David Byrne — post-New Wave elder statesman of all things arch, artsy, affected and oblique — is the Marcel Duchamp of 20th Century rock n’ roll, transmuting the artifacts of the mundane and the quotidian into magical charms to ward off the confusion, dread and ennui of modern life. That was/is his great trick: embracing weirdness as the baseline of the new normal, and in the process making the avant-garde danceable while convincing us all to stop trying to make sense of the senselessness swirling all around us. Message: The WTF-ness of The Now? Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same. As. It. Ever. Was.
Reviews of his ongoing America Utopia tour describe a dazzling blend of Talking Heads quirk-pop classics and the oblique strategies and sincere ironies of his post-Heads solo work and collaborations with the likes of Brian Eno, Fatboy Slim and St. Vincent. He plays the Mann tomorrow night, with tUnE-yArDs opening, and we have a pair of tix to give away to the 27th Phawker reader to email us as Phawker66@gmail.com with the correct answer to the following David Byrne trivia question: What year did David Byrne become an American citizen? Put the words ONCE IN A LIFETIME in the subject line and include your full name as it appears on your photo ID plus a mobile number for confirmation. NOTE: To qualify to win, you must be signed up for our mailing list (see right, below the masthead). Trust us, this is something you want to do. In addition to breaking news alerts and Phawker updates, you also get advanced warning about groovy concert ticket giveaways and other free swag opportunities like this one! Good luck and godspeed!