The Pop Corporation

David Byrne is a funny one isn’t he? The list of cons about him is about as long as his list of pros – it just depends on whether you weigh the cons the same as the pros, right?

And yes, there’s cons. His treatment of Tina Weymouth in Talking Heads is massively uncool. The kooky dancing he does can grate. However, he’s David Byrne from Talking Heads and Talking Heads are ace. Via his label Luaka Bop, he was pivotal in the reappraisal of Os Mutantes, which is very cool.

While Talking Heads are unlikely to ever to get back together, he’s continued to carve out a career to be the most idiosyncratic man in New York City – a tough career considering Fred Armisen is hot on his tail.

Anyway, what’s this about his musical? Well, Byrne has teamed up with Fatboy Slim for a thing called ‘Here Lies Love’ and it was going to start treading the boards at New York’s Broadway Theater on June 17th. However, a labour union representing Broadway musicians is objecting to the whole thing as it uses tapes instead of musicians.

What a horrible predicament for left leaning union lovers who are also forward-looking futurists, tossing up between aesthetic and worker’s rights. What a conundrum!

Byrne & Co have a statement which you can read over on Instagram. Basically, it boils down to the fact that it’s got disco in it, and disco loved a DJ.

According to the American Federation of Musicians’ Local 802, this contravenes a contract with the Broadway League (that sounds like a dramatic superhero group, doesn’t it?) which dictates that all musicals at the theatre must employ at least 19 musicians.

“Here Lies Love is not a traditional Broadway musical,” Byrne and the show’s statement reads in part. “The music is drawn outside of the traditional musical genre. The performance of the live vocals to pre-recorded, artificial tracks is paramount to its artistic concept. Production has ripped out the seats in the theatrr and built a dance floor. There is no longer a proscenium stage. The Broadway Theatre has been transformed into a nightclub, with every theatregoer immersed in the experience. In many ways, Here Lies Love is pioneering this kind of dance club track-act immersion on Broadway.”

It continues: “Broadway must create space for boundary-pushing creative work. Broadway is also the venue for a well conceived, high-quality show that highlights the valued traditions of specific cultures whose stories have never been on its stages. Here Lies Love does not believe in artistic gate-keepers. Here Lies Love believes in a Broadway for everyone, where new creative forms push the medium and create new traditions and audiences.”

We don’t know anything about the show itself, but we were surprised to find that a dancefloor was needed for something that follows the life of Imelda Marcos. Apparently, it’s always had a dancefloor quality to it, and now we’re wishing we’d done some proper research instead of taking the opportunity to have some vague shots at David Byrne.

Funny ol’ world intit?