflects this philosophy, pairing major names in contemporary pop like Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo and Rosalía with art-rock and alternative artists such as Mitski, James Blake and Phoebe Bridgers. There's also room for a few names long tied to Byrne's own journey, such as Paul McCartney, featured with two songs, and St. Vincent, included with a live orchestral version of "Hell Is Near".
More than the track selection itself, though, what stands out is the text accompanying the collection, in which Byrne restates his aversion to musical labels and the boundaries between mainstream and underground. "My definition of music is extremely broad. Some songs are, by general consensus, mainstream, but even some of those often push their own boundaries further out. Others take the shape of pop songs, but to my ears don't sound commercial at all. I've seen these definitions shift over time, with countless exceptions."

Byrne's love of playlists is well known to his fans. Over the years, his David Byrne Radio has become an ever-evolving musical laboratory, and last December it already drew attention with a collection of 32 "anti-Christmas" tracks, bringing together artists as varied as Run-D.M.C., Prince, FINNEAS and Sabrina Carpenter.

In recent months Byrne has continued to move with his usual freedom on the creative front as well. After collaborating with Brian Eno on the track "T-Shirt", he released a reinterpretation of Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" and "¿Cuál Es La Razón?", a Latin-flavored reworking of "What Is The Reason For It?". Alongside this, he's also continuing his work as a writer. On 6 October, Penguin Press will publish his new book "SLEEPING BEAUTIES: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up", devoted to the way artistic and scientific ideas can vanish, lie dormant for years, and then suddenly become relevant again. Byrne will also present the book in Europe with a series of talks planned for November.

In recent days, meanwhile, the former Talking Heads frontman took the stage alongside Anna Calvi for two dates of his UK "Who Is The Sky?" tour, treating audiences to a new rendition of "Strange Weather", the song the two first recorded together back in 2014.
Calvi, who opened for Byrne's shows at the Piece Hall in Halifax (18 July) and Cardiff Castle (26 July), invited the former Talking Heads frontman up on stage to revisit their version of the song by French-Israeli singer-songwriter Keren Ann, originally released on the "Strange Weather" covers EP.

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