As his career grew, David Byrne went from playing CBGB to Carnegie Hall. He asks: Does the venue make the music? From outdoor drumming to Wagnerian operas to arena rock, he explores how context has pushed musical innovation. Talk by David Byrne.

I enjoyed this short (16:00) TED Talk by David Byrne. In it, he explores how the architectural design and context of musical venues alters the type of music created for it, from the rhythmic drumming of West Africa, to Gothic cathedrals, to CBGB, to bird calls on prairie fields. Along the way he touches on how this is also true of the visual arts as well as politics, and even sneaks in a cheeky backhanded compliment to U2's arena rock.

I was fortunate enough to make David's portrait during his "Playing The Building" project, and this talk puts his inspiration behind that work in a new context for me. I highly recommend watching it. (via World's Best Ever)