Watch David Byrne Return To SNL After 31 Years

Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Watch David Byrne Return To SNL After 31 Years

Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

David Byrne isn’t really the kind of guest that Saturday Night Live books anymore. Their musical selection typically trends towards artists that became popular in this millennium, or at least huge legacy artists that are promoting a new album (see Foo Fighters and U2 in 2017). But Byrne returned to the show last night for the first time in 31 years — his last appearance was in 1989 in support of his first solo album, Rei Momo.

The Talking Heads leader is having a bit of a moment, of course. His American Utopia Broadway show is apparently doing pretty well at the box office — it’s coming back in the fall for another run of shows, and it’s getting a film version that will be directed by Spike Lee. Byrne has been on the late-night talk show circuit performing numbers from the show.

On Saturday Night Live, he did the Talking Heads track “Once In A Lifetime” and his 2008 collaboration with the Brighton Port Authority, “Toe Jam.” He also appeared in a sketch about buying sushi at LaGuardia Airport that featured a cameo from Jake Gyllenhaal. Watch all that below.

Check out his previously released promos with host John Mulhaney here.

more from News