Bicycle Diaries - David Byrne

This point of view--faster than a walk, slower than a train, often slightly higher than a person--became my panoramic window on much of the world over the last thirty years--and it still is. It's a big window and it looks out on a mainly urban landscape. (I'm not a racer or sports cyclist.) Through this window I catch glimpses of the mind of my fellow man, as expressed in the cities he lives in. Cities, it occurred to me, are physical manifestations of our deepest beliefs and our unconscious thoughts, not so much as individuals, but as the social animals we are. A cognitive scientist need only look at what we have made--the hives we have created--to know what we think and what we believe to be important, as well as how we structure those thoughts and beliefs. It's all there, in plain view, right out in the open; you don't need CAT scans and cultural anthropologists to show you what's going on inside the human mind; its inner workings are manifested in three dimensions, all around us. Our values an hopes are sometimes embarrassingly easy to read. They're right there--in the storefronts, museums, temples, shops, and office buildings and in how these structures interrelate, or sometimes don't. They say, in their unique visual language, "This is what we think matters, this is how we live and how we play."

David Byrne, made famous by his group the Talking Heads, has been riding a bicycle in cities around the world since the 1970s. He travels with a folding bike as part of his luggage. This book is based on his observations and thoughts derived from his bicycling experiences.

The book begins with a description of the pleasures and advantages of bike riding as opposed to other forms of transportation. Byrne is a keen observer of cities, especially their infastructure. The writing often diverges into art, politics, and other interests of Byrne. Much of this is thoughtful and insightful, although a long way from bicycle observations. I had expected the book to be much more focused on bicycle experiences. It is largely a diary with the bicycle providing an entre into thoughts and people in particular cities. Still, this is an enjoyable read which I recommend. If you already like David Byrne, you should definitely read this book.