Synopses & Reviews
A renowned musician and visual artist presents an idiosyncratic behind-the-handlebars view of the world’s cities
Since the early 1980s, David Byrne has been riding a bike as his principal means of transportation in New York City. Two decades ago, he discovered folding bikes and started taking them on tour. Byrne’s choice was made out of convenience rather than political motivation, but the more cities he saw from his bicycle, the more he became hooked on this mode of transport and the sense of liberation it provided. Convinced that urban biking opens one’s eyes to the inner workings and rhythms of a city’s geography and population, Byrne began keeping a journal of his observations and insights.
An account of what he sees and whom he meets as he pedals through metropoles from Berlin to Buenos Aires, Istanbul to San Francisco, Manila to New York, Bicycle Diaries also records Byrne’s thoughts on world music, urban planning, fashion, architecture, cultural dislocation, and much more, all conveyed with a highly personal mixture of humor, curiosity, and humility. Part travelogue, part journal, part photo album, Bicycle Diaries is an eye-opening celebration of seeing the world from the seat of a bike.
Review
"Byrne fans will enjoy this peek into the star's daily life." Kirkus Reviews
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"The man who emerges from these pages is the type of person we'd all like to meet, just more observant than most. Enthusiastically recommended." Library Journal
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"[S]ure to please fans of his music and personal photographs from his journeys, this is a loving tribute to the bicycle and world travel." Booklist
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"The book, then, is partly about cycling but also about whatever Byrne happens to have on his mind at the time, and fortunately a lot of it is quite interesting." New York Times
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"Even if you don't own a bike and have no plans to mount one, you'll pedal through the pages...full of musings by a compelling eccentric." Washington Post
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"Byrne, best known as the leader of the iconic new wave band Talking Heads, is an avid urban cyclist. Bicycling — meandering, exploring, just getting from place to place — has become his 'panoramic window' on life around the globe. He explains: 'Through this window I catch glimpses of the mind of my fellow man, as expressed in the cities he lives in.'" Damian Kilby, The Oregonian (read the entire )
Synopsis
A renowned musician and visual artist presents an idiosyncratic behind-the-handlebars view of the world's cities.
Since the early 1980s, David Byrne has been riding a bike as his principal means of transportation in New York City. Two decades ago, he discovered folding bikes and started taking them on tour. Byrne's choice was made out of convenience rather than political motivation, but the more cities he saw from his bicycle, the more he became hooked on this mode of transport and the sense of liberation it provided. Convinced that urban biking opens one's eyes to the inner workings and rhythms of a city's geography and population, Byrne began keeping a journal of his observations and insights.
An account of what he sees and whom he meets as he pedals through metropoles from Berlin to Buenos Aires, Istanbul to San Francisco, Manila to New York, Bicycle Diaries also records Byrne's thoughts on world music, urban planning, fashion, architecture, cultural dislocation, and much more, all conveyed with a highly personal mixture of humor, curiosity, and humility. Part travelogue, part journal, part photo album, Bicycle Diaries is an eye-opening celebration of seeing the world from the seat of a bike.
Synopsis
A round-the-world bicycle tour with one of the most original artists of our day.
Urban bicycling has become more popular than ever as recession- strapped, climate-conscious city dwellers reinvent basic transportation. In this wide-ranging memoir, artist/musician David Byrne-who has relied on a bike to get around New York City since the early 1980s-relates his adventures as he pedals through an engages with some of the world's major cities. From Buenos Aires to Berlin, he meets a range of people both famous and ordinary, shares his thoughts on art, fashion, music, globalization, and the ways that many places are becoming more bike-friendly. Bicycle Diaries is an adventure on two wheels conveyed with humor, curiosity, and humanity.
About the Author
David Byrne was born in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1952 and lives in New York. Although he is known primarily as a member of the New Wave band Talking Heads, he has been exhibiting visual art in galleries and museums around the world since the 1990s. Much of his work is done anonymously and publicly, including a series of street posters in New York and light boxes in Sydney, Australia.