The New Sins

by David Byrne

David Byrne has written a book that updates and alters the Bible's cardinal sins for a more contemporary audience. Byrne wanted the book to be the size and shape of a portable Bible, and thus The New Sins resembles the sort of book a strange person in a robe would try to give you in an airport. Bizarre and profound, the book includes 80 color photographs taken by the author.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Art, Philosophy, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

A 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

Reviews

[Andrew Bourne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, Mr. Byrne! Aren't we clever? But how much mayonnaise can we really put on a single sandwich? Mayonnaise is indeed delicious, but too much of even the most robust stuff can become saccharine. And pairing off with Dave Eggers; my tooth explodes!

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a David Lynch movie in book form. Seriously. It makes no sense, but it's super-crazy-awesome.

NC

[Daniel Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Byrne has such a feel for aesthetics! This book captures the handout-bible feel exactly, and the use of both Spanish and English makes the text feel even more impersonal and wide reaching. The book is so over-the-top and droning to the point that even the most invested reader or Byrne fan will put it down out of exhaustion. Maybe that's what Bryne is actually trying to say: stop relying on self-help books (and blind religion) to answer your problems. As important, if not more so, is the context of the book's release. Copies of the book were placed in hotel rooms in lieu of desk-door bibles. It seems Byrne is asking how much of our "belief" is associated with context and how much is internalized? Taking a step back however, I felt the heart of the book was not a social experiment or a pulpy satire, but rather a piece to remind us not to take ourselves so seriously. After all, the book was placed in desk doors, only to be found by the few who stumbled into it. Maybe the ones who have life figured out aren't looking for answers in doors of hotel desks!

[zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mock of religious culture while simultaneously disguised as a stream of Autistic consciousness from David Byrne. Everything is backwards, only making sense if the neurons in your brain are different. Don't try to understand it, feel it.

- "Each culture and the society make their sins-sins are not eternal, fixed and forever. They are constantly and eternally in flux. Like a river—now clear, now peace-ful-now dangerous and muddy. Making an off-color remark at dinner, once considered grounds for ejection from the premises — now is thought of as the height of sophistication and wit. Murder on the battlefield is an act of bravery, but in the home or in a public bathroom would be seen in a less flattering light."

- "Do we rewrite our moral code every time we step out side the door, every time we kiss and with every purchase or exchange of goods? We see that, yes, every day is different from the day before, and what was evil, despised and abhorrent yesterday is admirable and cheered today."

- "One is constantly reminded that one feels good, while simultaneously popping another psychopharmaceutical or being pummeled by devouring sounds and meaningless voices."

- "Every Television commentator, sneering at the Clean Man, every Billboard, with its implicit criticism of all that is worthy, every Pop song with its subtle messages of Humor and Sweetness-they all reinforce this upside-down view of all that is right and good. They and their staff—the assistants, the messengers, the technicians and writers—they are the true offenders, whose punishment is their own mental anguish."

- "We will find materials and appliances best suited for making us what we are meant to be."

- "A man who bears a bowl of water feels its weight, but if he goes right into the water it will be all over him, and he will not notice the burden of it."

[Christiane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd, interesting to browse through. In English and Spanish; the pictures are different but I think the text is the same in both languages. Some of the language is lovely and overwrought: "The Heart is like the Sea, wherein dwells the Leviathan, and creeping things innumerable. The Heart is like the Egyptian temples---full of spiders, serpents and snakes. It is a treasure house of sin. A gilded palace in a lake of fire." This passage is opposite a picture of pink rabbit Peeps. Fun in small doses.

[Katey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll enjoy committing the new sins almost as much as the old ones.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawnmower....

[Sean Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

So strange, and so interesting. Mystifying in some ways. Don't take it too seriously.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

bro thinks he’s Dante Alighieri or something

[Hillary]

This book was so weird. I don’t even know what star rating to give it. It had some nuggets in it, but honestly it was mostly ramblings. Maybe I need to read it again.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange, kind of sinister book that would probably be troubling if it were written by a lesser-known author

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brilliant concept and design, but I felt bored and apathetic while reading. Maybe that was the intent?

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was probably a time when I would have found this book entertaining, even enjoyable. Perhaps when I bought it in 2001 upon its publication by McSweeney's, when I was very into what they were up to. Or perhaps even sooner, while in college and a massive fan of the Washington, D.C. post-punk outfit Nation of Ulysses and their brand of leftist agitprop. Perhaps, but I doubt it. Even then I likely would have found this sort of self-referential (and self-reverential) exercise overwrought and tedious. But, one might argue, it's all about context. Perhaps knowing the original subversive intent of the book (it was placed in hotel rooms where unsuspecting guests would find it in place of the Bible), is supposed to make it and its subject matter more titillating. Perhaps, but it doesn't. David Byrne failed miserably to get me to care about abandoning the old sins in favor of the new ones, why we should abandon the old ones, or what it is about the new ones that even makes them sinful. Fortunately he didn't too spend much time making his case, so he didn't waste too much of mine.

[Chris]

Indeed, everything is exactly the opposite of that which it appears to be.

Was going to put this on the "Translated" square on the 2023 Seattle Public Library Summer Book Bingo card. (The cover does say "Translated out of the original tongues with the former translations diligently compared and revised.") But then The Twilight World came along so this will be on the "Recommended by an independent bookseller" square.

Thank you, Ophelia's Books.

[DRM · Rating 3 out of 5]

My lovely girlfriend gave this to me for Christmas last year as I'm a big Talking Heads fan. The content is pretty interesting reinterpretations of traditionally accepted values and favors the acceptance and entropy instead of the imposing of order and relentless self improvement. But what really did it for me is how the book itself is designed just like a Gideon's Bible that could be found anywhere. I'm tempted to leave it at a bus stop to spread Byrne's "alterna gospel" but I like the layout, photos (also taken by Byrne), and the passages too much to actually go through with it!

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times highlarious, at times disagreeable, at times mischievous, but always challenging and interesting. A resetting of biblical imperatives for modern times, a sideswipe to all that we hold as true (that's a good, thing, incidentally). And it's helped my Spanish!

Read it in an airport, and hope that religious types come and talk to you, that's what i say.

Best line - we don't want the truth, we want a better fiction.

[Ray Ambrosini · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tome belongs tucked away in hotels near the dead ends of the world. Where salesmen go to die, reaching for a prayer after indulging in too much drink and painful heartburn from the BBQ joint by the side. A look into the absurdity of looking for answers, occasionally dropping genuinely good advice wrapped in uncomfortably televangelist prose. Not words to love, live or die by but a powerful statement of an artist's view compressed into a velvety red book.

[Emer Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's funny and "innocently" unnerving, like most McSweeney's stuff; I'm glad I came across a copy of this.

Did you know honesty is a sin? I like this: "Our loved ones demand honesty, but what they really want is better fiction."

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Byrne updates and alters the Bible's cardinal sins. Bizarre and profound, the book looks like a portable Bible (beautiful) and points at what he sees as wrong with the way we think & behave in our world.

[Conrad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was happy to rid myself of the old ones.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

To put it quite simply: David Byrne is my hero.

[Jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything you learned as a kid = wrong.
Byrne presents a slightly twisted look at human habit today and leaves you feeling like a bandage was cruelly torn off by a snickering older sister.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the kind of thing you read cover to cover but definitely a book you can pack in your handbag and refer to while waiting in line and feel entranced by the genius that is David Byrne.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dissapointing 'reinterpretation' of the goods and evils of the world. I wanted so much to dig it--especially since it's written by one of the greatest musical minds of our time.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"but i haven't mastered the old ones yet!"

[scott noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

come on... a book on religion by david byrne? are you kidding? anyone who has doubts about religion, or just has alternate beliefs should take 30 minutes to read this one...

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Byrne of Talking Heads fame discusses why the old biblical virtues are no more. His wit can be matched by few.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

an art piece - provocative, thought, anxiety and laugh producing...for the underdeveloped reading may induce a sense of self-righteousness and help feed negative stereotypes about your parents.

[Casey Haymes · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Byrne is a force, a man bearing the key to the many mysteries of being human.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublime. Rhetoric is a bit head-scratching, but the book is beautiful.