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Diarios de bicicleta
«Desde principios de los años ochenta, he usado la bicicleta como principal medio de transporte en Nueva York. Primero lo hice a modo de prueba, y me sentí cómodo incluso en una ciudad como Nueva York. Me dio una sensación de energía y libertad. Tenía una vieja bicicleta de tres velocidades, una reliquia de mi infancia en las afueras de Baltimore, y para la ciudad de Nueva York no necesitas mucho más. En aquellos tiempos, mi vida estaba más o menos restringida al centro de Maniatan —el East Village y el SoHo— y enseguida me di cuenta de que la bicicleta era una forma fácil de hacer recados durante el día o de trasladarme de manera eficiente a bares, galerías de arte o locales nocturnos, sin tener que buscar un taxi o la parada de metro más cercana. Ya sé que uno no piensa normalmente en que salir de copas y montar en bicicleta sean cosas compatibles, pero hay muchas cosas que ver y oír en Nueva York, y descubrí que moverme de un sitio a otro en bicicleta era sorprendentemente rápido y eficaz. Así que me quedé con la bicicleta, a pesar de su aura demodé y del peligro que entrañaba, ya que por entonces muy poca gente circulaba en bici por la ciudad. Los conductores de aquellos tiempos no estaban acostumbrados a compartir la vía con los ciclistas, y te cortaban el paso o te lanzaban contra los coches estacionados, incluso más que ahora. Al hacerme un poco mayor quizá consideré también que pedalear era una buena forma de hacer un poco de ejercicio, pero al principio no pensaba en eso. Simplemente, me sentía bien deambulando por aquellas sucias calles llenas de baches.»
360 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
846 people are currently reading
8176 people want to read
About the author
David Byrne
122 books864 followersA cofounder of the musical group Talking Heads, David Byrne has also released several solo albums in addition to collaborating with such noted artists as Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Brian Eno. His art includes photography and installation works and has been published in five books. He lives in New York and he recently added some new bike racks of his own design around town, thanks to the Department of Transportation.
Photo © Catalina Kulczar-Marin
Photo © Catalina Kulczar-Marin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 973 reviews
July 19, 2014
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 hodgepodge of musical styles that developd in latin america in the last 30 years. I always think of Byrne being kind of a spacehead, but he's refreshingly down to earth, almost pragmatic here. It also made me kind of jealous. Byrne, while maybe not a 'super-star,' is an extremely intelligent, cool person who gets to spend a lot of time with other extremely intelligent, cool people. I wish I could hang out with the guy who invented the powerbook, or fatboy slim, or the city planner who made copenhagen the most bike friendly city on earth. David Byrne should write more books.
November 30, 2019
48th book for 2019.
Who would have thought a book by David Byrne would be so boring? The writing is bad; the insights superficial; the book is structured around various cities Byrne has visited, offering him the chance to offer Wikipedia-style insights to places he incidentally rode a bicycle in.
2-stars.
Who would have thought a book by David Byrne would be so boring? The writing is bad; the insights superficial; the book is structured around various cities Byrne has visited, offering him the chance to offer Wikipedia-style insights to places he incidentally rode a bicycle in.
2-stars.
November 4, 2009
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 interesting. He talks a lot about city planning and sprawl, really interesting subjects, but comes off like a college freshman home for the holidays spouting his new-found wisdom without totally understanding how all these little facts he picked up actually fit together. He still seems like a nice guy, just maybe not as omniamazing as I once thought.
After going into Pendragon every day for a week asking "is the David Byrne book in yet?," I couldn't see how I was going to bring myself to return it. So I went to the Shattuck location. The girl with pink hair asked why I was returning it and I said "it's really boring!" She agreed, she said every time he comes out with a new album or art book or whatever, she thinks "yeah, David Byrne, that guy's cool!" and she always ends up disappointed. We agreed to just listen to the Talking Heads from now on and be happy with that.
After going into Pendragon every day for a week asking "is the David Byrne book in yet?," I couldn't see how I was going to bring myself to return it. So I went to the Shattuck location. The girl with pink hair asked why I was returning it and I said "it's really boring!" She agreed, she said every time he comes out with a new album or art book or whatever, she thinks "yeah, David Byrne, that guy's cool!" and she always ends up disappointed. We agreed to just listen to the Talking Heads from now on and be happy with that.
February 13, 2010
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 shouldn’t see a place. Byrne treats every with the same amount of attention and analysis and you are never left with a feeling that he’s particularly proud of himself for having accomplished such an extensive list of journeys.
One of the reasons (excuses) I never finish books is because I’m such an active reader. I like to jot down ideas or topics that interest me, sometimes pausing to research them further. To demonstrate how interesting and influential David Byrne is, I will list some of the things in his book that I jotted down for further exploration.
Trapped in a Closet (a video piece)
Mercedes Sosa (performer)
NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour
Benado Paloubo (performer)
Loop Station (band)
Susana Baca (performer)
Extra Action Marching Band (San Francisco band)
Silvia Rodriguez (performer)
Flip and Manilla Envelope (Jessica Zafra magazines)
Marcos Tasaday
Survival Research Labratories (art performance organization)
Enrique Penalosa (innovator of Bogata bus system)
“There and Back Again” (article in the New Yorker)
Young@Heart Chorus (elderly chorus that covers Talking Heads)
FuseProject bike helmet (designers)
The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs (book)
Whether or not I’ll actually ever research all of this is another story. The point is that reading Bicycles Diaries is a worthwhile substitute for actually biking around a city and spending the day experiencing life the way David Byrne does.
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 shouldn’t see a place. Byrne treats every with the same amount of attention and analysis and you are never left with a feeling that he’s particularly proud of himself for having accomplished such an extensive list of journeys.
One of the reasons (excuses) I never finish books is because I’m such an active reader. I like to jot down ideas or topics that interest me, sometimes pausing to research them further. To demonstrate how interesting and influential David Byrne is, I will list some of the things in his book that I jotted down for further exploration.
Trapped in a Closet (a video piece)
Mercedes Sosa (performer)
NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour
Benado Paloubo (performer)
Loop Station (band)
Susana Baca (performer)
Extra Action Marching Band (San Francisco band)
Silvia Rodriguez (performer)
Flip and Manilla Envelope (Jessica Zafra magazines)
Marcos Tasaday
Survival Research Labratories (art performance organization)
Enrique Penalosa (innovator of Bogata bus system)
“There and Back Again” (article in the New Yorker)
Young@Heart Chorus (elderly chorus that covers Talking Heads)
FuseProject bike helmet (designers)
The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs (book)
Whether or not I’ll actually ever research all of this is another story. The point is that reading Bicycles Diaries is a worthwhile substitute for actually biking around a city and spending the day experiencing life the way David Byrne does.
November 30, 2009
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 reviews that cover what to me wound up being the essential aspect of this book: it is cultural/political snobbery by a writer who ought to be more aware than not everyone in his audience is a part of this enlightened, fortunate elite. (DISCLAIMER: I only read the first 80 pages. Perhaps the tone changed later in the book. But given the random-snippet aspect of it... I think I got the gist.)
Yes, I hated Bush too, and think America can learn some things from its neighbors, and agree that the lowest common denominator has in many cases weighted humanity down. But pervasively and persistently throughout this book (though sometimes subtly), David Byrne takes sneering potshots at the philistines whose fingerprint is visible everywhere he looks. While he may be right in many cases, his curmudgeonly take on things is made all the more irritating by his role as an exalted cultural arbiter. He seemed uninterested in bringing into the fold readers who do not already revere him. These 'masses' he takes issue with are, in fact, the majority.
-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 reviews that cover what to me wound up being the essential aspect of this book: it is cultural/political snobbery by a writer who ought to be more aware than not everyone in his audience is a part of this enlightened, fortunate elite. (DISCLAIMER: I only read the first 80 pages. Perhaps the tone changed later in the book. But given the random-snippet aspect of it... I think I got the gist.)
Yes, I hated Bush too, and think America can learn some things from its neighbors, and agree that the lowest common denominator has in many cases weighted humanity down. But pervasively and persistently throughout this book (though sometimes subtly), David Byrne takes sneering potshots at the philistines whose fingerprint is visible everywhere he looks. While he may be right in many cases, his curmudgeonly take on things is made all the more irritating by his role as an exalted cultural arbiter. He seemed uninterested in bringing into the fold readers who do not already revere him. These 'masses' he takes issue with are, in fact, the majority.
June 15, 2009
A neither or nor type of book for me. A lot of times David Byrne writes about the obvious, and other times he is responding to something that is interesting and he has something to say about it. The title is not really what the book is about. Although there is some bicycle riding stuff - but mostly it is Byrne commenting on pop and political culture of various areas of the world.
On one level it is sort of like getting a post card from a distant land and Byrne is noticing stuff because he's an outsider of that world, but some times it is not that interesting, and Byrne is by no means an original thinker. Roland Barthes he's not!
But then again he's an intelligent guy (and he can write) and this is a book not about personalities but mostly landscapes and architecture. In a way it is sort of like a Situationist drift, but mostly he is traveling from point A to get to Point B. And rarely does he get lost, but again, his observations on people are kind of simple and not that interesting. Byrne's main interest is how the city is laid out (especially when concerning bicycling) and how that affects the landscape and its people (as a population).
So yeah, this is a book that yells out 'travel essay' and for those who are hoping for some insight into his music world - well, there is really none. A quick and easy read, and actually goes well with the various bus rides.
On one level it is sort of like getting a post card from a distant land and Byrne is noticing stuff because he's an outsider of that world, but some times it is not that interesting, and Byrne is by no means an original thinker. Roland Barthes he's not!
But then again he's an intelligent guy (and he can write) and this is a book not about personalities but mostly landscapes and architecture. In a way it is sort of like a Situationist drift, but mostly he is traveling from point A to get to Point B. And rarely does he get lost, but again, his observations on people are kind of simple and not that interesting. Byrne's main interest is how the city is laid out (especially when concerning bicycling) and how that affects the landscape and its people (as a population).
So yeah, this is a book that yells out 'travel essay' and for those who are hoping for some insight into his music world - well, there is really none. A quick and easy read, and actually goes well with the various bus rides.
January 3, 2010
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 enjoyment itself-- rather than promoting cycling as a way to exercise and stay in shape or a way to be green, and superior to others. Bicycling, I know, and Byrne acknowledges, is not practical for most people, and for even for those that it is, most people cannot or will not make the sacrifice. But the book will spur some people to try it out… and that’s a great thing.
It is obvious that Byrne loves to ride.…. it’s an activity that he says keeps him centered and sane….. it’s like a regular mini vacation. I agree. Throughout the book, Byrne makes some keen observations regarding human nature and our social condition. He uses bicycling, as he observes in his introduction, first, to find out about cities, and more specifically, to explore, and make hypotheses about the types of “social animals” that live and create different cities. Secondly, his cycling travels are a “kind of self-examination, with the city functioning as a mirror.”
Byrne’s book succeeds in his first objective, to shed light on the humans who live and create cities. He succeeds also in his second objective too--- to examine and explain himself. Unfortunately here, there is much to be critical of.
He offers unwarranted criticism of the automobile and the businesses that brought us this liberating invention. If he were honest, he’d have to admit that it was the automobile, and more specifically the road building it spurred that give us bicyclists the pavement we need to ride.
When I ride, I notice the beauty…. the arrangement of the clouds as the sun peaks through, the Canadian goose flying overhead, or the groundhog sniffing cues from the wind. Byrne does this too, but apparently not in America. In American cities, including my own beloved Columbus Ohio, he only sees decay, abandonment, and Marxist alienation. Even Niagra Falls is described as “mighty weirdness”.
American suburbs might be peaceful concedes Byrne, but they are boring and hurtful. As he bikes by, he imagines that its youth using razor blades to cause themselves enough pain to over come their “feeling deprived” environment.
Capitalism is seemingly embodied by George Eastman who lived and even, imagines Byrne, slept with his mom until he commits suicide.
In smaller towns, creative repression by the church is the rule, and football coaches are the only “wise men” Elsewhere, “white financial hegemony” ensures that minorities and the non-conventional are kept in place.
His anti-Americanism and cultural elitism is so relentless that by the end of the section on American cities Byrne himself writes of his sorrow in having painted such “a bleak picture” of America. No kidding. I thought to myself that if Byrne’s rides are always this depressing, why does he bother to continue doing it? Also, I thought about what fundamental assumptions Byrne holds that point him towards such analysis. He partially answers this question later when he points to what he calls two big self-deceptions people make: 1. that life has meaning, and 2. that each of us is unique.
Surprisingly though, Byrne has not yet hit his low point…..moving to Europe, he spends five pages complete with pornographic photos, on a man he seemingly admires, sexual predator Otto Muehl. I almost quit reading at that point but I’m glad I didn’t because the book greatly improved thereafter, with only occasional and odious jabs at the market, America, Christianity, George Bush ,Fox News and of course how Mr. Obama would save us from all those things.. But ignoring that, I enjoyed is observations on:
The bright side of urban neglect; surveillance in the Communist era, reparations, public perceptions of bicyclists, art as exploitation, how markets spontaneously organize in efficient manners (undercutting his other anti-market statements and underscoring his economic cluelessness); violence in sexually segregated societies, the media, art and music. His last section on New York and the bicycling tip in the appendix were interesting too.
If you keep in mind Byrne’s sometimes extreme biases, it’s a book well worth reading. I gave it four stars.
As a bicyclist myself, I like that he focused on the act of bicycling—the enjoyment itself-- rather than promoting cycling as a way to exercise and stay in shape or a way to be green, and superior to others. Bicycling, I know, and Byrne acknowledges, is not practical for most people, and for even for those that it is, most people cannot or will not make the sacrifice. But the book will spur some people to try it out… and that’s a great thing.
It is obvious that Byrne loves to ride.…. it’s an activity that he says keeps him centered and sane….. it’s like a regular mini vacation. I agree. Throughout the book, Byrne makes some keen observations regarding human nature and our social condition. He uses bicycling, as he observes in his introduction, first, to find out about cities, and more specifically, to explore, and make hypotheses about the types of “social animals” that live and create different cities. Secondly, his cycling travels are a “kind of self-examination, with the city functioning as a mirror.”
Byrne’s book succeeds in his first objective, to shed light on the humans who live and create cities. He succeeds also in his second objective too--- to examine and explain himself. Unfortunately here, there is much to be critical of.
He offers unwarranted criticism of the automobile and the businesses that brought us this liberating invention. If he were honest, he’d have to admit that it was the automobile, and more specifically the road building it spurred that give us bicyclists the pavement we need to ride.
When I ride, I notice the beauty…. the arrangement of the clouds as the sun peaks through, the Canadian goose flying overhead, or the groundhog sniffing cues from the wind. Byrne does this too, but apparently not in America. In American cities, including my own beloved Columbus Ohio, he only sees decay, abandonment, and Marxist alienation. Even Niagra Falls is described as “mighty weirdness”.
American suburbs might be peaceful concedes Byrne, but they are boring and hurtful. As he bikes by, he imagines that its youth using razor blades to cause themselves enough pain to over come their “feeling deprived” environment.
Capitalism is seemingly embodied by George Eastman who lived and even, imagines Byrne, slept with his mom until he commits suicide.
In smaller towns, creative repression by the church is the rule, and football coaches are the only “wise men” Elsewhere, “white financial hegemony” ensures that minorities and the non-conventional are kept in place.
His anti-Americanism and cultural elitism is so relentless that by the end of the section on American cities Byrne himself writes of his sorrow in having painted such “a bleak picture” of America. No kidding. I thought to myself that if Byrne’s rides are always this depressing, why does he bother to continue doing it? Also, I thought about what fundamental assumptions Byrne holds that point him towards such analysis. He partially answers this question later when he points to what he calls two big self-deceptions people make: 1. that life has meaning, and 2. that each of us is unique.
Surprisingly though, Byrne has not yet hit his low point…..moving to Europe, he spends five pages complete with pornographic photos, on a man he seemingly admires, sexual predator Otto Muehl. I almost quit reading at that point but I’m glad I didn’t because the book greatly improved thereafter, with only occasional and odious jabs at the market, America, Christianity, George Bush ,Fox News and of course how Mr. Obama would save us from all those things.. But ignoring that, I enjoyed is observations on:
The bright side of urban neglect; surveillance in the Communist era, reparations, public perceptions of bicyclists, art as exploitation, how markets spontaneously organize in efficient manners (undercutting his other anti-market statements and underscoring his economic cluelessness); violence in sexually segregated societies, the media, art and music. His last section on New York and the bicycling tip in the appendix were interesting too.
If you keep in mind Byrne’s sometimes extreme biases, it’s a book well worth reading. I gave it four stars.
December 12, 2020
Incredibly boring with dubious takes about race, culture, and place. The fact that it was David Byrne carried me about a third of the way through before it was just a grind. Smart and interesting music doesn’t necessarily translate to the same in travelogue.
November 30, 2013
Although I am a huge fan of the movie True Stories, I primarily think of David Byrne as a member of Talking Heads. Although I vaguely knew that he continued to work as a solo artist, I did not follow this phase of his career. Bicycle Diaries is the first of his books that I have read.
The book is about using a bicycle of course, but more importantly it is about how architecture, urban planning (or mis-planning) and people make the places that we live and work in habitable, desirable, or just plain awful. This collection of essays looks at several cities within and outside the US and how their patterns of life, traffic, and industry (including tourism) affect the people who live and work there.
As in his songs, Byrne’s authorial voice brings humor, wit, irony and sarcasm to his topics. But he also has a strong advocacy for bicycling that shines forth in each of these essays. He genuinely likes to ride and believes it can be good for many people. And he is not some pie-in-the-sky industry mouthpiece; Mr. Byrne rides his bicycle for basic transportation and for enjoyment in what he acknowledges is one of the least hospitable cities on the planet.
He writes from both long experience and from keen observation: he has bicycled in many cities over three decades. Places that I have travelled to in Europe and Asia he has cycled in and I am envious. I travelled mostly for work but did not have the smarts or luxury of bringing a bike with me. He does not see bringing a bike as an option, but rather as an integral part of his travelling. So, he does and we get to read about them in this gem of a book.
As the product of an artist of many media, the book is not some plain, printed artifact. It has particular design elements (no spoilers here) that add a nice touch and the contents range from actual bike rides to meeting artists and discussing the evolution of art. Because it is a diary that focuses on his bicycle experiences, we get views into the activities that the bicycle helped enable. I found this material as fascinating and a rewarding as his thoughts on urban cycling.
Since the book is now a few years old, things have changed in Boston, New York and other US cities: bike share programs have become viable and popular in the land that loves the automobile. But except for these later advances, he is remarkably well-informed about urban cycling issues, advocates, and methods. For those that would like some practical advice, there is also an Afterword that covers a few essential items.
Beyond my own love of bicycling, I found this book to be warm, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable. I learned a few things about places I’ve been and more about places I have not travelled to. I even learned a few tidbits about the author himself.
Three stars for writing and quality. Five stars for his insights into the utility and pleasure of urban cycling. Four Stars (4.0) overall. I strongly recommend it – even if you only want to discover his musings on cities and arts.
December 8, 2009
Guys, I'm sad to say that I didn't even finish it!
It wasn't what I expected. It wasn't about bicycles or bicycling as much as it was simply about Byrne's impressions and thoughts of different cities. Cities that he happened to travel through while on a bicycle.
I liked the "faster than a walk, slower than a train, often slightly higher than a person" passage from the introduction, but lost interest shortly thereafter.
It's very choppy, and not very cohesive. It's as though he literally did copy a few scrawlings from old travel journals and slap them into a book. It doesn't even have the feel of a "collection of essays." It's haphazard.
It wasn't what I expected. It wasn't about bicycles or bicycling as much as it was simply about Byrne's impressions and thoughts of different cities. Cities that he happened to travel through while on a bicycle.
I liked the "faster than a walk, slower than a train, often slightly higher than a person" passage from the introduction, but lost interest shortly thereafter.
It's very choppy, and not very cohesive. It's as though he literally did copy a few scrawlings from old travel journals and slap them into a book. It doesn't even have the feel of a "collection of essays." It's haphazard.
July 31, 2019
Byrne spends the majority of the book writing about topics he doesn't have the range for (and most of the time doesn't even bother to pretend he does).
February 9, 2017
Me encantó este libro. ¡Quiero ser amiga de David Byrne! Pensamos muy parecido. Ay, qué ganas de rodearme de artistas como él. Definitivamente, me animaré a conseguir "How music works". De niña, la bicicleta y yo éramos una sola. Luego, de grande, al regresar a mi ciudad natal -casi terminando los veintisiempre-, andaba casi todos los días en bici, rodeando el borde costero al atardecer, hasta... que me atropellaron. Y si bien no me pasó nada más que uno que otro corte, le agarré miedo. Y lo que ya no depende de mí, y es muy lamentable pues lo provocamos nosotros los humanos al debilitar la capa de Ozono, es que donde vivo los índices de radiación van de extremo a "¡danger danger cuidado, alerta máxima de cáncer a la piel!", lo que no me anima a exponerme al sol antes de las 6pm. Si no fuera por ese "detalle", esta ciudad sería el paraíso del ciclista, pues jamás llueve y todo el año brilla el sol, no conocemos el frío, y la ciudad es llana casi en su totalidad.
Con esta lectura, me ha picado el bichito por el pedaleo. Creo que lo retomaré aunque sea 2 veces a la semana. Mi recorrido bicicletero playero se viene.
Les comparto a continuación algunas anotaciones de esta lectura (¡son muchas!, aquí solo les daré un pequeño bocado):
1. "Hemos llegado a venerar las cadenas que nos atan, que nos controlan, porque creemos que somos ellas".
2. "Para mí, el arte ocurre entre la cosa -cualquier cosa- y la mirada (o la mente) del espectador. Quién o qué lo hizo es irrelevante. No necesito ver el CV para que me guste. Pero admito que a veces la historia del artista, cuando llego a conocerla por algún motivo, añado algo y afecta a mi percepción".
3. "Leo en el periódico The Guardian que, en 2004, el Pentágono envió a la administración de Bush un informe en el que afirmaba que el cambio climático es una realidad, que es una amenaza mayor que el terrorismo, y que tendrá -no "podría tener"- enormes repercusiones políticas a escala global. Predecía una convulsa situación a nivel mundial, una lucha por la supervivencia y los recursos que desembocará inevitablemente en un estado de guerra casi permanente en todo el globo. Qué perspectiva tan halagüeña... ¡Y el informe procedía del Pentágono, no de la Agencia de Protección Medioambiental!".
4. "(...) Israel, Palestina, Dakota del Sur, Tibet... Todos ellos han sufrido expropiaciones de tierras por parte de un grupo u otro. ¿Un robo de tierras o propiedad profetiza la reciprocidad en el robo? ¿Es ineludible la justicia postergada? ¿Es incluso justicia? ¿Cuándo expira, si es que alguna vez lo hace, el tiempo para la justicia y las reparaciones? ¿Tienen derecho las víctimas de la STASI a pedir alguna compensación? ¿Pueden los judíos alemanes reclamar sus casas (las que queden en pie) en Leipzig o Berlín (...)?
Y algunas anotaciones sobre bicicletas:
1. "Con uno de los peores tráficos del mundo (...) uno se pregunta por qué, con el agradable clima mediterráneo de que dispone, el centro de Estambul no ha adoptado la bicicleta como medio de transporte. Dejando aparte la cuestión de las colinas, vuelvo al tema del estatus como única explicación plausible. Claro que muchos dirán, igual que en Nueva York, "es peligroso y, además, ¿dónde aparco la bicicleta?" Preguntas como esta se responderán y se someterán a debate en cuanto haya una clara voluntad política.... en cuanto el precio de la gasolina suba cinco veces más de lo que cuesta en la actualidad. En realidad, no son más que excusas, pretextos para la desidia".
2. "¿Cómo se puede modificar el comportamiento de los ciclistas de Nueva York? ¿Cómo se modifica cualquier comportamiento público? ¿Habría que aplicar la ley para modificarlo? (...) ¿si fuera aplicables, funcionarían? [Me pregunto exactamente lo mismo].
3. "En Nueva York, con las calles llenas de baches y socavones y su renovación anual de pavimento, ir en bici es más un deporte de riesgo que un paseo, como lo es aquí [en Berlín] donde, a pesar de los crudos inviernos, las calles son más bien llanas y sin obstáculos. Hmmmm... Los peores baches están en unas pocas calles adoquinadas o por culpa de algunos trozos de pavimento. ¿Cómo lo consiguen? O más bien ¿Cómo es que el país más rico del mundo [EE.UU.] parece incapaz de arreglarlo?".
Con esta lectura, me ha picado el bichito por el pedaleo. Creo que lo retomaré aunque sea 2 veces a la semana. Mi recorrido bicicletero playero se viene.
Les comparto a continuación algunas anotaciones de esta lectura (¡son muchas!, aquí solo les daré un pequeño bocado):
1. "Hemos llegado a venerar las cadenas que nos atan, que nos controlan, porque creemos que somos ellas".
2. "Para mí, el arte ocurre entre la cosa -cualquier cosa- y la mirada (o la mente) del espectador. Quién o qué lo hizo es irrelevante. No necesito ver el CV para que me guste. Pero admito que a veces la historia del artista, cuando llego a conocerla por algún motivo, añado algo y afecta a mi percepción".
3. "Leo en el periódico The Guardian que, en 2004, el Pentágono envió a la administración de Bush un informe en el que afirmaba que el cambio climático es una realidad, que es una amenaza mayor que el terrorismo, y que tendrá -no "podría tener"- enormes repercusiones políticas a escala global. Predecía una convulsa situación a nivel mundial, una lucha por la supervivencia y los recursos que desembocará inevitablemente en un estado de guerra casi permanente en todo el globo. Qué perspectiva tan halagüeña... ¡Y el informe procedía del Pentágono, no de la Agencia de Protección Medioambiental!".
4. "(...) Israel, Palestina, Dakota del Sur, Tibet... Todos ellos han sufrido expropiaciones de tierras por parte de un grupo u otro. ¿Un robo de tierras o propiedad profetiza la reciprocidad en el robo? ¿Es ineludible la justicia postergada? ¿Es incluso justicia? ¿Cuándo expira, si es que alguna vez lo hace, el tiempo para la justicia y las reparaciones? ¿Tienen derecho las víctimas de la STASI a pedir alguna compensación? ¿Pueden los judíos alemanes reclamar sus casas (las que queden en pie) en Leipzig o Berlín (...)?
Y algunas anotaciones sobre bicicletas:
1. "Con uno de los peores tráficos del mundo (...) uno se pregunta por qué, con el agradable clima mediterráneo de que dispone, el centro de Estambul no ha adoptado la bicicleta como medio de transporte. Dejando aparte la cuestión de las colinas, vuelvo al tema del estatus como única explicación plausible. Claro que muchos dirán, igual que en Nueva York, "es peligroso y, además, ¿dónde aparco la bicicleta?" Preguntas como esta se responderán y se someterán a debate en cuanto haya una clara voluntad política.... en cuanto el precio de la gasolina suba cinco veces más de lo que cuesta en la actualidad. En realidad, no son más que excusas, pretextos para la desidia".
2. "¿Cómo se puede modificar el comportamiento de los ciclistas de Nueva York? ¿Cómo se modifica cualquier comportamiento público? ¿Habría que aplicar la ley para modificarlo? (...) ¿si fuera aplicables, funcionarían? [Me pregunto exactamente lo mismo].
3. "En Nueva York, con las calles llenas de baches y socavones y su renovación anual de pavimento, ir en bici es más un deporte de riesgo que un paseo, como lo es aquí [en Berlín] donde, a pesar de los crudos inviernos, las calles son más bien llanas y sin obstáculos. Hmmmm... Los peores baches están en unas pocas calles adoquinadas o por culpa de algunos trozos de pavimento. ¿Cómo lo consiguen? O más bien ¿Cómo es que el país más rico del mundo [EE.UU.] parece incapaz de arreglarlo?".
October 12, 2009
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... rock star tells us his opinions about stuff... whoopie... Byrne is a much more perceptive and original thinker than a lot of the rock stars out there, so there is much in this book that you can really sink your intelectual teeth into. There are plenty of things to get you upset, such as how Robert Moses destroyed large portions of many of our cites with his freeway plans, chopping up central cities with interchanges. And there are a lot of laughs as well, and inspiring moments and some great writing. "Golf courses are not green" is one little gem that sticks with me.
Bicycle Diaries would make a lovely companion set with Andrei Codrescu's Hail Babylon, which is another volume of impressions of various cities, all, or nearly all american in Codrescu's case. It seems unlikely that humans will leave the cities, at least without a catastrophe to drive us out, so we should work on making them a bit more liveable, and a bit more friendly to the world at large, and David Byrne has some good ideas in that direction, and no it's not just "everyone should ride a bike", it'll take more than that, and 100% bike ridership is not possible or practical... it'd be beautiful to see, but I don't envision it happening in this country.
there's also a flip animation of a bicycle zipping back and forth on the bottoms of all the pages, and the cover is beautiful.
Bicycle Diaries would make a lovely companion set with Andrei Codrescu's Hail Babylon, which is another volume of impressions of various cities, all, or nearly all american in Codrescu's case. It seems unlikely that humans will leave the cities, at least without a catastrophe to drive us out, so we should work on making them a bit more liveable, and a bit more friendly to the world at large, and David Byrne has some good ideas in that direction, and no it's not just "everyone should ride a bike", it'll take more than that, and 100% bike ridership is not possible or practical... it'd be beautiful to see, but I don't envision it happening in this country.
there's also a flip animation of a bicycle zipping back and forth on the bottoms of all the pages, and the cover is beautiful.
August 20, 2010
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. He recorded his thoughts as he rode around cities while he was touring. It sounds so glamorous but though his writing we learn there is little glamour on the road and there is less glamour on two wheels--which is the beauty of this book.
David Byrnes leisurely rides through cities like Detroit, Niagra Falls, Valencia, CA, Sweetwater, TX and Columbus, OH. We get a good looks at small parts, get a great feeling of the vibe and interetingly, he is a terrific teacher of city and highway infrastructure! America is a car-nation, that is for sure and David Byrne is a brave adventurer to venture into the heart of some of these places. It's a beautiful, rare and honest view of some of the places in America you'd probably never ever care to see.
He takes his bike to Europe and South America, the Phillipines and Australia. There he gives us glimpses of people, places and life that just can't be experienced from a hotel, a tour bus or a tourist attraction.
I knew I would love this book because it's about travel and a bicycle. I had no idea I would love it for its perspective, for the feeling that I too experienced his encounters and observations.
The lovely character of this book is that you feel as though your alongside Mr. Byrne. He recorded his thoughts as he rode around cities while he was touring. It sounds so glamorous but though his writing we learn there is little glamour on the road and there is less glamour on two wheels--which is the beauty of this book.
David Byrnes leisurely rides through cities like Detroit, Niagra Falls, Valencia, CA, Sweetwater, TX and Columbus, OH. We get a good looks at small parts, get a great feeling of the vibe and interetingly, he is a terrific teacher of city and highway infrastructure! America is a car-nation, that is for sure and David Byrne is a brave adventurer to venture into the heart of some of these places. It's a beautiful, rare and honest view of some of the places in America you'd probably never ever care to see.
He takes his bike to Europe and South America, the Phillipines and Australia. There he gives us glimpses of people, places and life that just can't be experienced from a hotel, a tour bus or a tourist attraction.
I knew I would love this book because it's about travel and a bicycle. I had no idea I would love it for its perspective, for the feeling that I too experienced his encounters and observations.
January 29, 2021
Finally done.
February 4, 2023
David Byrne egy érdekes fazon, és ezt tudja magáról, ez az alapállás is jól áll neki: a Talking Heads frontembere több évtizednyi városi biciklizés élményeit összegzi ebben az olvasmányos, ha nem is korszakalkotó, de egy változó korszakra összetetten reflektáló könyvében.
Mivel szinte mindenhova magával viszi összecsomagolható bringáját, az Egyesül Államok mindenféle városai (San Francisco, New York City stbstb) mellett egy csomó egzotikus helyen is végigteker (Ausztrália, Fülöp-szigetek, Venezuela, London*) és sokféle élmény éri, többnyire nem nyilvánval��an bringabarát környezetben. Vagyis aki tekert már Budapesten és egynémely magyar országúton, emellett esetleg nyugati városban és talán még a Balaton körül, az nagyjából minden egyes urbanisztikai és bringaközlekedési kitérőt érteni és értékelni fog – aki pedig még nem, annak ez (szándéka szerint is) érzékenyítő, ismeretterjesztő anyagnak is simán elmegy.
Mit elmegy: suhan! Byrne elég jó útinaplózó, és rendszeresen kitér helyi és aktuális érdeklődéseire, zenére, művészetre, kultúrtörire. Szerencsére nem csak viszonylag olvasott, de ami még fontosabb: érdeklődő utazó, és még amikor viszonylag felszínes, vitatható vagy simán csak vázlatosan spekulatív dolgokat ír is (pl evolúció és kultúra kapcsolatáról, spiritualitásról, esztétikáról stb) az embert önkéntelen is magával sodorja a lelkes lendülete. Kitérői legalább olyan izgalmasak, mint maga a városi biciklizős törzsanyag. Nagyon amerikai tempó ez: van ahol felszínes, ugyanakkor meglehetősen tárgyilagos és aprólékos, és összességében sokkal barátságosabb és közvetlenebb, mint sok avatottabb szakértő.
Kivéve persze a dán urbanisztikai messiás Jan Gehlt, aki többször feltűnő szereplő, ha nem is terjedelmesen (ami nem is volna jellemző rá) de hangsúlyosan van jelen, és ez nekem külön öröm, miután Budapesten volt szerencsém hallgatni igencsak józan és megszívlendő elveit az autók városi szerepcsökkentése, élhetőbbé tétele és effélék terén. Hurrá!
Mivel 2009-ig terjed a könyv látóköre, és eltelt 10 év, pár helyütt kiegészítésre, frissítésre szorulna – ezzel együtt igen-igen jó olvasmány, bringás és bringakíváncsi embereknek, Talking Heads rajongóknak, Amerikaniszitka-aspiránsoknak és bámészkodóknak egyaránt.
Mivel szinte mindenhova magával viszi összecsomagolható bringáját, az Egyesül Államok mindenféle városai (San Francisco, New York City stbstb) mellett egy csomó egzotikus helyen is végigteker (Ausztrália, Fülöp-szigetek, Venezuela, London*) és sokféle élmény éri, többnyire nem nyilvánval��an bringabarát környezetben. Vagyis aki tekert már Budapesten és egynémely magyar országúton, emellett esetleg nyugati városban és talán még a Balaton körül, az nagyjából minden egyes urbanisztikai és bringaközlekedési kitérőt érteni és értékelni fog – aki pedig még nem, annak ez (szándéka szerint is) érzékenyítő, ismeretterjesztő anyagnak is simán elmegy.
Mit elmegy: suhan! Byrne elég jó útinaplózó, és rendszeresen kitér helyi és aktuális érdeklődéseire, zenére, művészetre, kultúrtörire. Szerencsére nem csak viszonylag olvasott, de ami még fontosabb: érdeklődő utazó, és még amikor viszonylag felszínes, vitatható vagy simán csak vázlatosan spekulatív dolgokat ír is (pl evolúció és kultúra kapcsolatáról, spiritualitásról, esztétikáról stb) az embert önkéntelen is magával sodorja a lelkes lendülete. Kitérői legalább olyan izgalmasak, mint maga a városi biciklizős törzsanyag. Nagyon amerikai tempó ez: van ahol felszínes, ugyanakkor meglehetősen tárgyilagos és aprólékos, és összességében sokkal barátságosabb és közvetlenebb, mint sok avatottabb szakértő.
Kivéve persze a dán urbanisztikai messiás Jan Gehlt, aki többször feltűnő szereplő, ha nem is terjedelmesen (ami nem is volna jellemző rá) de hangsúlyosan van jelen, és ez nekem külön öröm, miután Budapesten volt szerencsém hallgatni igencsak józan és megszívlendő elveit az autók városi szerepcsökkentése, élhetőbbé tétele és effélék terén. Hurrá!
Mivel 2009-ig terjed a könyv látóköre, és eltelt 10 év, pár helyütt kiegészítésre, frissítésre szorulna – ezzel együtt igen-igen jó olvasmány, bringás és bringakíváncsi embereknek, Talking Heads rajongóknak, Amerikaniszitka-aspiránsoknak és bámészkodóknak egyaránt.
April 30, 2018
Not sure how it might come across to anyone who's only one or the other (or neither), but as a bike-riding urbanism zealot *and* a Talking Heads fan, this was satisfying in a humble, casual way. There's a neat kind of symmetry on display here where the format of these short essays reflects the way the mind naturally drifts while bike-riding through a city, skipping between particulars of the immediate environment, generalities about the bikability of different environments, reminiscences of the last you were in that city for your gallery exhibition, observations on the famous, well-connected people you're constantly being shuttled between... Well, wait, ok, fine: maybe some parts of this book are more universal than others, him being David f*@#-ing Byrne and us just being plain-old us, but if you can get past the blasé attitude he adopts towards the glamor of his own life, these represent some revealing and sometimes even affectingly intimate windows into the life and brain of DB.
December 29, 2017
I love David Byrne as a musician, and it's a blessing he made a living out of creating amazing music instead of writing because his writing is some of the most trivial and boring prose I've read.
September 27, 2023
I wanted to a read a book that looked into how biking differs in different parts of the world. Little did I know I was getting into an extremely political book with little to nothing about biking itself. This book is filled with a multitude of political points the author is trying to get across as if the title is "I'm liberal". I stopped reading after he started talking about sexual liberation in Germany... Even his takes on cities in the United States were blatantly bias. I have been to and rode a bike in every city he wrote about it and his takes are extreme. Calling San Francisco a rising city as it is flooded with homelessness and drug-use. Byrne doesn’t even try to take a fair look as he is writing, instead he pushes his agenda. Not to mention the structure of this book is all over the place. On to find a book that actually talks about cycling and it’s differences around the world.
September 21, 2015
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, coolness of woods, village roads and small pubs, when you scare animals and birds with your pedals. I love everything about bicycling. It’s my mantra and my meditation. So of course that this book is great as well, it’s what I think freedom is.
January 2, 2016
Despite the book being called Bicycle Diaries, there is far more to this than tales of David Byrne adventures riding around various cities, in fact the actual cycle rides are a small, though interesting, part of this book.
This book covers David's thoughts and ideas on urban planning, architecture, class, what music and art are and so much more, and as such is a really interesting and thought provoking book. There is little about his music in the book, but this actually feels right.
I really enjoyed this book, in fact I want to get out on my bike now, and take a leisurely ride along the Yarra.
This book covers David's thoughts and ideas on urban planning, architecture, class, what music and art are and so much more, and as such is a really interesting and thought provoking book. There is little about his music in the book, but this actually feels right.
I really enjoyed this book, in fact I want to get out on my bike now, and take a leisurely ride along the Yarra.
January 5, 2021
I have mixed feelings on this book and for that reason I give it 3 stars. Though I would recommend it to someone interested in urban biking, city planning, or the differences in culture across various big cities of the world.
David Byrne is the lead of the band Talking Heads, and that gives him some access to interesting people in the music/arts scene in various places, but to me the best parts of the book were just his thoughts on the way biking fits into life in a city and how bike-ability is a good indicator for the quality/health of a space. If he had gone a bit more in depth on that, I would have enjoyed it more as a whole.
David Byrne is the lead of the band Talking Heads, and that gives him some access to interesting people in the music/arts scene in various places, but to me the best parts of the book were just his thoughts on the way biking fits into life in a city and how bike-ability is a good indicator for the quality/health of a space. If he had gone a bit more in depth on that, I would have enjoyed it more as a whole.
June 26, 2020
Thoughtful insight into the culture, history and social geography of different cities. Seems like a very good way to explore a new city at ground level (which I'll definitely be doing in the future).
Seen some criticism on here saying, at times, it reads like a wikipedia page which I think is fair but it is also full of acute and entertaining observations.
Seen some criticism on here saying, at times, it reads like a wikipedia page which I think is fair but it is also full of acute and entertaining observations.
April 3, 2015
Interesting book with some good points though boring in some parts. Not my cup of tea.
December 22, 2024
needs more bikes
February 11, 2023
I have tried twice now to enjoy this book by musical genius and renaissance man David Byrne. I cannot get past a few pages into chapter 2. Maybe he's writing for geniuses, but this book is the "same as it ever was . . . same as it ever was . . ." Meaning: the prose after chapter 1 is simply not accessible to me.
This is a shame. Disappointed.
This is a shame. Disappointed.
October 27, 2012
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 talks about bicycling, which for him is not just an affectation or an occasional indulgence—cycling is his primary mode of transportation when he's at home in New York City, and often when he is on the road as well. So this book is about that, and about urban planning—especially about bike-friendly urban planning and why that's necessary, illustrated with examples and numerous photographs from the world's cities, ones that get biking right and ones that don't.
I somehow missed David Byrne's visit to Portland's Bagdad Theater in 2009, when he came to talk about this book to great acclaim. Nor did I ever get a chance to see him perform with Talking Heads. Apparently I just missed another appearance at the Bagdad in October 2012, too, this time with Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney and Portlandia. I did see him on stage once at the Oregon Zoo, back in 2004, playing with the Tosca Strings from Austin, Texas. That show was incredible; I should have been seeking him out more often all along, obviously, and now I'm looking forward even more to reading his new one, How Music Works.
His prose here is lively but straightforward—many of these pieces are more like blog posts (Byrne does have a blog, by the way, at http://journal.davidbyrne.com/) than literary essays. Few individual quotes jumped out at me until very late in the book. Here are a couple of good ones, though:
I want to compare this to James Howard Kunstler's enormously influential The Geography of Nowhere. Though that particular work is not actually mentioned here, as far as I could tell, Kunstler's analysis of the relative merits of Detroit, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon (which last Byrne doesn't actually mention either!) definitely reached many of the same conclusions that Byrne does regarding how devastating high-speed freeways, suburban sprawl and car culture in general can be (and usually are) to a city's health.
Byrne does mention some other books about cities, though, that I've read too—I noticed in particular his quote (on p.259) from E.B. White's thoughtful though all too brief Here Is New York (which I own, a gift from a similarly thoughtful cow orker), and his recognition of the urban wisdom of Jane Jacobs (p.285 et seq.).
Bicycle Diaries is both a travelogue and a work with a definite agenda, but it's also full of pointed asides and extended ruminations about architecture, sociology and politics, outsider art, the likely nature of artificial intelligence, and of course about music too. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Byrne is a genius, and his interests have never been boring or confined to a single discipline or genre.
This makes the book more interesting as well—while it is autobiographical, Byrne's stance here is relatively modest and unpretentious. He's not falsely modest—he's well aware that he occupies a position of privilege, and he isn't shy about naming the influential people in whose circles he travels—but it's not so much about Byrne himself as about the places he's been, the people he's met and the things they've done.
Of course, Byrne comes back to New York City in the end, as is both understandable and appropriate. Seems he's found himself a city to live in.
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 talks about bicycling, which for him is not just an affectation or an occasional indulgence—cycling is his primary mode of transportation when he's at home in New York City, and often when he is on the road as well. So this book is about that, and about urban planning—especially about bike-friendly urban planning and why that's necessary, illustrated with examples and numerous photographs from the world's cities, ones that get biking right and ones that don't.
I somehow missed David Byrne's visit to Portland's Bagdad Theater in 2009, when he came to talk about this book to great acclaim. Nor did I ever get a chance to see him perform with Talking Heads. Apparently I just missed another appearance at the Bagdad in October 2012, too, this time with Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney and Portlandia. I did see him on stage once at the Oregon Zoo, back in 2004, playing with the Tosca Strings from Austin, Texas. That show was incredible; I should have been seeking him out more often all along, obviously, and now I'm looking forward even more to reading his new one, How Music Works.
His prose here is lively but straightforward—many of these pieces are more like blog posts (Byrne does have a blog, by the way, at http://journal.davidbyrne.com/) than literary essays. Few individual quotes jumped out at me until very late in the book. Here are a couple of good ones, though:
The myth of neutrality is an effective blanket for a host of biases.
—p.213 (London)
I realized that at that time I was more interested in irony than utopia.
—p.221 (San Francisco)
I want to compare this to James Howard Kunstler's enormously influential The Geography of Nowhere. Though that particular work is not actually mentioned here, as far as I could tell, Kunstler's analysis of the relative merits of Detroit, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon (which last Byrne doesn't actually mention either!) definitely reached many of the same conclusions that Byrne does regarding how devastating high-speed freeways, suburban sprawl and car culture in general can be (and usually are) to a city's health.
Byrne does mention some other books about cities, though, that I've read too—I noticed in particular his quote (on p.259) from E.B. White's thoughtful though all too brief Here Is New York (which I own, a gift from a similarly thoughtful cow orker), and his recognition of the urban wisdom of Jane Jacobs (p.285 et seq.).
Bicycle Diaries is both a travelogue and a work with a definite agenda, but it's also full of pointed asides and extended ruminations about architecture, sociology and politics, outsider art, the likely nature of artificial intelligence, and of course about music too. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Byrne is a genius, and his interests have never been boring or confined to a single discipline or genre.
This makes the book more interesting as well—while it is autobiographical, Byrne's stance here is relatively modest and unpretentious. He's not falsely modest—he's well aware that he occupies a position of privilege, and he isn't shy about naming the influential people in whose circles he travels—but it's not so much about Byrne himself as about the places he's been, the people he's met and the things they've done.
Of course, Byrne comes back to New York City in the end, as is both understandable and appropriate. Seems he's found himself a city to live in.
October 29, 2022
Will not interest you unless you have no brain & deify the man on account'a he done sang them songs you done danced to, when you were an artsy Midwestern college dropout.
The language of the pseudo-intellectual is a red, blood-red fucking flag. If you're reading someone within the last 2-3 decades & he insists on using words like "narrative", "heady" (or, as in the case of Bicycle Diaries, "headiness"), and phony Shakespearean turns of phrase gotten secondhand from his nephew's acupuncturist, then BEWARE: you are in the no-brain zone.
It's all a little embarrassing, given what David Byrne means to modern music. But I still admire the guy; he's the same as he ever was.
The language of the pseudo-intellectual is a red, blood-red fucking flag. If you're reading someone within the last 2-3 decades & he insists on using words like "narrative", "heady" (or, as in the case of Bicycle Diaries, "headiness"), and phony Shakespearean turns of phrase gotten secondhand from his nephew's acupuncturist, then BEWARE: you are in the no-brain zone.
It's all a little embarrassing, given what David Byrne means to modern music. But I still admire the guy; he's the same as he ever was.
March 24, 2015
I am passionate about cycling, not in a macho or, heaven forbid, a lycra-clad way, it is quite simply my favourite mode of transport for getting from A to B. If I can use my bicycle then I will - and frequently do.
If I rank my preferred ways of travelling it goes:
Bicycle
Walking
Running
Train
Bus
Car
Ferry, boat etc
Aeroplane
Rather wonderfully David Byrne feels the same way (although he is more extreme). We are cut from the same cloth - not a statement I ever expected to make. David takes his bicycle everywhere and, like me, it is his primary mode of transport.
This book is a celebration of bike riding - of the rewards of seeing the world at bike level. It gives the reader an insight into what David saw and thought as he pedalled around cities which include London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Manila, New York, and San Francisco.
I had a feeling I was going to love this book and instead I merely enjoyed it. Like How Music Works, which I read very recently, I was expecting a bit more. That said, if you like Mr Byrne - and really, why wouldn't you? - there is much to enjoy. He muses on all manner of wide and varied subjects, many of which are only tangentially linked to the city covered in each chapter.
Ultimately what is most impressive though is the mere fact that he takes his bike everywhere, folded into a suitcase, and then, no matter how easy or difficult, he uses it to travel around every city even where very few others cycle.
The arguments in favour of cycling are so compelling that it is a wonder why it is not the most prevalent form of transport for anyone trying to travel around a city, that it isn't, is down to short term political thinking and vested interests. I hope one day the majority of the world will follow David Byrne's lead. He's an inspiration.
If I rank my preferred ways of travelling it goes:
Bicycle
Walking
Running
Train
Bus
Car
Ferry, boat etc
Aeroplane
Rather wonderfully David Byrne feels the same way (although he is more extreme). We are cut from the same cloth - not a statement I ever expected to make. David takes his bicycle everywhere and, like me, it is his primary mode of transport.
This book is a celebration of bike riding - of the rewards of seeing the world at bike level. It gives the reader an insight into what David saw and thought as he pedalled around cities which include London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Manila, New York, and San Francisco.
I had a feeling I was going to love this book and instead I merely enjoyed it. Like How Music Works, which I read very recently, I was expecting a bit more. That said, if you like Mr Byrne - and really, why wouldn't you? - there is much to enjoy. He muses on all manner of wide and varied subjects, many of which are only tangentially linked to the city covered in each chapter.
Ultimately what is most impressive though is the mere fact that he takes his bike everywhere, folded into a suitcase, and then, no matter how easy or difficult, he uses it to travel around every city even where very few others cycle.
The arguments in favour of cycling are so compelling that it is a wonder why it is not the most prevalent form of transport for anyone trying to travel around a city, that it isn't, is down to short term political thinking and vested interests. I hope one day the majority of the world will follow David Byrne's lead. He's an inspiration.
March 24, 2012
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, has meetings all around the world and usually goes to them on a bicycle. And, as any cyclist knows, you see (and smell) an awful lot more of the places you're in if you're on a bicycle than if you're in a car. Partially, therefore, this book is an interesting travelogue of a rock star and artist; we get to know what Chicago is like, London, Berlin, and many other places.
Partially, too, it's a commentary on the way we live these days. Byrne is clearly an activist on behalf of the bicycle, and of sensible town planning (railing against the type of single-use town planning that has blighted many cities across the world).
It's a little all over the place as a result - literally as well as in terms of structure. He clearly lives a charmed life; and whether he's in Sao Paolo or London he seems to know the places to go to and has friends who show him the way; but he spends much of his time cycling in a vague way and just seeing what happens. Commentaries on planning, on transport, and seemingly anything else that occasionally comes to mind, weave through this book in as unplanned a way as his travels. Photos accompany the text - though Byrne appears not to take very many photographs himself. (They appear decently enough, if in black and white, on Kindle).
I can never resist a good travelogue. This isn't one, to be frank; but it is an interesting read from someone I think I understand a little more now - albeit living a world which I'll never really inhabit. Enjoyable.
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, has meetings all around the world and usually goes to them on a bicycle. And, as any cyclist knows, you see (and smell) an awful lot more of the places you're in if you're on a bicycle than if you're in a car. Partially, therefore, this book is an interesting travelogue of a rock star and artist; we get to know what Chicago is like, London, Berlin, and many other places.
Partially, too, it's a commentary on the way we live these days. Byrne is clearly an activist on behalf of the bicycle, and of sensible town planning (railing against the type of single-use town planning that has blighted many cities across the world).
It's a little all over the place as a result - literally as well as in terms of structure. He clearly lives a charmed life; and whether he's in Sao Paolo or London he seems to know the places to go to and has friends who show him the way; but he spends much of his time cycling in a vague way and just seeing what happens. Commentaries on planning, on transport, and seemingly anything else that occasionally comes to mind, weave through this book in as unplanned a way as his travels. Photos accompany the text - though Byrne appears not to take very many photographs himself. (They appear decently enough, if in black and white, on Kindle).
I can never resist a good travelogue. This isn't one, to be frank; but it is an interesting read from someone I think I understand a little more now - albeit living a world which I'll never really inhabit. Enjoyable.
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