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Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz has said it “would be nice” if the iconic New York band reunited.
The band broke up in 1991, and have only played together once since, for their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002.
Speaking to Rolling Stone about his new biopic Remain In Love, Frantz says he hasn’t seen frontman David Byrne face-to-face in 17 years, and wasn’t invited to see Byrne’s American Utopia stage show on Broadway, which ran across 2019.
“We communicate via email from time to time,” Frantz said of his relationship with Byrne. “The last time I saw him face-to-face was at [the restaurant] ‘inoteca on the Lower East Side in 2003. It’s been a very long time.”
The drummer admits that he would like to reunite with the band, though, saying: “It would be nice if it could happen because unlike many of our contemporaries, we’re all still alive.
“The last time I spoke with David it was regarding a reunion,” Frantz added. “First he said, ‘Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you.’ I said, ‘Fine.’ That was on a Friday night.
“The following Monday I got an email saying, “I’ve told you before and I’ll say it again for the last time. I will never reunite with the Talking Heads. Please don’t bring this up again.’ This was 2003. I remember it was snowing, so it was winter time.”
Frantz went on to reveal that a reunion offer reached the band a “few years back,” remembering: “We got offered crazy amounts of money to do shows. Not only do the show, but also the DVD and the live recording. It was a treasure trove. Anybody in their right mind probably would have said yes.”
Discussing Byrne’s choice to play a host of Talking Heads songs on his solo tours, Frantz said: “Yeah. He always says, “I don’t want to look back” when they ask him about a Talking Heads reunion. “That would be a step backwards for me.” Well. OK. [Laughs]”
David Byrne has dampened speculation about a Talking Heads reunion on many occasions — in 2017, he said that the prospect of getting the band back together would “probably be [taking] quite a number of steps backwards”.
Late last year, fans believed that a potential Talking Heads reunion was finally in the works, after the band appeared to launch an official Instagram account. The account hasn’t shared a single post, and isn’t verified as of yet.
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