Remain in Love

Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina

By: Chris Frantz

Narrated by: Chris Frantz

Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Two iconic bands. An unforgettable life.

This program is read by Chris Frantz.

One of the most dynamic groups of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Talking Heads, founded by drummer Chris Frantz, his girlfriend, Tina Weymouth, and lead singer David Byrne, burst onto the music scene, playing at CBGB, touring Europe with the Ramones, and creating hits like "Psycho Killer" and "Burning Down the House" that captured the post-baby boom generation’s intense, affectless style.

In Remain in Love, Frantz writes about the beginnings of Talking Heads - their days as art students in Providence, moving to the sparse Chrystie Street loft Frantz, Weymouth, and Byrne shared where the music that defined an era was written. With immersive vivid detail, Frantz describes life on tour, down to the meals eaten and the clothes worn - and reveals the mechanics of a long and complicated working relationship with a mercurial frontman.

At the heart of Remain in Love is Frantz’s love for Weymouth: their once-in-a-lifetime connection as lovers, musicians, and bandmates and how their creativity surged with the creation of their own band Tom Tom Club, bringing a fresh Afro-Caribbean beat to hits like "Genius of Love".

Studded with memorable places and names from the era - Grace Jones, Andy Warhol, Stephen Sprouse, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, and Debbie Harry among them - Remain in Love is a frank and open memoir of an emblematic life in music and in love.

Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year - 2020

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Chris Frantz (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

My first music memoir

I’m a Talking Heads fan, and I found Chris’ account to be fun, forthcoming and honestly, pretty cool. It makes you want to be a fly on the wall and also transports you back to your own personal interactions with your own band/musical collaborations.

Chris, thank you for sharing and for setting a great example of being an artist while having a healthy marriage and relationships. <3

Love of Genius

A terrific book for fans. Frantz shares a lot of detailed memories of the early days of Talking Heads, including a gig-by-gig recollection of their European tour with The Ramones. Knowing a little about the bad blood between David Byrne and the rest of the band, I was concerned that this would read like a hit piece on the singer, but this wasn't the case at all; there is a lot of love for Byrne, and a lot of pain about Byrne's escalating disinterest in the rest of the band. Frantz acknowledges that some of Byrne's eccentric behavior was due to what we now know are Autism traits, but they don't excuse his attempts to take credit for the work of others, abusive outbursts, and petty behavior when he wasn't in the spotlight. Still, Frantz spends little time in the book on bitterness, choosing to focus on how incredibly grateful he is for the life of love, art, and music he has enjoyed so far. While not the most dynamic reader, Frantz is a warm and funny storyteller with whom it was a pleasure to spend many hours.

Lovely

This is a great listen for true Heads fans. The world moves on tinas hips.

The Human Side

I loved Talking Heads from the start. Watching/Listening to their music grow over the years was such an artistic experience. As I listened to Chris tell the story I would stop and listen to some particular song in their catalog that he was referencing, almost like an accompanying soundtrack. Listening to the story as told by Chris put a human face on it. Was struck by three things. The loving relationship between Chris and Tina, the way David chose to walk through live and how I was brought to tears as the story ended. The tears were bittersweet.

So good!

For any Talking Heads fan or any fan of punk/new wave/ post punk, this is an amazing book. Talking Heads is the totally unique band with whom I rain in love. This book simply enriched that connection.

This Makes Sense!

Being a Talking Heads fan, I found this very informative. We only hear the music and snippets of their story. Cris goes very deep into the early days, their artistic methods and what it took to become so popular.

I had read about David's autism recently. That might explain how Chris describes David's quirky social skills, and odd behavior so I would tend to forgive him on those points. Without David's mannerisms and freaky skills, the band would certainly not be who they became.

it took all four for sure. Great listen if you were or are a Heads or Tom Tom fan!

Inspiring and fun read!

This was an awesome read. Level of detail is great. Chris is a great musician and human being. I highly recommend this book.

Cool dude

this was a lot of fun to listen to . Chris is rather prone to bash David but other than that I enjoyed his story . his narration was at times cringe 😆

One of my favorite rock memoirs

It’s important to note but this is definitely a memoir, in part, to settle scores. The title would seem to indicate that Franz rises above all that, but he’s bitter; deservedly so. Franz Is definitely out to cement his and Tina’s part in Talking Heads legacy. It’s a good thing he does. Apparently no one else was going to speak up for them. As someone who moved from New York after growing up near Providence, there’s so much love for both cities. I also appreciate reading about a stable, loving rock couple.
They’re practically unicorns. On the other hand, transit going to give you a blueprint for success: he loves her, he thinks she’s beautiful, that’s all he needs. On the other hand, maybe just knowing that such a love exists might help someone see how good they have it and work to have love in a similar vein. All in all, I enjoyed this book a great deal and it’s gotten me back into the catalog. I was never a huge talking heads fan but I sure am now after using all the bands he mentions to fill out my musical education. Grab this one!

No need to be a fan to really enjoy this book

this book is extremely well-written, well-researched, and entertaining. One does not need to be a fan of the Tom Tom club or the talking heads to appreciate what is found on its pages.
Chris Franz does an amazing job recounting the rise of talking heads and the Tom Tom club. he is extremely generous, if not lavish, in his praises to everyone, even the less than deserving David Byrne.
clearly, he and his wife Tina Weymouth, are wonderful caring individuals who prize those characteristics in others.
Listening to Chris Franz read this book is a double-edged sword. it's wonderful to hear the stories firsthand. but at the same time, his reading skills have much to be desired. I had to listen to this at 1 and 1/4 speed and even then it seems too slow.
but overall, an excellent book, with an excellent story about two people who are truly in love. And saying that about anyone in the music industry, especially that came out of the CBGB scene, is definitely saying something worthwhile.