Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz looks back with ‘love,’ mostly

But the bulk of the book is, naturally, about Frantz’s and Weymouth’s days with Talking Heads, the good, the bad, and the bickering, feuding, fighting with David Byrne, the prodigiously talented but exceedingly eccentric frontman. Frantz says he and Weymouth were “the only people in the world who believed in David as a person and a bandmate,” and he does clearly respect and admire Byrne as a musician, singer, and performer. But Frantz is also out to set the record straight, to reclaim credit for contributions he says Byrne took as his own, and to clarify misconceptions about the interior life of the band.

Frantz spoke over the phone about the book and the band.

Q. There is so much detail. You remember what you ate with Lou Reed and you mention ordering fettuccine carbonara from an Italian restaurant in Belgium in 1978. Did you have a journal? Did you ask Tina for help with memories?

A. I didn’t have a journal. With the fettuccine, that was the first time I ever had it.

I’d also fact-check with friends and I was shocked at how little they remember. My friend was making a student film at RISD and wanted some music — he knew I played drums and he said I’m going to bring this other guy I know who plays guitar. He brought David Byrne and we made this recording. My friend not only doesn’t remember introducing me to David Byrne, he doesn’t remember making the film. People were either really high or we’re just getting to a certain age.

Q. You were one of those getting high in the 1970s. What changed for you in the 1980s?

A. Talking Heads had stopped touring and I had too much time on my hands and too much free cocaine.

My use of drugs and alcohol began when I was a teenager. I really enjoyed getting high and always felt I was able to control it and keep myself together. I never missed a rehearsal or an appointment. But in the 1980s we were well-known enough that I could go into any nightclub in New York and someone would say, “Chris, wanna do a line?”

I was probably suffering from some depression or dissatisfaction about the way things were going with the band. I was self-medicating — it became less about getting high — and that’s when it became a real problem. Tina said you’ve got to get yourself together.

Q. The book’s filled with details about Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club but you don’t mention the 1990s album you and Tina made with [Talking Heads bandmate] Jerry Harrison, “No Talking Just Head,” which sparked a lawsuit from David Byrne.

A. Tom Tom Club was fun to write about, particularly the first album, which was a magical experience. But that album by The Heads was an unfortunate experience. Tina, Jerry, and I had our hearts in the right place. We called upon many friends to sing, from Andy Partridge of XTC to Michael Hutchence of INXS to Debbie Harry. I thought it was really good, but commercially it was a terrible flop and the press was very unkind. Their attitude was “How dare these people make an album without David Byrne?”

Q. You and Tina have spoken out in the past about the way David treated you. You also mention early in the book that you want to counter inaccurate reporting on the band, and you call Byrne out repeatedly for wrongs he committed. Yet you named the book “Remain in Love” and talk about being an optimistic person. How did you balance the tone and content?

A. I’m not a bitter person. I’m so grateful that I’m not. If I wanted to be, there are some things I could be bitter about.

I am by nature a very optimistic guy and I tend to look on the bright side of things. With Talking Heads there were a lot of instances over the years where we thought, “How are we going to deal with this?,” and we just managed somehow. Why? Because the band was so good and at least three of us were aware that this doesn’t come along every day and we should do everything in our power to keep it happening. So we did that.

Talking Heads for me was a great experience, and I’m very grateful for it. The last thing I wanted to do was write a book that’s “Drummer Rails at Lead Singer for Being an [Expletive].”

Q. You do take him to task in the book for denying you songwriting credits and for mistreating bandmates, crew members, and others. But you don’t write about confrontations, for instance, during the “Speaking in Tongues” tour when you say he was so awful. Did you confront him then and just not include it in the book?

A. I didn’t want the book to be a pissing contest but I did confront David numerous times over the years. I might have been naive, but I was raised to observe the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto you. What we found out was that, not just with David, but with other people in the music business too, is the Golden Rule doesn’t even enter the equation. Their Golden Rule is “What’s in it for me?”

We were a little unprepared for that but we weren’t stupid. We still managed to have a pretty good life.

Q. You are particularly critical of Byrne’s and producer Brian Eno’s treatment of Tina. What do you think drove their behavior?

A. Chauvinism is one explanation. There’s a certain type of person that doesn’t take directions well from a woman, and Tina is a person with very strong opinions. There’s also ego. I think it’s safe to say David and Brian both have enormous egos.

And sometimes in David’s case he’s not aware where he stops and other people begin. In other words, his head is wired in such a way that if he works on a song he thinks it’s his song and he doesn’t see that other people were involved too. It’s almost like it’s not his fault.

We have a better understanding about how people’s brains work these days. There are some things going on that maybe he doesn’t have any control over, and I’m not going to beat him up about that.

Q. Did these fights stain your memories of recording any of the albums? Did it affect the music?

A. The problems that caused friction usually had do to with things other than recording and making good music — it was more on the business end. It was extremely unfair but we didn’t let it affect us while we were recording.

While we were preparing to go into the studio and while we were working in the studio, we were always getting along — we had a wonderful chemistry and everything worked out well. It was always productive and a great pleasure.

Interview was edited and condensed. Stuart Miller can be reached at stuartmiller5186@gmail.com.