Went to hear David Byrne speak at Fondazione Prada in Milan last night.
Apparently Mr. Byrne needed a bit of self-therapy, what with all the despair and fear found in surround sound. So he started looking for positive movements and ideas, innovations and healing-through-music events, popping up across the globe.
It took time, but he found them. Without any hype, having little to do with his upcoming tour, he took his findings on a 5 or 6 city European tour this month.
The tickets are free, you just have to hear about it, trip over a hidden or cryptic notice, or hear it from a friend over the phone, as I did, say the day before. And show up, early.
I was lucky to get a ticket. I was happy to hear this guy, this unusual artist, not the sort accustomed to speaking quietly in front of 150 people, specifically in a museum like setting.
He was in serious mode, then he'd just laugh out loud, for no apparent reason. He was sartorially elegant, still boyishly handsome with his shock of white hair, holding a couple of notecards, flipping through a laptop, 'not' performing his own version of a ted talk.
He didn't jump around or try and get the audience engaged, in fact he didn't move at all. I suppose he just wanted to give himself and others, a 'reprieve from the madness'. He succeeded.
It's called "The Cheerfulness of Things". It was surprisingly short, and cheerful. I highly recommend checking him out online.
I'm inspired...