[2][3][4][5][6] The book, despite being non-fiction, has a highly non-linear structure with manual-like information, elements of Byrne's autobiography, and anthropological data on music theory all intermixed, each chapter able to stand alone.

In particular, he spends a chapter on the CBGB nightclub and the underlying conditions that supported the development of new, avant-garde artists such as Patti Smith, the Ramones, Blondie, and others besides his own band.

"[3] The Washington Post critic Tim Page commented, "This is a decidedly generous book—welcoming, informal, digressive, full of ideas and intelligence—and one has the pleasant sense that Byrne is speaking directly to the reader, sharing a few confidences he has picked up over the years."

"[4] On the other hand, for The New York Times critic Dwight Garner, the book is "a roll of mental wallpaper, a textbook for a survey course you didn’t mean to sign up for.

It drifts between music history, sonic anthropology, mild biographical asides, broad pop theory and grandfatherly financial and artistic advice.

It’s all the things Mr. Byrne’s twitchy and alienated music with Talking Heads never was: genial, well-meaning, as forgettable as a real estate agent’s handshake.