Lexington, KY - "Cities," writes David Byrne in his new book Bicycle Diaries, "are physical manifestations of our deepest beliefs and our often unconscious thoughts, not so much as individuals, but as the social animals we are."
We need only to look at the cities we have built to understand "what we think and what we believe to be important, as well as how we structure those thoughts and beliefs," he suggests.
Our values, hopes and ideals are manifested in our office buildings, storefronts, museums and shops in the urban landscape.
Byrne suggests that one of the best ways to decipher the unique language of a city is by riding a bike. He describes it as "navigating the collective neural pathways of some vast global mind." Touring a city, particularly by bike, is like taking a trip inside "the collective psychic of a compacted group of people."
This "collective brain" that he seeks to understand is by turns generous, happy as well as deceitful, and cruel. With Byrne as guide, it is also fascinating.
Byrne is best known as one of the cofounders of the musical group Talking Heads. He is also a talented solo musician, author, photographer and artist.
Byrne has been using a bike as his primary mode of transportation for nearly two decades, primarily in his current hometown of New York City. Now he takes readers on a round-the-world bike trip as he travels through some of the world's major cities. San Francisco, Berlin, Buenos Aires, London and others are on the itinerary.
The author's engagement and observations vary from city to city, so there is little that is stereotypical or formulaic in his descriptions. For example, in Istanbul and Buenos Aires, he talks about the artistic life of the cities. In Berlin and Manila, the importance of politics is stressed. Detroit and Pittsburgh are tales of history and decay.
Each cityscape shows different insights and Byrne is playful, provocative and at times melancholy in his observations. Byrne pedals through different cities to find that each "have their own unique faces and ways of expressing what they feel is important."
He starts with American cities, where he observes, "One could say that the machines have won." Most American cities are neither bike nor pedestrian-friendly, but focused around the automobile. This focus, he says, is "long-term unsustainable and short-term lousy living."
The massive freeway system has often killed the neighborhoods they pass through as well as the ones they are supposed to connect. In many towns, they often wall off the citizens from their own waterfronts. Ring roads that encircle cities make it possible for motorists to get from one side of town to another without even entering the city. As a result, businesses die.
Byrne's ride through Detroit is a timeline travel though the city's history, from glory to betrayal and demise. He compares the current downtown to Berlin after World War II. "Mostly, It's a post-apocalyptic landscape at its finest," he says.
As he continues his trip, each city offers its own issues. Berlin offers streets "on Prozac," mellow and perfect, a sharp contrast to the degeneracy typical of its punk and disco clubs. Riding through Istanbul is an opportunity to comment on the ugliness of modern buildings. Buenos Aires tells its history through the combined story of its nightlife, geography, faith and art. In Manila, Byrne explores the relationship between a city, music and government.
Byrne's reflections are as varied as the countries he visits. Bicycle Diaries includes his musings on everything from art and economics to Latin music and world history. Byrne's style is both fun and engaging, and even when his commentary is critical, he never lingers on the negative aspects of the journey he is taking. He sees the world with amazement, and the conversations he shares are both insightful and beautifully stated.
The book design also reflects Byrne's eye for the positive and the beautiful. It is hardcover, without a dust jacket, and bright yellow letters outline the title and author. A black silhouette of a bicycle and rider is centered in the middle of the cover. A further wonderful feature is inside, starting on page 11 at the spine of the book. Here is a tiny bicycle. As you read the book, the bicycle progresses along the pages until it reaches the edge. It then turns around and makes the journey back.
David Byrne's journey by bicycle with its opportunity to observe the world is, in his own words, "pure pleasure." Reading the Bicycle Diaries is nothing less.