BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene that Transformed Rock by Jonathan Gould, 512 pgs. © 2025

Is it art? Is it music? For the Talking Heads it's probably both. This is a great book for music lovers. Probably the definitive book for the band but also a nice dive into the late 70's New York art scene and how influential it was for musicians trying to escape the old ways of traditional rock and roll, which was starting to become so bland that it was sometimes referred to as 'conservative' rock and roll. I live for this kind of nonfiction--it's well written organized, packed with great research. You come away with a greater understanding of how tight-knit the NY art community was and how this band come out of nowhere to carve their own unique niche in the new wave landscape. Gould did very well in this endeavor, even without interviewing anyone in the group today. Gave me a greater appreciate of Stop Making Sense, one of the greatest live concert docs of all time.