To do in NYC: David Byrne's Reasons to Be Cheerful

Talking Heads frontman and all-round happy mutant hero David Byrne's "Reasons to be Cheerful" project seeks out "encouraging things that are happening anywhere, and if they have been tested, if they have been proven to work, if they can be transferred and adopted in other places, if they can scale up."


He's working on an album of songs based on the project and is giving a lecture on Jan 8 in NYC at The New School. It's free, but seating is limited.


This is an online project that is an continuation and extension of some writing and talks I’ve done recently. The project will be cross-platform—some elements may appear on social media, some on a website and some might manifest as a recording or performance. I’ve done these talks elsewhere, at BRIC Arts Center in Fort Greene and at IdeasCity with the New Museum, and now I’m hoping to bring the idea to a wider audience.

Briefly, here’s what it is—I began to look for encouraging things that are happening anywhere, and if they have been tested, if they have been proven to work, if they can be transferred and adopted in other places, if they can scale up—then let’s hold them up for consideration, and let’s invite others to add to this project. There are actually a LOT of encouraging things going on around the world—they’ve given me hope, and I’d like to share them.


David Byrne | News | Reasons To Be Cheerful Talk, January 8th!

(via Beyond the Beyond)