David Byrne vs. David Bowie

[King]

Discuss.

[bedstuy]

David Byrne is a genius.  Stop Making Sense is one of the greatest concert movies ever, True Stories is great and the Talking Heads have a ton of awesome music. 

David Bowie, I don't really understand his deal.  He has a few good songs, but I feel like his popularity is a product of the cocaine epidemic of the 1980s. 

[Lief 🗽]

Bowie, no question.

[PPT Spiral]

[© tweed]

my stepfather looks just like David Bowie
but he hates David Bowie
I think Bowie's cool
I think Lodger rules
I think my step dad's a fool

[rejectamenta]

Bowie. Once in a Lifetime and Burning Down the House are two of the worst songs I've ever heard and I refuse to listen further on that basis.

[Dancing with Myself]

Neither but both has a few things I like.

Byrne with the Heads had about 3 good songs: "Once in a Lifetime," "Take Me To The River," and "Burning down the House." That concert film was epic when it comes to effort put in. The rest was meh.

Bowie's just too weird.  He's had a few good songs but a majority of his career was just out there. I watched the episode of SNL he was musical guest on the other day from 1979 and it was some of the most bizare stuff I have ever seen. I guess you HAD to be on coke to understand it. But on the plus side he helped straighten Iggy Pop out. Without Bowie Iggy never would have gotten out of the slums and the heroin. He did give Iggy some good albums to work with. Bowie even recorded "China Girl" so Iggy would have some royalties and get straight for good (Pop's version is far better than Bowie's though.) So he gets props from me there.

Both were very much products of their times.

[Eraserhead]

Bowie is about 100,000 times better in every way.

[tpfkaw]

David Byrne is an extremely talented musician and performance artist, to be sure, but Bowie is singular in both those respects, and ought to be easily winning this poll.

Also, people in this thread are seriously arguing that Talking Heads is better than Bowie because you need to be on coke to understand Bowie? lolwut?

[dead0man]

Bowie....for two reasons....

In the Venture Bros, The Sovereign's favorite shape to shift into was Bowie (so much so that we thought he WAS Bowie for the first several seasons).


and the Labyrinth.

[King]

Once in a Lifetime and Burning Down the House are two of the worst songs I've ever heard and I refuse to listen further on that basis.

Those are his worst ones, so you're okay to feel that way.

As for my opinion, Byrne is a better lyricist while Bowie is the better musician.

[bedstuy]

Once in a Lifetime and Burning Down the House are two of the worst songs I've ever heard and I refuse to listen further on that basis.

Those are his worst ones, so you're okay to feel that way.

As for my opinion, Byrne is a better lyricist while Bowie is the better musician.

What?  Those are both really good songs.  And, between the Talking Heads and his solo work, I think David Byrne has 8 or 9 great albums.  The Talking Heads are super accessible and fun, but they have that extra layer of amazing lyrics. 

I just find David Bowie's music too eclectic and over-produced.  Maybe I'm not enough of a music snob to get Bowie.

[Velasco]

It's a tough choice. I really love Bowie albums betwen Hunky Dory and Diamond Dogs (including Ziggy Sturdust, of course), as well the Berlin albums (Low and Heroes). Note that all of them were released in the 70s, his best decade by far. Bowie's first albums in the late 60s have some remarkable songs, but I see them as a (somewhat unfocused) work in progress. Some of his 80s singles ('Let's Dance', 'Ashes to Ashes') are truly great in my opinion, but not the albums. As for his later production, I prefer drawing a veil. Admittedly, I didn't hear all of his albums in the 80s and 90s and nothing but a few songs released in the 2000s and 2010s.

The Talking Heads discography until Remain in Light is fantastic ('Burning Down the House' and 'Once In a Lifetime' are great tunes, who dares to say the opposite?) and there are good songs in Speaking in Tongues, Little Creatures or even in True Stories. I didn't hear too much of the albums made by David Byrne after the break to say that I have an informed opinion. I recall a couple of good tunes, but I didn't pay too much attention to his solo career.

I'd have to go with Bowie, but actually there is not a single Bowie. The 'White Duke' is, after all, called 'The Chameleon of Rock'.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Byrne, easily

[traininthedistance]

Bowie is pretty good, but Byrne blows him out of the water.

"Once In A Lifetime" may very well be the best pop song ever recorded.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

early Bowie is amazing.

[checkers]

Talking Heads are one of my favourite bands so I voted Byrne, but I'm a big fan of Bowie too. It was a tough choice. I think both are objectively good, but subjectively Talking Heads just click with me  more.

Another question would be whose collaboration with Eno was better. I personally prefer My Life In the Bush of Ghosts to the Berlin albums.