David Byrne has shot down rumors of a Talking Heads reunion, days after an unverified “official” Instagram account tied to the long-dormant band sparked hope among fans.
On Tuesday, fans first became aware of the launch of @talkingheadsofficial, which touted itself as the “Official Instagram account for Talking Heads. The Instagram, which hadn’t posted any content yet, also linked to what was billed as the band’s “official merchandise” page at merchandise outlet Hi Fidelity Entertainment.
Following Rage Against the Machine’s unexpected reunion announcement on an unverified Instagram account, Talking Heads fans began to suspect a similar declaration was afoot; at press time, @talkingheadsofficial has grown to 16,800 followers, up from less than 1,000 earlier in the week.
However, in a statement to Rolling Stone, Byrne says of the Instagram account, “I have never heard of this, I don’t know what it is or who is doing it, so clearly it can’t be a ‘official’ talking heads account. Whatever plans others in the band may have is strictly their own business and I wish them well.”
Drummer Chris Frantz also seemed perplexed by the Instagram’s sudden appearance. After one fan on Frantz’s Facebook page inquired about the Instagram and a possible reunion, the drummer responded, “That’s what I’d like to know.” Elaborating further to Rolling Stone, Frantz and Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club bandmate Tina Weymouth also shot down any reunion talk. “We were made aware of the Instagram account a few days ago as it was brought to life by someone who works with [Talking Heads drummer] Jerry [Harrison],” the duo say. “We have not even talked about this internally yet. We are all currently happily working on our own projects and there are no plans for a Talking Heads reunion.”
According to Variety, the account was created by Harrison’s manager to coincide with a 40th anniversary tour of the group’s 1980 landmark Remain in Light set to kick off next July. (Neither Harrison nor Hi Fidelity Entertainment CEO Howard Schomer immediately replied to a request for comment.)
In 2018, Byrne appeared resolute about not reuniting the group in an interview with Rolling Stone. “There’s a lot to that. I see what happens with other people when they do their reunions – and then it turns into a second reunion and a third reunion,” Byrne said. “With someone like the Pixies, it’s different – they’re getting the audience now that they deserved ages ago. But with a lot of them, it just seems like you don’t have anything new to say, and you go, “OK, this is just some kind of nostalgia exercise.” And I’m not interested in that.”
The four main members of Talking Heads last performed together at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2002.