# Clash of the titans: Elvis Costello vs. David Byrne

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 8, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690 "2008-09-08T22:15:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/41 "2008-09-10T17:24:19Z")

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> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> (By the way, how much of the Talking Heads’ greatness can we attribute to Byrne, and how much to other band members & collaborators?)

I think the talent gap between Byrne and Harrison/Franz/Weymouth is wider than the gap between Lennon and McCartney and (G.) Harrison, but not as wide as the gap between Simon and Garfunkel.

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/42 "2008-09-10T18:08:35Z")

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I don’t how Talking Heads collaborated other than Byrne handling the lyrics. But I think Tina Weymouth is an exceptional bass player.

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**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/43 "2008-09-11T04:18:13Z")

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> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#):
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> See, to me, your first sentence would make your 2nd sentence: Winner: Byrne

The thing is, the OP is asking to compare two people who don’t necessarily practice the same art. Byrne’s conceptual talents are far-reaching, and it may not even be fair to compare the two as musicians since music is only one of Byrne’s interests. But Byrne’s non-musical works are of no interest to me, so comparing them by the metrics that interest me (songwriting prowess, singing and performing ability, and so on), Costello well outstrips Byrne.

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**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clash-of-the-titans-elvis-costello-vs-david-byrne/462690/44 "2008-09-11T16:07:29Z")

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I’m going to see Byrne on Sept. 23. I’ll tell you then.

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