Bicycle Diaries

Delve into the great mind of David Byrne. Informative and educational. It's an easy read. See the world through the perspective of one of our modern day great thinkers. This is not simply just about bicycling. I highly recommend this book.

Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne Bicycle Diaries are a enjoyable collection of thoughts, views, and essays formed by The Talking Heads founder and front-man - David Byrne. Using his fold up bicycle David takes the reader on a trek through American Cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, San Francisco, and New York. He shares interesting sights, and tells of adventures he stumbles upon. Art and music are all important subjects that are enlightened, and interpreted the way only David Byrne can do. Then it's off to foreign cities such as Berlin, Istanbul, Sidney, and London. Political history is often discussed when it comes to exotic soil. History facts are frequently entertaining, for example when Germany invented a weird sexless popular dance that the government attempted to insert into popular culture as a kind of immunization against Elvis's rock-and-roll gyrations. When biking in Australia, Byrne's experiences are recurrently captivating as we learn the land is full of unpleasant reminders of natures indifference to humans. Poisonous snakes and frogs, spiky plants, toxic spiders, quicksand, and endless deserts, reminding us that we are just guests there. Byrne reminds us that when on a bicycle our human inner workings are manifested in three dimensions, all around us. Our value and hopes are easy to read, and right there in front of us, such as buildings, museums, temples, and shops. This mix bag of pleasure is gratifying and knowledgeable. The liberating - physical and psychological sensation is more persuasive, than any practical argument about riding a bike. Observing and engaging the landscape with David Byrne will make the reader want to go explore the world on two wheels.

Chris and I love to see the Spanish terrain at different speeds. We look from a plane, a car, a train, during a walk and perhaps my favorite perspective, seeing Spain from a bike. I was very surprised after I wrote these words to find a very similar quote in the marvelous, Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne.“ The point of view- faster than a walk, slower than a train, often slightly higher than a person- became my panoramic view…”Byrne, who cycles like I do at home, (only better because he is a rock star) has written a marvelous diary chronicling several years of thoughts, sights, and experiences on his bicycle. He uses his fold up bike, commuter style while on tour and at home; he goes here, there and everywhere. This style of riding differs a bit from strapping the bike onto a carrack and heading to the country for long tours or races. He, instead, carries a fold up bike and utilizes this mode of transportation to connect and find center in a lifestyle that could otherwise be stressful and filled with a sense of separation.“ I found that biking around for just a few hours a day- or even just to and from work- helps keep me sane. People can lose their bearings when they travel, unmoored from their familiar physical surroundings …… It (biking) sounds like some form of mediation, and in a way it is.”His connection to Baltimore was also a nice surprise brining me more pleasure from the read.“ I’ve been riding a bicycle as my principle means of transportation in New York since the early 1980’s. I tentatively at first gave it a try, and it felt good even here in New York. I felt energized and liberated. I had an old three- speed left over from my childhood in the Baltimore suburbs, and for New York, that’s pretty much all you need.”In his book bicycle diaries, Byrne shares his perspective from the bike on a wide range of topics: city planning, matters of the heart, quality of life. His realism is inspiring. His view far more clear than the blur one might experience from a car or a tour bus. I loved the book and it inspired my Blog while traveling in Spain.

And David Byrne explains why. The automobile has designed our country and its cities have left little safe space for bicycles. A memoire of cities David lived in or visited from the perspective of someone who prefers bicycles to walking or driving. Comparison of European cities like Berlin to American cities reveals how we let our cities get cut in half or circled or otherwise divided instead of providing community. A good read but not about the Talking Heads or directly about his music.

Who knew mr byrne was so erudite and such an all round nice human being. Loved every page of it.

Llevaba años queriendo leer este libro, sensacionales relatos de Byrne quién ha rodado por muchas ciudades y no ceja en detalles al describirlas.

1. Ce produit été livre a temps et en parfait état.2. Le livre même est un sujet très intéressant et bien écrit (David Byrne est un artiste, musicien et auteur que j’apprécie bien. Un poète et philosophe de la vie moderne...).

Un David Byrne che non conoscevo.Il suo punto di vista sulla ciclabilità delle città che ha visitato In occasione dei suoi tour.

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