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6th out of 36 books
—
20 voters
Bicycle Diaries
by
David Byrne
A renowned musician and visual artist presents an idiosyncratic behind-the-handlebars view of the world’s cities
Since the early 1980s, David Byrne has been riding a bike as his principal means of transportation in New York City. Two decades ago, he discovered folding bikes and started taking them on tour. Byrne’s choice was made out of convenience rather than political mot...more
Since the early 1980s, David Byrne has been riding a bike as his principal means of transportation in New York City. Two decades ago, he discovered folding bikes and started taking them on tour. Byrne’s choice was made out of convenience rather than political mot...more
Hardcover, 297 pages
Published
September 17th 2009
by Viking Adult
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Most of this is only tangentially about bicycling. Byrne is just too interested about too many different things to stick with one topic, and that was fine with me. He bounces giddily between reflections on city planning, geography, history, contemporary art, cultural anthropology, music, etc. The section about Manila and Buenos Aires in particular are extremely interesting, I had no idea about the weird personality cult/pseudo-religion that had developed around the Marcos's, or the bizarre hodge...more
David Byrne is such a cool charming person. But a man who sings Home can’t be anything else. I love this sweet and smart blog-alike-book, because my best without a heartbeat friend is my little bikey. During the summer time I do bike marathons all over my county. Bunch of my friends are nuts over marathons/bikes as much as I am, and it’s 30-80 km in a day, and afterwards is beers and laughs. I love that feeling of exhaustion, bonding with other people in our journeys, when the heat is unbearable...more
Oct 26, 2012
Alan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Green thinkers and wobbly, squeaky wheels...
Recommended to Alan by:
A long and illustrious career
You know his name, or ought to. David Byrne is a multitalented musician, writer, filmmaker and all-around artist. He's probably still best known for his performances with the band Talking Heads, even after all these years, but that's only been a small part of his long and illustrious career.
And he really walks (or rather rides) his talk. In Bicycle Diaries, Byrne goes on another world-wide tour, but it's not about the music this time. Or, at least, the music takes a back seat. This time, Byrne t...more
And he really walks (or rather rides) his talk. In Bicycle Diaries, Byrne goes on another world-wide tour, but it's not about the music this time. Or, at least, the music takes a back seat. This time, Byrne t...more
Byrne, David (2009). Bicycle Diaries. London: Penguin. 2010. ISBN 9781101347942. Pagine 328. 18,71 $
Darei per scontato tutti, o almeno tutti i miei lettori, sappiano chi è David Byrne. Chi non lo sapesse vada a leggere la biografia di questo mio coetaneo scozzese trapiantato a New York su Wikipedia. E poi provi a immaginare il piacevole shock che provammo noi, 35 anni fa, quando sentimmo questo brano:
David Byrne è ancora un ottimo musicista, anche se i Talking Heads non esistono più da tempo. Qu...more
Darei per scontato tutti, o almeno tutti i miei lettori, sappiano chi è David Byrne. Chi non lo sapesse vada a leggere la biografia di questo mio coetaneo scozzese trapiantato a New York su Wikipedia. E poi provi a immaginare il piacevole shock che provammo noi, 35 anni fa, quando sentimmo questo brano:
David Byrne è ancora un ottimo musicista, anche se i Talking Heads non esistono più da tempo. Qu...more
This is a pleasant memoir of David Byrne’s visits – with bicycle – to a variety of cities. I think he would make a fine travel companion because he has such regard for the people and cultures of the places he visits. In fact, I backed into this book in an unusual way. When the author visited my home city, Pittsburgh, he went to see the Maxo Vanka murals, a set of remarkable paintings in a Croatian Catholic church in an off-beat location. It’s the kind of place the locals don’t even know so well,...more
David Byrne is one of the more creative entertainers on the planet. From his seminal band, "Talking Heads", to his foray into film with "True Stories" (a wonderfully engaging and funny movie), he's kept a good part of America talking. It turns out that he had a penchant for bicycling and tended to bring a folding bike along on his tours. Hence, while members of other bands might be out drinking or drugging, David was leisurely bicycling his way through cities and bergs around the world. He found...more
I knew that David Byrne had something to do with music, but didn't actually know more than that (shhh) - 67% of the way in, he drops into the narrative that he was, of course, one of the founders of Talking Heads.
Impressive, then, that this book isn't called Road to Nowhere: it's a meandering and rather self-indulgent book; part travelogue, part social commentary, part political activism; part back-slapping prose - all using the construct of a bicycle trip or two.
Byrne, who lives in New York, ha...more
Impressive, then, that this book isn't called Road to Nowhere: it's a meandering and rather self-indulgent book; part travelogue, part social commentary, part political activism; part back-slapping prose - all using the construct of a bicycle trip or two.
Byrne, who lives in New York, ha...more
Desde o início dos anos 80, David Byrne tem usado a bicicleta como principal forma de locomoção em Nova York, cidade onde vive. Quando viaja ou sai em turnê, ele sempre leva consigo uma bicicleta dobrável. A princípio, tal decisão foi tomada por mera conveniência. No entanto, quanto mais cidades visitava, mais o músico se tornava adepto desse meio de transporte e da sensação de liberdade que ele proporciona. Ao conhecer novos lugares (ou o próprio lugar onde vive) sobre duas rodas, Byrne percebe...more
Byrnes exploration of cities around the world via bicycle seems like a great idea for a book, and it is, those parts of the book that involve a bicycle and the focused attention of an interesting mind. The parts of the book that digress away from the cycle and evolve through Byrnes thinking on art and politics (some passages seem like the most embryonic of ideas that he should have fleshed out or eliminated) are simplistic, unoriginal and unsurprising. I whole heartedly agree with the point of v...more
Aug 20, 2010
Sweetman Sweetman
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone, travel and bicyle lovers especially
Recommended to Sweetman by:
library find
I loved this book. It was a quick read, very interesting and now I AM DYING FOR A FOLDING BICYCLE! I know I can pay better attention to life around me and see interesting things in typically boring places. I know I'll be able to find a concrete box building with just one metal door and a lightbulb affixed to the side of it as its only decoration fascinating if I am riding on a folding bicycle. I just know it.
The lovely character of this book is that you feel as though your alongside Mr. Byrne. H...more
The lovely character of this book is that you feel as though your alongside Mr. Byrne. H...more
Mar 28, 2010
Nat
added it
This is a mild-mannered manifesto for bike riding, in the form of reports about riding bikes in Buenos Aires, Berlin, San Francisco, New York, London, etc., with lots of descriptions of pleasant art world hanging out, and some philosophical nonsense, like the following:
"The past is not a prologue to the present; it is the present--morphed a bit, stretched, distorted, and with different emphasis. It's a structurally similar, though very much contorted, version of the present. Therefore, in a sens...more
"The past is not a prologue to the present; it is the present--morphed a bit, stretched, distorted, and with different emphasis. It's a structurally similar, though very much contorted, version of the present. Therefore, in a sens...more
I have a bike in Brooklyn, but am still too chicken to ride it anywhere other than Prospect Park--and only on a warm, sunny day, over the weekend, when the park is closed to vehicle traffic. I wish I were more of a biker, though--the efficiency and environmental friendliness of bike travel definitely appeal to me. So, I was really impressed by and interested in the fact that David Byrne travels everywhere by bike--and by everywhere, I mean he folds his bike into his suitcase whenever he travels...more
1 like · like · see review
This book is as much about what defines the culture of cities as it is about bicycling. I’ve read David Byrne’s blog for years, and much of the blog content ended up in the book. He has this way of writing that is amazingly informative without being pretentious. He’s just really, really cool. And that shows in a seemingly effortless way.
This isn’t just another boring travelogue that leaves you feeling frustrated that someone would take the time to explain all the reasons why you should or shoul...more
This isn’t just another boring travelogue that leaves you feeling frustrated that someone would take the time to explain all the reasons why you should or shoul...more
This is a book of David Byrne's musings while riding his bicycle in cities around the world. There is nothing particularly earthshaking here, but it is fascinating to observe this obviously brilliant man's open, active, free-ranging mind as he considers, well, whatever comes to mind. He describes his ride through Detroit as heartbreaking. He argues that what we build says something about who we are, and to some extent shapes what we become. He is saddened that old architecture is being replaced...more
I ride my bike to work nearly every day that is above 20 degrees and not raining or snowing. I also ride to other places and take long trips on my own or with my wife on our tandem. I LOVE to bicycle! My daughter knows this too, and that it was very thoughtful of her to select this book to give to me as a Christmas present. It was a thought-provoking book whose conclusions gave me pause even when I disagreed with some.
As a bicyclist myself, I like that he focused on the act of bicycling—the enj...more
As a bicyclist myself, I like that he focused on the act of bicycling—the enj...more
Several reviewers have covered elements of this book including...
-its discursiveness (it is indeed, a pastiche of blog-like musings and observations)
-the fact that it is only tangentially about the subject alluded to in the title, the bicycle
-the fact that David Byrne is a liberal Renaissance man whose thoughts are generally more interesting and insightful than those of the average world citizen (sure, fine... I was a Talking Heads fan too, and even a liberal in most scenarios)
I've seen few rev...more
-its discursiveness (it is indeed, a pastiche of blog-like musings and observations)
-the fact that it is only tangentially about the subject alluded to in the title, the bicycle
-the fact that David Byrne is a liberal Renaissance man whose thoughts are generally more interesting and insightful than those of the average world citizen (sure, fine... I was a Talking Heads fan too, and even a liberal in most scenarios)
I've seen few rev...more
8 likes · like · see review
I am blown away. Maybe its just the perfect moment for me to have read this book (just finished this morning), but its truly one of the better books I've read in a long time.
Just enjoyable in every way - it hits on many themes that I spend time mulling over and chatting over with friends and associates. The ideas of collective personalities, cities, nations, culture, consequences for actions take on behalf of the collective (looking at you Bush Admin.) The book is not overtly political but does...more
Just enjoyable in every way - it hits on many themes that I spend time mulling over and chatting over with friends and associates. The ideas of collective personalities, cities, nations, culture, consequences for actions take on behalf of the collective (looking at you Bush Admin.) The book is not overtly political but does...more
I asked the library to get this book something like half a year ago, as soon as I found out it was coming out. when it finally was released and the library had a copy for me I got it and devoured it. I'm a fan of david byrne, as much or even more of his work after the talking heads, and I'm a fan of bicycles, so a book full of david byrnes musings about riding a bike through a bunch of different cities around the world seemed like a winner to me, and so it was. While it may seem a bit silly... r...more
I read a bit of this over the weekend, and to my surprise, I rather liked it. Much as I loved Talking Heads in my formative years and how I appreciate the interface he has been between us and a lot of cool Brazilian music that we might not have otherwise heard, his books to me seem a little over-styled, weighing too heavily on how we love "David Byrne" as opposed to what they actually have to say. This book has a humbler premise - he rides his bike around places and reports insightfully and resp...more
This is an interesting non-academic book about the author's experiences as a commuter cyclist in various cities around the globe. As the title indicates, this is written in diary format, and any of the chapters could be read as a stand-alone.
Aside from cycling, this book also offer's Byrne's take on art, philosophy, politics and various other topics. As someone who does quite a bit of cycling, this book comes across as having been written immediately following a ride, when the incresed oxygen...more
Aside from cycling, this book also offer's Byrne's take on art, philosophy, politics and various other topics. As someone who does quite a bit of cycling, this book comes across as having been written immediately following a ride, when the incresed oxygen...more
Mar 29, 2010
Lisa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Lisa
Recommended to Lisa by:
John McKenzie
The topics explored in this book are as wide ranging as the author's global travels. When road conditions aren't outright harrowing, bicycling can allow for an observant state of mind that is simultaneously aware of outward surroundings and aware of inner reflection; an optimal frame of mind for a tourist, or a writer. Bicycling is David Byrne's preferred mode of travel, both home in New York City and abroad. In this book he shares a few of the thoughts evoked by the different cities he explores...more
David Byrne of the Talking Heads has written a book of his ruminations while riding a bike through many of the world's cities. This is an interesting idea, especially to someone like myself from the suburbs where cars dominate life after one learns how to drive. I have though about getting a bike for short errands like trips to the library and such, but I have not looked lately. Also I would need a basket in which to carry the books and since no one delivers newspapers via bicycles anymore than...more
Good book, written in an easy to read prose. The beginning and ending of the book tend to be the strongest in my opinion, where David Byrne sticks to his subject, the topic of riding bikes in various cities around the world. He starts us off in the USA in a lot of cities, sort of a mini tour, then takes us around the world. After reading the first chapter on the US, it makes me want to move out of this country, what a depressing mess we have created with urban sprawl. At times, and this is why I...more
The book involves bicycles and is remotely centered around cycling, but really doesn't have that much to do with the bicycle culture or riding. Not nearly as much as I would have thought a book called 'Bicycle Diaries' would have. This is something I sort of knew going in, but still...
Overall, the book is pretty disconnected. It was hard to follow a train of thought. I suppose that in the vein of a diary, entries will vary greatly, but as a published book I would have liked to have had some more...more
Overall, the book is pretty disconnected. It was hard to follow a train of thought. I suppose that in the vein of a diary, entries will vary greatly, but as a published book I would have liked to have had some more...more
It was "good." I liked his observations during his travels. Not all. There are parts where he detours heavily into travel-writerly history, and odd political addenda, true and apocryphal, and it just plods. And he talks about contemporary art (still, oil, pencil, whatever) far more than music. Far more. I understand the hesitation to open that can, for then he might've gotten deep into "Talking Heads Diaries" territory, but it smacks of a bourgeois sensibility. Like mostly what he wants to do is...more
I read this book at about the same time as I read Steve Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From. I came to Byrne's book via a cycling link, but I found it a lot more about creativity than cycling. Cycling is really only incidental to the book. (Which is okay with me, I'm not really a cyclist).
"Through this window [cycling in cities] I catch glimpses of the mind of my fellow man as expressed in the cities he lives in. Cities, it occurred to me, are physical manifestations of our deepest beliefs and...more
"Through this window [cycling in cities] I catch glimpses of the mind of my fellow man as expressed in the cities he lives in. Cities, it occurred to me, are physical manifestations of our deepest beliefs and...more
Interesting book this one despite the fact that until the ending I feel it wasn't reallu a book about Cycling but more a travelogue and collection of thoughts.
I had got into the book in hope that it was more cycling heavy to be honest but the Cycling was mainly the glue that linked the various locations allowing Byrne to instead explore his locale and take in various art projects and also reflect on areas and the socio-political context of what he observes on these trips.
The ending is more 'Cycl...more
I had got into the book in hope that it was more cycling heavy to be honest but the Cycling was mainly the glue that linked the various locations allowing Byrne to instead explore his locale and take in various art projects and also reflect on areas and the socio-political context of what he observes on these trips.
The ending is more 'Cycl...more
Simply put, David Byrne's brain is one I like. I like the way he puts sentences together. For the most part, I like the way ideas come out of him. I bet hardcore non-fiction readers wouldn't like the way this is written (I doubt it could be cited in any papers), but it read very naturally to me, topics and anecdotes unfolding in the way they will, not being overly structured or boxed together. A note about ship camouflaging could (and did) appear in the middle of an argument about the necessity...more
Most people know David Byrne as lead singer of the New Wave band, Talking Heads, with had many hits in the 1980s, including one of my favorites, "Burning Down the House." Still a good-looking man, now in his late 50s, Byrne was in Austin recently to talk about bicycle riding. He is an advocate for bicycle safety. In "Bicycle Diaries," part travel log and part philosophical book, David shares some of his adventures in the US and abroad on bike. He likes to visit art galleries and weird little mus...more
What a complete disappointment. I was so looking forward to reading weird random bicycle musings by David Byrne, but alas, his brain these days is less interesting than my own. I guess he's good at putting his thoughts into the ambiguous and metaphorical terms well-suited to song, but when he tries to spell them out in writing and "back them up with supporting evidence," well, he should leave it to those who understand the supporting evidence well enough to say something meaningful and interesti...more
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David Byrne is a musician and artist most associated with his role as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, and non-fiction. He has received Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe awards and been...more
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“Creative work is more accurately a machine that digs down and finds stuff, emotional stuff that will someday be raw material that can be used to produce more stuff, stuff like itself - clay to be available for future use. ”
—
13 people liked it
“I sense the world might be more dreamlike, metaphorical, and poetic than we currently believe--but just as irrational as sympathetic magic when looked at in a typically scientific way. I wouldn't be surprised if poetry--poetry in the broadest sense, in the sense of a world filled with metaphor, rhyme, and recurring patterns, shapes, and designs--is how the world works. The world isn't logical, it's a song.”
—
13 people liked it
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Nov 15, 2010 03:14pm