“Psycho Killer” Was The Second Song David Byrne Ever Wrote | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

(Recording date: 5/11/23) David Byrne was surprised that people liked his Alice Cooper/Randy Newman-inspired song.
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Deeper, unboundedly playful, and free from FCC regulations, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is a weekly opportunity for Conan to hang out with the people he enjoys most and perhaps find some real friendship along the way. Watch highlights of Conan, Sona Movsesian and Matt Gourley chatting with celebrities and meeting fans, along with special segments like “Review the Reviewers” and “Big Dick History.”
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[@myDelayedReactions]

in 1994 I got in trouble in my pre-school for bringing in a boombox and tape of Stop Making Sense and playing Psycho Killer for 'show and tell'. 29 years later, I still love it

[@loadiem31]

absolute scenes! kid you rules!

[@matthewb.7172]

You absolute chad

[@tweetyfan49]

Epic!

[@crystinamarie1]

Awesome story 😎

[@mikepants35]

No you didn't 😂😂😂

[@at1970]

My girlfriend came home with a puppy she’d bought out of a cardboard box and a new album “stop making sense” the year I started med school. She and I didn’t make it, but that dog was my constant companion for the next 16 years and the album was the background music. I wouldn’t change a second of it.

[@jimmyjimson-kj6ho]

you didn't make it into med school? Or you didn't make it together?

[@at1970]

@@jimmyjimson-kj6ho She ended up with a kayak buddy of mine. I got the dog, finished med school and miss that dog and the 80s every day. Bittersweet listening to the album.

[@DouglasRichardson-er4ky]

​@@at1970... I'd take the dog, the LP, and the medical career over a unloyal girlfriend any ol day you won 😎🫵🏼

[@at1970]

@@DouglasRichardson-er4ky I did. Nothing ever turns out like you think or plan, but that makes it interesting. I hope you’ve had a good ride.

[@DouglasRichardson-er4ky]

@@at1970 ... I grew up very poor from classical musicians my father is a Republican liar/financially screwed his own family in favor of himself. I'm doing swell I worked my butt off and pulled myself up by my own bootstraps. I was a rowdy kid into motorcycles I'm just glad I'm still breathing air I should have been road pizza in my 20s. I've been renovating houses for over 40 years and do supply chain consulting for healthcare now past few years I got involved during Covid and was honored to help you front line healthcare heroes 💜 when the chips were down I was sourcing wheel chairs, crutches, zebra printer roll paper, scrubs etc. I've worked in all other industries in supply chain. I've been adopting rescue dogs for a good 30 years Gen X present like yourself best wishes to yourself from Buckeye Arizona I have a nice house w a pool living the good life when not working hard for what I've built 😎🫵🏼🌵🐎🇺🇸

[@Kdkjdjewerdnxa]

Remain in Light is one of the best records ever made. I highly recommend people listen through that record even if they don’t like their bigger singles like Psycho Killer or Burning Down the House. I never really fell in love with Talking Heads until listening through Remain in Light.

[@mrwhirly0358]

Take a look at THHEESSEEE hands

[@Pumpkinking64]

STILL WAITING!

[@UberNeuman]

The WORLD moves on a WOMAN'S hips!

[@Missjunebugfreak]

Remain In Light is in my top 20 all time favorite albums. It's so unique and ahead of its time.

[@De_liebste_un_beste_Mensch]

Crosseyed And Painless --> Stop Making Sense One of the most intense things I'ver seen

[@bkj43]

“It seemed like a very odd chat…” “It was.” 😂

[@MrDuneedon]

I just saw it for the first time. It WAS indeed!

[@krisfinley6706]

Such a treat to see and hear the incomparable David Byrne!👏 I could listen to him talk for days😊 Still as handsome as ever too😍

[@markb20]

Very enjoyable interview thanks to both of these creative guys. Back in the 1980s David was perceived as this amazing artist who was not easy to work with. It's so cool to see how easy going and approachable he's become. But both guys make universal points about today's world of social media- HOW does one make it in comedy or music today? And the overwhelming amount of info, music, entertainment, etc. Such is reality.

[@RioRav]

I would imagine since he is autistic that he would've still had issues with learning how to work with and control parts of it. Many autistic people can learn strategies and coping skills as they age but other stressors can mean that few get to be that age unfortunately. Of course with being such a success he would also have more ability to do whatever he likes and minimize stress about finances and recovery by being alone as much as he wants to.

[@markb20]

@@RioRav Never knew David Byrne was autistic. I just finished reading up on it and he says it probably affected his communication skills while aiding his music, allowing him to focus better. Thanks for the update.

[@Adam-kn3tv]

​@@markb20just to further add, after David learned of his autism and began mentioning it publicly, he was able to reconcile with the band. They all finally understood that much of the interpersonal problems were a result of David having no clue that he was autistic and not really understanding the effects his actions had on others. My understanding is they get along very well these days and all the past animosity is behind them.

[@AndrewCantDraw]

I LOVE when my heroes acknowledge luck

[@Gusto4now]

It means that their are still self aware and not consumed by ego

[@jstnsmutek]

Conan is such a great interviewer. He was always funny, but he really became great at it

[@pommie5093]

Yes, luck is always a factor in anyone's success. Also true: David is a genius.

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

Malcom Gladwell touched on this in Outliers

[@toddbridgemanart]

"I like it when people acknowledge luck," said the Irish host.

[@ZulcanPrime]

I prefer the live version of Psycho Killer. I think David is being modest when he said it was luck that Talking Heads became successful and popular. It does help if a band has a good songwriter and good musicians who perform at the highest level.

[@privatepenguin3137]

I have seen so many bands....even some I never thought I'd see (like Eagles in '94). Talking Heads would be on my bucket list. They are all still living - would love to see it happen, but I don't think it will 😢

[@dmgcaster904]

It really is too bad. He told Chris Frianz to stop asking to get the band back together because he would never agree to it. Instead of making new Talking Heads music Byrne would rather rehash his greatest hits in a Broadway format in order to garner acclaim from the press and critics alike. Snooze.

[@privatepenguin3137]

@@dmgcaster904 Yeah. I get not getting together for the big "money grab nostalgia tour"...there are too many of those. But maybe if they played like 4 US dates for a charity cause they believed in. That's why it was nice to see them together at the RnR HOF.

[@jaxcoburchez2938]

My two favorite things in one place: Conan and David :D

[@eduardo_corrochio]

Jeez, that insurance commercial with Conan came in so fast while David was speaking that it was almost like a jump scare.

[@EdDunkle]

Yeah, why does Conan think he needs a crummy ad? He's very wealthy.

[@johnnytoobad7785]

The Stop Making Sense tour at Forest Hills was my favorite concert that I saw live in the 80's. !

[@calmthemonster]

Two of my favorites having a chat.

[@Radio-Loud]

This is so good, Conan. Please interview more musicians!

[@Missjunebugfreak]

Yes! Would love to see him interview Fiona Apple or Joanna Newsom. Think that would be a very interesting conversation.

[@talkingheadsfan012]

gerard way OR julian casablancas oh my god

[@Missjunebugfreak]

David has a beautiful smile.

[@radoslawfromwarsaw]

Sometimes I feel that I grew up in the USA, not in Poland. I love Byrne, I had the opportunity to watch Letterman in the 90s (as did SNL from the 70s that time). I also remember the first episodes of O'Brien. I love the moment when the person you like likes another person you like ;) Greetings from Warsaw!

[@EdDunkle]

Witaj Warszawo! (is that close?)

[@plaws0]

About 5:40 in they talk about there being _so_ _much_ music (and other things). I had this epiphany not long ago myself. If you search "WABC- 7- 29- 70" here on the 'tube, you will find a ~3-hour recording of 77 WABC ("Musicradio!") on a random morning in July of 1970. While I was basking in nostalgia, and listening to cigarette ads, I realized that, holy cow, WABC's play list was SO WIDE ... and then I realized that the station could not play a lot of songs. 53 years' worth in fact. Because the music didn't yet exist. In fact, they really only had about 15 years' worth to choose from - and that was it. As Conan says - _now_ , you can immerse yourself in a single genre and never look at anything else. Couldn't do that in 1970.

[@franciet99]

Thanks! I’m going to check them out!

[@aristotleasparaguspodcast1129]

This video was probably the 50th time I have been reminded that the Talking Heads are American

[@colin6603]

What do you think they are? They’re from NYC played with the likes of the Ramones, Blondie, and Television.

[@Drnaynay]

Well, Byrne is Scottish, moved first to Canada before the US, and he collaborated with Brian Ferry, so maybe that's why

[@StarryStarryNocturne]

@@Drnaynay Maybe it's also because at some point after the "British Invasion" the Brits started getting the idea that Rock came from the UK and so nothing considered innovative, daring or just impressively good in that area of music could have possibly come from outside the UK. :P

[@Guanjyn]

Psycho Killer is my favourite song by them after Road to Nowhere.

[@lesclaypoolonbass9431]

This is a stellar interview

[@thesimulation9651]

Pausing this to go caramelize some onions and pile them atop pistachio ice cream🧅

[@danmeister83gmail.commeist71]

the whole is greater than it's parts

[@Kitty8791]

Fyi - Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA) made a limited release flavor: 77% Nicaragua Dark Chocolate Bar w/ Caramelized Onion. It was surprisingly good! I bet if you melted it down, could pour it onto vanilla ice cream, or break it up into tiny pieces & mix it in. 🍫🧅🍦😋

[@sunshine3914]

Every song holds the best memories. Ty

[@Psilocybin77]

this guy is so much more than a big jacket.

[@sweiland75]

I would love to have heard David speaking more.

[@Filminformer1984]

Byrne baby Byrne!

[@jlouis4407]

Some of my earliest memories are from seeing the video for Burning Down the House on MTV, David’s dace on the house and on the road

[@jamesjudge7061]

I do that now but I am not touring...absolutely brilliant line....Conan u r the best

[@fredtietjen3247]

Honest and forthright interview from both parties.

[@redbougainvillea]

One of the best bands ever.

[@svenamsterdam3501]

Tina wrote the bass riff on PK. Her and Chris F. never get the credit they deserve.

[@Curious_Party]

and the lyrics aside from the second verse

[@joshbrewster5638]

Maybe Conan should interview Tina. Her grooves powered all of Byrne's best songs. The other 3 were as interesting as DB. Somehow he took all the credit.

[@mikekisonu6825]

FORGET "Psycho Killer." Were it not for "Burning Down the House" (and its AMAZING video!), Talking Heads may have become some NICHE band only a select few knew about. 👍✌

[@revwillyg6450]

I love Psycho Killer, but you are correct. Burning Down the House was everywhere when it came out. A huge hit. Always makes me think of the frat boys setting the curtains on fire in Revenge of the Nerds 😂

[@formerastronaut]

I'm currently having a "Talking Heads on Letterman" moment watching this video. Wonderful.

[@MrT67]

"I've realised now that this is an intervention involving David Byrne....." That was very funny 😂

[@Billkwando]

No mention of the big suit. Why the clickbait?

[@CheatDayKerry]

He's awesome

[@bigal1409]

Got "help" from some of the others???? It was CO-written with Chris and Tina.

[@Curious_Party]

Yeah they actually wrote it, he just changed the second verse. What happened to this guy? Lost his damn mind.

[@Trrondee]

My #1 artist, Im so happy

[@cyberspace667]

Insightful!

[@2010mceric]

If Conan started in comedy now, he could probably get a job writing for The Simpsons.

[@matzorama]

Love you both like we were related

[@lowkeysoundsystem6174]

Oh oh oh ohhhhh- Aiyaiyaiyaiyaiyai!!! 🤪

[@kevinn1158]

I had a guy who was maybe 8 yrs older than me who was into music. I might have been 14 or 15 when I heard him playing more songs about buildings and food on his car stereo while he washed his car, and I thought, who in the world was that? 1978-9ish as I remember. That was my first Talking Heads album. I still have that album. That guy across the street was my cool music dealer. He played Elvis Costello, UB40, The Specials, The Jam, Devo.... I ended up seeing the Talking heads at the2nd Police picnic here in Toronto 1982. Can you imagine? The tickets were 20-22 bucks, English beat, Joan Jet, Flock of Seagulls, Talking heads and the Police. 20 bucks wouldn't buy you a beer at a concert now. LOL. I get there's inflation, but the whole ticket marketing thing nowadays is just stupid. Horrible for the real fans. My 15 yr old daughter wants to see a concert but it's insane now.

[@johnperry6874]

The song is credited to Byrne, Frantz and Weymouth.

[@Curious_Party]

yeah they had it written already and he did the second verse, wtf

[@breakercassidy6946]

Best American Rock Band

[@keithfitzgerald876]

O'Brien is mind-numbingly stilted and robotic in this role.

[@tomroberts2135]

Conan and Bill Burr do the best ads for their podcasts. They do the ad - but they clearly just read whats there and give a little snark like "why am I interrupting everything for this nonsequitor"

[@scott92507]

Rei Momo and Uh-Oh are my favorite David Byrne projects.

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

I think I would have enjoyed Oppenheimer more if Cillian wore the big suit

[@RickLinsk]

David seems so normal today compared to back then - wish Conan had asked him about his personal evolution or development or whatever that is. PS maybe naive Q - are guests compensated for coming on (enduring) the podcast?

[@deepdivemusicreactions]

full episode please

[@RioRav]

Now I have a terrible hankering for some caramelized onion icecream

[@selfdiscardedkingofruin7291]

Weg Leg did a nice cover of Psycho Killer.

[@davidfaustino4476]

No way! Surely only a wise, experienced beyond his years lyrical genius could have penned the legendary "fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa".

[@Danisoff]

Pretty good monsiers charismas.

[@5ch3nk]

There's a lot of bands you get into, then get out of over the years. David and Talking Heads is not one of those bands. I've been listneing to his music since I've been a teenager and their music just keeps getting better to me with age. It's kind of a miracle I got into them when I look back at some of the music I listened to then. Which I feel embarrassed about now. I grew up in the early-00s so a lot of Numetal and junk like that..

[@lachauntiswashington231]

Very good

[@brucelee4996]

I saw half of Taking Heads. (Tom Tom Club).

[@itnefer4787]

As much as I like Conan, I think it was a very poor interview, at least the clip herein. All we hear is Conan talking about himself, never allowing Byrne to elaborate, like when he cut him off when he started talking about his 'stilted answers' to Letterman's question. It would be nice to follow up about that performance. But we got "I remember having no judgement about it". What??? Having a guest like that and asking him an old and worn out question about who he liked as a young musician is low-effort. You don't even have to be prepared or know anything about the guest. What's the next one on the list? "How did you start out?" or "What do you think about current music?" Meh...

[@louclarkson6098]

Ive been scrolling past this for days not reading it thinking it was john madden

[@hector3730]

Heaven (Heaven) is a place A place where nothing Nothing ever happens

[@MrDuneedon]

Is David wearing a tuxedo shirt?

[@aaronramsonwhite]

Looks like a guayabera.

[@pamr4040]

♥

[@1wayroad935]

I scrolled down too fast and thought that "Suit" was a *very* different word.

[@Chalepastel]

where is that large automobile?

[@stefanmarraccini8646]

The inimatable David Byrne! I got sucker punched as a new grad while respectfully blasting And She Was from an '85 VW GTI. The outro riffage still kills me. The rear wheel lift upon cornering was real, btw. BDTH was simply no better way to rev up any social ovcassion. Maybe not at detective academy shindigs, but who does that anyway.

[@fredericklindenberg5627]

Why does Conan interrupt the guest so much?

[@_Ag-]

I think his impulse is to take the focus a bit when he knows his guest is uncomfortable under the magnifying glass. His sense for social graces trumps a host’s selfish (?) pursuit of a “raw” interview, in other words. I can appreciate that he sees guests as people, rather than as subjects to exploit per se. But I do wish he would have had some provocative and especially unusual questions prepared that David would have been excited to answer, then social lubricant wouldn’t have been so necessary.

[@c.a.t.732]

Watching that performance of Burning Down the House on Letterman, I have to assume that the concept of singing on pitch was considered uncool and unhip by Byrne at the time.

[@richardbrucemusic]

At 5:30 they talk about the biggest threat to music today - too much of it. Like trying to find a needle in 10,000 haystacks. If gold was everywhere, it would be worthless.

[@gkelly3566]

Thumbnail looks like sam neil

[@justsaying14]

Conan O'Brien Needs An Intervention 🤭

[@franciet99]

For?

[@justsaying14]

@@franciet99 Try watching the clip, maybe ...

[@xploration1437]

Conebone69

[@gregdahlen4375]

would have liked to hear how he got the idea for psycho killer, why he wrote it, why the particular emotions in the song etc

[@blackbluestudio6338]

No one is 100/100%. Byrnes pretty close.

[@Radio-Loud]

New podcast - Sona needs a job

[@mrsbinkbonk]

Dueling haircuts?

[@mikebon8352]

Talking heads on earplugs Airplane takeof Schiphol 3 week holiday towards Jamaica... winter end of 1996. Road to nowhere... song... ;)

[@nancymesek]

Alex Cooper and Randy Newman sound. Rofl

[@rhinomechanics8423]

is that John Madden ? ..it looks like he lost weight

[@shephusted2714]

betty ford clinic intervention talk

[@emu_warrior]

this whole interview with david byrne was sooo boring but i'm glad conan met his idol

[@JillKnapp]

Jeez, I didn't think it was boring at all. David is wired differently than many of the glorious extroverts he has on. I really love how Conan meets David where he is. It's just a different vibe. (For the record, I'm not saying you're wrong. I think it's cool how we can look at the same thing and come away with different experiences. Humans are neat. ❤️)