David Byrne admits that he previously “harboured a lot of racial biases”

David Byrne has admitted that he “harboured a lot of racial biases” on an unconscious level when was younger.

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In an interview with The New York Times, the Talking Heads star said that he had “implicit biases” as he reflected on his life and used his new perspective on race as an example of how he has changed.

He said: “Well, I realised quite a few years ago that as much as I might like to deny it, I harboured a lot of racial biases. At that point, a younger liberal person would say, ‘Oh, I’m not racist, or I believe in equality’. But at the same time, I was aware that I was also harbouring these inner biases that I could occasionally sense.”

Byrne continued: “I realised I may rationally say that I’m not racist, but I have implicit biases that I would like to deny, but they’re there. Overcoming those is more difficult than just rationally saying, ‘Oh, no, that’s not right’. Those beliefs and biases, whether they’re about race or women’s rights or whatever they might be, those things can take a long time to fundamentally change within us.”

He went on to explain how he’s used his art to widen his perspective on life, drawing reference to his recent ‘American Utopia’ show.

Byrne added: “I would like to think that I’ve been engaged in that process and was trying in ‘American Utopia’ to demonstrate that that can be done. That kind of change can happen, but it doesn’t happen with this snap of fingers.”

His latest comments come after he previously addressed his use of black and brownface in a promo skit for Talking Heads’ 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense.

Byrne revealed that a journalist pointed out this particular part of the promo material to him, and proceeded to call the inclusion of the blackface and brownface a “major mistake in judgement”.

“In the piece I appear as a number of different characters interviewing myself, and some of the characters portrayed are people of colour,” Byrne wrote, adding that he had “just about forgotten about this skit and I’m grateful that it has been brought to my attention”.

“To watch myself in the various characters, including black and brown face, I acknowledge it was a major mistake in judgement that showed a lack of real understanding,” he added. “It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing someone else – you’re not, or were not, the person you thought you were.”

Speaking in the current New York Times interview, he also said watching himself on screen in Stop Making Sense and looking back felt like he is now “removed” from the experience.

Talking Heads reunited for a Q&A back in September at the Toronto International Film Festival in celebration of the 40th anniversary of their legendary concert film.

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