David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries: The man behind 'Psycho Killer' pedals around the globe

October 26, 7:49 PMCycling ExaminerJames Raia

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The author David Byrne and pipe
Image courtesy of Viking

David Byrne is co-founder of the avant garde group Talking Heads. But who knew the front man behind some of rock & roll's most eccentric hits like "Psycho Kill" and "Burning Down The House" had a passion for cycling?

In his just-published book "Bicycle Diaries" (ISBN 978-0-670-02114-70, Viking, $25.95), Byrne writes about his experiences. He's ridden extensively throughout New York, but he's also pedaled in cities around globe — Buenos Aires to Berlin, San Francisco to Sydney.

Here's his introduction:

"I've been riding a bicycle as my principal means of transportation in New York since the early 198os. I tentatively gave it a try, and it felt good even here in New York. I felt energized and liberated. I had an old three-speed leftover from my childhood in the Baltimore suburbs, and for New York that's pretty much all you need."

Byrne writes about bicycle-friendly cities and locales less receptive. The book is also a platform for the author's opinions about corporate America, how we treat each other, the famous and infamous people he meets and general observations about society.

While cycling in Buenos Aires, for example, Byrne offers:

"I'm not saying cycling is a matter of survival — though it might be part of how we survive in the future — but here in Buenos Aires it seems so much a commonsense way of getting around that cultural abhorrence is the only explanation I can come up with why there are no other cyclists on the streets. My cycling is considers so unusual here that it is newsworthy — it's written up in the local papers."

The book is accompanied by black and white photography, and the last five pages are devoted to Byrne's etchings — his ideas for bike rack designs in New York City. It all adds up as unique and refreshing reading material off the mainstream — much like the author's music.

To read more about David Byrne, visit: www.davidbyrne.com.

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