1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: Disgrayland is a production of Double Elvis. This is a 2 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: story about the band Talking Heads, but it's also the 3 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,159 Speaker 1: story about a singer and a serial killer. It's a 4 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:32,560 Speaker 1: wild story, a story that involves six murders, unsuspecting young people, 5 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,560 Speaker 1: snuck up on in the darkness and shot in cold 6 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: blood by a psycho. And it's a story about a 7 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: singer trying to channel that detached, psychotic feeling into song. 8 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: A story about punk rock, the New Wave, the New 9 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: York Yankees, the Mets, a garbage strike, and a blackout 10 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: that brought terror and violence. All that aside, this is 11 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: also a story about great music, Unlike that music I 12 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: played for you at the top of the show that 13 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: wasn't great music. That was a preset loop from my 14 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: mellotron called Fears of a Clown MK two. I played 15 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: you that loop because I can't afford the rights to 16 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 1: Kiss and Say Goodbye by the Manhattans. And why would 17 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: I play you that particular slice of Backseat Dark End 18 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: of the Street Cheese? Could I afford it? Because that 19 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: was the number one song in America on July twenty ninth, 20 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,559 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy six, and that was the day that David 21 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: Berkowitz kicked off a murderous rampage that terrorized New Yorkers 22 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 1: for over a year, a year during which Talking Heads 23 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: recorded their landmark first album and their signature song, Psycho Killer. 24 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: On this episode, a singer, a serial killer, the son 25 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: of Sam and Talking Heads. I'm Jake Brennan and this 26 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: is Disgraceland snare drum, high, hot baseline. It was a 27 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,639 Speaker 1: groove so loud and so low that you didn't even 28 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: hear it, You just felt it there in your chest. 29 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: It's the kind of groove that animates bodies. Those kinds 30 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: of records, they get the crowd on the dance floor 31 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: and then they keep them there. These the kinds of 32 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: records that Tonya Motto spawned. At the Peach Tree right now, 33 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: at ten thirty pm, Tony was keeping the tempo at 34 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:13,119 Speaker 1: a moderate ninety five beats per minute. By one am, 35 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: he'd work it all the way up to one hundred 36 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: and forty bpm as thousands of kids in their late 37 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: teens and early twenties boogied down. Then Tony gradually relaxed 38 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: the pace and cooled them all out. By closing time. 39 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: It wasn't studio fifty four, But in nineteen seventy six, 40 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: in the suburb of New Rochelle, New York, the peach 41 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: tree was as close as it got to that midtown field. Besides, 42 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: New York City was a cesspool. It was dangerous and 43 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: it was dirty. The suburbs were safer, and this gig 44 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: was easier, and based on the pair of brunettes that 45 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: just walked by, the peach tree was plenty good enough 46 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: for Tony. Just then, a young guy in a wrinkle 47 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: button down shirt shuffled into the DJ booth holding a 48 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: glass of water for Tony. Normally, the DJ booth was 49 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: Tony's sacred space, no guess and no requests, but he 50 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: felt sorry for this quiet young guy with the intense 51 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: black eyes and the wild hair. He always came to 52 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: the club alone, and he never danced. He just hung 53 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,840 Speaker 1: at the edge of the DJ booth and watched Tony work. Eventually, 54 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: Tony took pity on him and showed him the turntables 55 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: and mixing board tonight. The guy handed Tony to a 56 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: glass of water and stared over his shoulder at the turntables. 57 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: Tony tried to fill the awkward silence. He asked the 58 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: guy if he liked disco. Nah, the guy said he 59 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: preferred Philly's soul. Tony changed his strategy, did he like girls? 60 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: And the guy's eyes flashed with anger. He just stared 61 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: at his shoes. Tony felt that it was clear that 62 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: this guy wasn't a ladies man, but Jesus, he was 63 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: just trying to make conversation. An uncomfortable silence hung in 64 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: the air for another minute, and finally the guy muttered 65 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:15,040 Speaker 1: goodbye and quickly turned and walked out of the booth, 66 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: And as he turned the corner, Tony called out after him, Hey, David, 67 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: catch you later. Meanwhile, twenty miles south, another awkward young 68 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,360 Speaker 1: man clung to a doorframe in a tiny damp room. 69 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: A futrid mix of smells filled his nostrils. Piss, cockroach, spray, 70 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: chanelle number five, a combination so thick it enveloped him. 71 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: All the same, he couldn't leave. He knew what was 72 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: waiting just on the other side of the door. He 73 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: could hear the huge dog, panting in the summer heat, 74 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,599 Speaker 1: nudging at the door with its nose, scraping its claws 75 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,920 Speaker 1: across the wooden floor. He knew the dog wouldn't let 76 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: up now that it had his attention, and soon he 77 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: would have to do its bidding. Finally, the young man 78 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: pushed the door open, and the black dog trotted forward 79 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: and stopped right in front of him. It looked up 80 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: with those sad eyes, eyes that were almost human, and 81 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,600 Speaker 1: for a moment it seemed like the mutt was going 82 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:31,040 Speaker 1: to speak. It paused, it circled, then took a shit 83 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: right there on the wooden floor. The dog forced its 84 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 1: muzzle into his hands, leaving David Byrne with no choice 85 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: but to scratch the ears of the big Suluki hound 86 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: until it turned and ran back to a man standing 87 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 1: at the bar. That man was Hilly Crystal. He ran 88 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: seebeegb this tiny dive on the Bowery, and his dog 89 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: Jonathan was the club's unofficial mascot. By July nineteen seventy six, 90 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: not much remained of Hill's original vision of what was 91 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: once called Country, Bluegrass and Blues, hence CBGB. Instead, the 92 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: club was the epicenter of a new wave of music, 93 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 1: powered by bands including Television Blondie, The Ramones, and tonight's 94 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: headliner Talking Heads. David Byrne and his bandmates Bassist Tina 95 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: Weymouth and drummer Chris France hardly looked like a band 96 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: at the center of the emerging punksy, where the Ramones 97 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: rocked black leather and shades, Talking Heads wore polo shirts 98 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: with little alligators on them. Clean cut, nerdy, almost they were, 99 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: as rock critic Lester Bangs later put it, so uncool 100 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: that they became cool tonight, however, they were well on 101 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: their way to becoming cool. Only a year after their 102 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: first gig as Talking Heads, they were gearing out for 103 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: their second sold out show of the night. As the 104 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: line grew outside the club, David Byrne felt tense, nervous. 105 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: He couldn't relax and the pressure was on in addition 106 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: to the huge crowd outside. Sire Records founder seymour Stein 107 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: was inside the building. He had been scouting the band 108 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: for months. He saw one of their first shows a 109 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: year prior, and now he was ready to check on 110 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: the band's progress. The doors opened and the crowd rushed in, 111 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: and when the band kicked off, seymour Stein was pressed 112 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: up against the front of the stage. He watched David 113 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: Byrne twitch in convulse like a man possessed his singing voice. 114 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: Was just as jittery, swinging wildly up and down in pitch, 115 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: but there was something oddly compelling about it. He was intense, 116 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: he was passionate. In the right hands, he could be 117 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: the star, which is exactly why Seymour wanted the band 118 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 1: for Sire Records. The first song ended and the crowd roared. 119 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: David waited a moment before step into the microphone to 120 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: announce their next one. The name of this band is 121 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: Talking Heads. The next song is called Psycho Killer. While 122 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: Talking Heads finished their late set back in New Rochelle, 123 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 1: Tonyamato watched that pair of brunettes walk out of the 124 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: Peach Tree too bad. Tony recognized one of them. What 125 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: was her name? Debbie Diane? No, Donna, that was it. 126 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: He was hoping she might stick around a chat, but 127 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 1: unfortunately that wasn't in the cards. Tonight, Donna and her 128 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: friend Jody slipped out of the club and into the 129 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: bomby night Air. They hopped into Jody's oldsmobile and headed 130 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 1: south to the Bronx to Pelambay, where Donna lived with 131 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: her parents. Jody double parked in front of the house. 132 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,079 Speaker 1: The girls didn't notice the guy who was following them. 133 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: He pulled his yellow Ford Galaxy to the curve half 134 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: a block away, replaying the scene from the disco in 135 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: his mind, he let out a hard, angry laugh. Of course, 136 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 1: he liked girls, but girls hardly noticed him, just like 137 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: everyone else, and when they did, it was just to 138 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: pity him. Even that DJ back in the peach tree, 139 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: he was so patronizing. None of them truly saw him. 140 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: Not really. He was going to fix that starting tonight. 141 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: Soon the whole city would notice him. He pulled a 142 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: revolver from his pocket and massaged it in his hands. 143 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: Somewhere a dog was barking. He tried to block it 144 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: from his mind and focus on what he was here 145 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: to do. Make them notice. He opened the door of 146 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 1: his forward Galaxy and stepped out into the night. The 147 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,319 Speaker 1: oldsmobile idle just up ahead, a few feet away. Now 148 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: he crept up on the passenger side. Suddenly the passenger 149 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: door swung open. It was Donna. She saw him there 150 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: waiting for her, his heart pounding, that snub nosed piece 151 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: in his hands, shimmering under the moonlight. She screamed, who 152 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: the hell are you? The flash and the revolver was blinding. 153 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 1: The shots cut through the night air like thunder. Donna 154 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 1: fell to the ground. He gave to Jody in the 155 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,440 Speaker 1: driver's seat. She looked like she was about to puke. 156 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 1: He fired three more shots. The first one tore through 157 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: her leg. She screamed in pain. His blood spilled out 158 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: into the driver's seat, and then he turned and ran. 159 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,320 Speaker 1: Doma's parents bolted out of the house. They rushed down 160 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 1: to the car, but it was too late. At just 161 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:45,480 Speaker 1: eighteen years old, their daughter's life was over. For the 162 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 1: rest of New York City, The nightmare was just Beginning 163 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:24,040 Speaker 1: April nineteen seventy seven, Manhattan Sun Dragon's Studios. Something was 164 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 1: bothering David Byrne. The music coming out of the control 165 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: room speakers was not good, not good at all. David's bandmates, 166 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:38,199 Speaker 1: Tina Weymouth, Chris Franz, and their latest edition multi instrumentalist 167 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: Jerry Harrison, formerly of The Modern Lovers, they all agreed. 168 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: Listening to this first playback of their song Psycho Killer, 169 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:51,480 Speaker 1: they realized that something was off. The cold detached persauna 170 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:55,720 Speaker 1: that David created so easily on stage at CBGB was 171 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:59,560 Speaker 1: no match for the cold, detached atmosphere the recording studios. 172 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: Isolated vocal booth on Tate. David's voice sounded timid, weak, uninspired. 173 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:13,319 Speaker 1: He hated it. The track should have been better than this. 174 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 1: It was the band's oldest song, one they wrote in 175 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four while they were all still art students 176 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,720 Speaker 1: at Rhode Island School of Design. David came up with 177 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 1: the concept after listening to Alice Cooper's shock rock masterpiece 178 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:31,200 Speaker 1: Billion Dollar Babies on repeat. Back then, he imagined it 179 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: as a creepy rock ballad, but Chris added a funky 180 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 1: and propulsive beat that took the song in a totally 181 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:42,360 Speaker 1: different direction. Tina, who was dating Chris, listened as the 182 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 1: guys tried to come up with a bridge. She offered 183 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,440 Speaker 1: to write something in French, seeing as she was fluent, 184 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: and soon the song was done. Tina grew up taking 185 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: music lessons, but at the time she hadn't even picked 186 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: up a bass yet. Even now, in nineteen seventy seven, 187 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: only been playing for a year and a half. That 188 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: was another thing bothering David. After finally signing with Sire 189 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: Records in November, Talking Head's debut album was going to 190 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: make or break. If it succeeded, it could launch him 191 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:16,719 Speaker 1: into a long career in music. If it flopped, you 192 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: might not get another shot. Was it really wise to 193 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: trust their sound to such an inexperienced player. Maybe Tina 194 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: was the problem, or maybe the problem was Tony Bonjioviy. Yes, 195 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:35,520 Speaker 1: that's first cousin to mister living on a Prayer, John 196 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 1: bon Jovi, who in nineteen seventy seven was already a 197 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: big time producer. Jimmy Hendrix, Gloria Gaynor, and most importantly, 198 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: Tony Bonjioviy produced two dynamic soaring albums for the ramones 199 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: seymour Stein thought that Tony Bonjiovy would be a perfect 200 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 1: fit for the Talking Head's debut. From the start, however, 201 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: it was not a perfect fit. It was a bad fit. 202 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: Tony didn't understand the band's sound. He was dismissive about 203 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 1: Tina's playing, he hated David singing, and he spent most 204 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 1: of his time bragging about his new private jet. He 205 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 1: read airplane magazines while the band recorded, and he left 206 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: sessions to oversee the creation of the power Station studio 207 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: he was building in Hell's kitchen. When he did pay attention, 208 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: his attempts to drop knowledge off and backfired. Like right now, 209 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 1: the studio was silent as the playback ended. Everyone in 210 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: the room knew that the vocals were all wrong. Tony 211 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: casually put down the Airplane magazine and he took off 212 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,320 Speaker 1: his shades and walked out of the room. When he 213 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,640 Speaker 1: returned from the studio small kitchen, he was holding an 214 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: eight inch long butcher knife. He walked up to David 215 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: and placed the knife in his hand. Look, Tony said, 216 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 1: you're a psycho killer, right, It's time to get into character. 217 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: It couldn't be more clear that Tony didn't understand the 218 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: song at all. He wanted David to scream soulfully like 219 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: Al Green, instead of delivering a cold, monotone like Lou Reed. 220 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 1: He wanted a novelty song. The song wasn't a joke. 221 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: This was David's life. If they didn't get it right 222 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: this go round, there would not be another. David looked 223 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 1: down at the knife in his hand, and the anger 224 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: boiled up inside of him. He felt like a dog, 225 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: an animal. He wanted a lunge at Tony. Gouge the 226 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: producer's eyes out, to plunge the knife into his fucking chest. 227 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: Do it. The voice inside him screamed, do it. No, 228 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: he said, to himself as much as he said to Tony, 229 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: I don't think we're going to do that. Then he 230 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 1: handed back the knife and stormed out of the room. 231 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 1: While David Byrne was trying to channel a psycho killer 232 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: in Manhattan of Queens and the Bronx were becoming aware 233 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,439 Speaker 1: of a psycho killer prowling their neighborhood for real. The 234 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:08,159 Speaker 1: shooting in the Bronx in July nineteen seventy six that 235 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: killed eighteen year old Donna Laia and wounded her nineteen 236 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 1: year old friend, Jody Valenti was reported with a meager 237 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,920 Speaker 1: two paragraph mentioned in the Long Island Press. Similar attacks 238 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: in October in November garnered her few more articles, but 239 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: nothing like the headlines that David Berkowitz expected. In a 240 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:30,119 Speaker 1: city with over fifteen hundred homicides a year, it was 241 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:36,800 Speaker 1: hard to break through, but David Berkowitz did breakthrough, specifically 242 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,920 Speaker 1: at about seven thirty pm on March eighth, nineteen seventy seven, 243 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 1: when he approached a nineteen year old Columbia student walking 244 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: home in Queen's the books that Virginia v Oscar Richian carried. 245 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,720 Speaker 1: He couldn't stop the slug from David Berkowitz's gun. She 246 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:54,960 Speaker 1: held the books up to try and shield the inevitable, 247 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: but it was no use. David shot her point blank 248 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,639 Speaker 1: in the mouth. Virginia's body collapsed in a heap on 249 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,919 Speaker 1: the sidewalk. David Berkowitz pulled a cap down over his 250 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: face and took off running. He left behind the thirty 251 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:14,000 Speaker 1: five dollars in Virginia's purse. This was the murder that 252 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: compelled New York City Mayor A Beam to hold a 253 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,960 Speaker 1: press conference in which he alerted the public that the 254 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: same weapon, a forty four Bulldog Revolver, had been used 255 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 1: in at least two of the recent shootings. A month later, 256 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 1: opening day at Yankee Stadium, the tabloid headlines weren't talking 257 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 1: about the early struggles of new right fielder Reggie Jackson. Instead, 258 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: the New York Post and their chief rival, the New 259 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,920 Speaker 1: York Daily News, were focused on yet another brutal killing. 260 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: David Berkowitz was crouching in the shadows, watching a couple 261 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,439 Speaker 1: as they kissed in a parked car. He felt for 262 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:54,960 Speaker 1: the letter in his jacket pocket, the one he'd written 263 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: earlier that day. It was addressed to NYPD Sergeant Joseph Barelli, 264 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: who was leading the investigation into the killings, killings in 265 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:07,720 Speaker 1: which David Berkowitz was the sole perpetrator, as well as 266 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 1: the sole person to know this fact. He continued to 267 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 1: watch the couple make out in their car like a 268 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 1: man watching a dirty movie alone in a darkened theater. 269 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: And then he pulled that big forty four caliber handgwn 270 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:23,960 Speaker 1: from a bag that gave him purpose. The interior light 271 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: in the car went out, and the couple's heads were 272 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,640 Speaker 1: silhouetted by the residual glow of a nearby street light. 273 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: They were so unaware, so happy, they should have been terrified. 274 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:39,440 Speaker 1: David made his approach, slowed his New York power walk 275 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: to a crawl. He could hear them now, their moans, ecstasy, heavy, petty. 276 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:52,040 Speaker 1: The sounds gave him confidence. No wild shots, tonight, no missus. 277 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: He dropped to his knee, braced his arm and aimed 278 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: this happy couple would feel his pain. He fired four bullets. 279 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 1: Each one found its target. His victims slumped in their seats, 280 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,680 Speaker 1: dead or nearly so. He calmly pulled the letter from 281 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 1: his pocket and dropped it in the car before turning 282 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:17,840 Speaker 1: to leave. The citizens of New York city didn't fear him, 283 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,160 Speaker 1: not yet. They called him a killer, but they had 284 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:24,080 Speaker 1: no idea that he was so much more. He was 285 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,840 Speaker 1: the son of evil. He was the son of the devil. 286 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:33,199 Speaker 1: He was the son of Sam, which is exactly what 287 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,920 Speaker 1: the letter said. The cops tried to keep the letter 288 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: a secret from the press, but the Daily News managed 289 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: to bribe someone, and the very next day, the paper 290 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:45,959 Speaker 1: ran the full text of the letter, along with a 291 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:50,440 Speaker 1: massive bold face headline that read killer to cops, I'll 292 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: do it again. That headline caught the eye of many 293 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: New Yorkers, including David Byrne, who spotted the paper as 294 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,400 Speaker 1: he stepped out a son Dragon's studios. As he read 295 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:06,920 Speaker 1: the article, he was struck by the letter's cold, detached tone. 296 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,399 Speaker 1: These weren't the words of a lunatic waving a knife 297 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,880 Speaker 1: around in public. They were the words of a man 298 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 1: who blended in, who wouldn't be noticed until he struck. 299 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 1: When David Byrne returned to the studio, he ran into 300 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:24,919 Speaker 1: Engineer Ed Stasium. He confessed to Ed that he was 301 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: beyond uncomfortable singing in front of Tony. Ed suggested they 302 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:31,560 Speaker 1: wait for the producer to clear out for the day 303 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: and then finish the vocals when he wasn't around, which 304 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:38,680 Speaker 1: is exactly what they did. They pieced together Psycho Killer 305 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:43,159 Speaker 1: behind their producer's back while Tony talked about Tina's playing 306 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: ed The engineer reassured David and the rest of the 307 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,119 Speaker 1: band that her bassline absolutely made the song and that 308 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:55,600 Speaker 1: she was impossible to replace. Eventually, David Byrne found ways 309 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,000 Speaker 1: to relax, to bring the excitement of the band's live 310 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: performances to the cold, isolated vocal booth. Psycho Killer was 311 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:08,439 Speaker 1: taking shape. Eight or nine other songs were close behind, 312 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 1: but now the band was going to have to push 313 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:14,280 Speaker 1: pause on the recording. In three days, they were boarding 314 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,119 Speaker 1: a plane to England. The band was going on tour 315 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 1: with The Ramones. So while David Byrne worked on building 316 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: a buzz for his band's debut album abroad, David Berkowitz 317 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,879 Speaker 1: worked on a project that would land him more headlines 318 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 1: back home. His letter to the Cops was a success. 319 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 1: It massively increased the news coverage of his killings, and 320 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,359 Speaker 1: now the son of Sam was working feverishly on a 321 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:46,159 Speaker 1: follow up, something bigger, longer, more ornate. He took his 322 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:51,160 Speaker 1: time writing it he worked carefully on the calligraphy the layout. 323 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: It was a killer press release, or should I say 324 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:59,159 Speaker 1: a press release for a killer, which is why Berkowitz 325 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: sent it to a porter, Jimmy Breslin, the lead calumnists 326 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: for the New York Daily News, and like any good 327 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:11,560 Speaker 1: press release, it promoted an event, another killing to come 328 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 1: in July, on the one year anniversary of the Son 329 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 1: of Sam's first shooting. We'll be right back after this. We're, We're, We're. 330 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 1: July nineteen seventy seven. New York's brutal heat wave seemed 331 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,120 Speaker 1: to be never ending. Ditto for the rotting garbage piled 332 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: in the streets the result of a sanitation worker strike. 333 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: If that didn't put you on edge, then knowing that 334 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,919 Speaker 1: Psycho's Son of Sam was still out there did. Some days, 335 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: it seemed like the only bright spot in the city 336 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 1: was the New York yan who were starting to rise 337 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 1: to the top of the American League East standings just 338 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 1: a few days before the All Star break. Yankee Stadium 339 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:12,640 Speaker 1: was dark tonight, though with the Bronx Bombers on the road, 340 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,399 Speaker 1: but across town in Queens Shay Stadium was lit up 341 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,000 Speaker 1: with the Mets and the Chicago Cubs. Heading into the 342 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,439 Speaker 1: bottom of the sixth inning, you could almost see the 343 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:25,080 Speaker 1: stadium lights from the roof of the Long Island City 344 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,400 Speaker 1: loft that David Byrne shared with Tina Weymouth and Chris France. 345 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 1: David wasn't looking towards Chase Stadium, though, he was looking 346 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:36,959 Speaker 1: out across the East River at the buildings of Manhattan. 347 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:41,320 Speaker 1: The next day, in one of those buildings, he and 348 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: his bandmates would head to Sun Dragon and put the 349 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:49,360 Speaker 1: final touches on their debut album. Despite the heat, everyone 350 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: was at a celebratory mood. Hamburgers and chickens sizzled on 351 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: a barbecue grill, Glasses clinked, friends down cold beer and 352 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,919 Speaker 1: white wine as the group toasted the complete of their record. 353 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: David Byrne, however, stood alone. His stomach was in knots 354 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,639 Speaker 1: and the album was nearly done, and that thought was 355 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:15,399 Speaker 1: pure agony. What if the record flopped? What if radio 356 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: programmers refused to play it because they thought it was 357 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: punk and not new wave, as seymour Stein was insisting, 358 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: What if they never got to make another record? Suddenly, 359 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,520 Speaker 1: David watched from the roof as an entire city block 360 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: went dark. Like someone had flipped off a giant power switch, 361 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:40,639 Speaker 1: then another and another. Everyone at the party was pointing 362 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 1: across the river as Midtown and downtown also went dark. 363 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 1: They watched as the entire city was plunged into darkness. 364 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:56,159 Speaker 1: New York finally snapped. The heat, the trash, the fear, 365 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:01,320 Speaker 1: and now no electricity. Enough was enough. From Brooklyn to 366 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:04,200 Speaker 1: the Bronx, people flooded the streets to vent their frustration. 367 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:10,000 Speaker 1: They lit fires, smashed store windows. It was absolute pandemonium. 368 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: The cops were already stretched to the breaking point with 369 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: the Son of Sam manhunt. As the rioting spread, they 370 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: were outnumbered and exhausted. They struggled to restore order. As 371 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:23,480 Speaker 1: the sun came up the next morning, thick smoke filled 372 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: the air throughout Queen's as police and looters engaged in 373 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:32,199 Speaker 1: the street battle. Talking heads were huddled around a small television, 374 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 1: watching in horror as all this unfolded, knowing that there 375 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:40,640 Speaker 1: was a very real possibility that their recording studio could 376 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:45,120 Speaker 1: be one of those buildings being looted. Twenty five hours passed, 377 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:51,679 Speaker 1: twenty five long hours. Finally the power came back on 378 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,800 Speaker 1: the phone at the band's loft rang It was ed 379 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: stasium at the studio and everything fully was fine. The 380 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:08,600 Speaker 1: tapes were safe. As David Byrne and Talking Heads completed 381 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 1: the final mix of their debut album, David Berkowitz was 382 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,199 Speaker 1: contemplating his own final plan as he clung to a 383 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:20,440 Speaker 1: doorframe in a tiny, dank bathroom. Outside, he could hear 384 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: the dog pacing back and forth. He was terrified. Now 385 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,640 Speaker 1: that it had his attention, He knew that he would 386 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: have to do its bidding. From the window of his 387 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: tiny apartment in Yonkers, he looked outside in the yard below. 388 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,160 Speaker 1: You could see the big black dog staring at him. 389 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: Its eyes were almost human, and it was barking. It 390 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 1: was snarling. It looked like it was about to start 391 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: screaming at him. You fucking loser, you pathetic piece of shit. 392 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,439 Speaker 1: The world hates it. Why don't you just die? Worm? 393 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: Do it? Do it now? Sam is hung with Sam 394 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:59,119 Speaker 1: wants to hunt, get out there and kill, kill, kill. 395 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 1: David covered his ears, but he couldn't drown it out. 396 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:06,400 Speaker 1: He grabbed a small rifle from the couch and threw 397 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:09,440 Speaker 1: open the window. He fired wildly at the dog below 398 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 1: as it ran whimperd back home. August nineteen seventy seven, 399 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:22,840 Speaker 1: despite a massive police manhunt, David Berkowitz had successfully killed again, 400 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: a year almost to the day from his first shooting. 401 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,439 Speaker 1: No one is saved from son of Sam, declared the 402 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:34,600 Speaker 1: New York Post Daily News. Calm Miss Jimmy Breslin pleaded 403 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:36,639 Speaker 1: with the killer to surrender in an issue of the 404 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 1: paper that sold over a million copies. Nightclubs were empty, 405 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 1: lover's lanes were deserted. David Berkowitz had achieved the type 406 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 1: of fame a guy like David Byrne could only dream of. 407 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:56,040 Speaker 1: With his immortality assured, David Berkowitz was now planning to 408 00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:59,360 Speaker 1: go out with a bang head to a nightclub just 409 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 1: like the Peach and knew Rochelle and lay waste the 410 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 1: entire crowd, all the party girls in leisure suit wearing guys, 411 00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:12,120 Speaker 1: machio fucos, all those people who pushed him around, who 412 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,120 Speaker 1: ignored him, who made fun of him. He was going 413 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: to kill them all, and if the cops didn't shoot 414 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 1: him first, and he would end it himself right there 415 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: in the nightclub, blood all over the dance floor. He 416 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:30,240 Speaker 1: already had one gun in his yellow Ford Galaxy. Now 417 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:33,560 Speaker 1: he loaded his familiar forty four caliber bulldog with fresh 418 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 1: bullets and placed it in a brown paper bag. He 419 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:41,200 Speaker 1: was ready to hunt, and it was just before ten pm. 420 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: He walked down the steps from his apartment. Outside, there 421 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: was no one who was pitch black, and with the 422 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,560 Speaker 1: help of a dim street light at the end of 423 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: the block, he could make out his car. He walked 424 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 1: quickly toward the vehicle. He pulled out his key and 425 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:00,080 Speaker 1: slid it into the lock of the driver's side. Then 426 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: he heard footsteps approaching quickly from behind. He turned around 427 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: to see an NYPD detective running toward him, gun drawn. 428 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 1: Two more cops were approaching from the other side. He 429 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: dropped the brown paper bag to the ground and stuck 430 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,680 Speaker 1: his hands in the air. Then he slumped his shoulders 431 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 1: and looked at the ground. Well you got me, the 432 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: cop asked him. Who in the hell did he have? 433 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 1: Exactly I'm Sam, he said David Berkowitz. The next morning, 434 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 1: August eleventh, nineteen seventy seven, the headline of the New 435 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:41,760 Speaker 1: York Post read Caught. It sold one point two million copies, 436 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 1: almost twice the paper's normal circulation. The New York Daily 437 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: News responded with their own breathless coverage of the arrest 438 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 1: and arraignment, the papers could only hope for a lengthy trial, 439 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,600 Speaker 1: but instead, David Berkowitz confessed the next day, although it 440 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:02,520 Speaker 1: would be months before he was finally sentenced. For New Yorkers, 441 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 1: the long and terrifying summer of the Psycho Killer was 442 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:34,000 Speaker 1: finally over a parking ticket. That's all it took. After 443 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:36,120 Speaker 1: a reign of terror that lasted more than a year, 444 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:40,440 Speaker 1: left six people dead and another seven seriously wounded, it 445 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 1: was a parking ticket that finally did David Burkowitz in 446 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:48,360 Speaker 1: in the early morning of July thirty first, nineteen seventy seven, 447 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:51,760 Speaker 1: just moments before we shot and killed Stacy Moskowitz and 448 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 1: wounded Robert Volente as they sat in a car in Brooklyn. 449 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:58,640 Speaker 1: David Berkowitz's own car was ticketed for parking too close 450 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:02,040 Speaker 1: to a fire hydrant, and eye witnessed later told police 451 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,040 Speaker 1: she saw a young man snatch a ticket off his 452 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 1: windshield and glare at her, just moments before she heard 453 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: shots ring out. Eventually, that ticket led police to the 454 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: yellow Ford Galaxy owned by David Berkowitz, and when they 455 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: found it parked outside his apartment in Yonkers, it had 456 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 1: a gun laying in the back seat, and another letter 457 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 1: to police detailing his grim final plan. But just because 458 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,760 Speaker 1: David Berkowitz was finally jailed didn't mean the press coverage 459 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: cooled off. If anything, it intensified. Papers jockeyed for access 460 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: seeking explanations for how this could have happened. The New 461 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 1: York Daily News blamed the LSD that David Berkowitz took 462 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:44,760 Speaker 1: as a soldier in Korea. Even the gray Lady of 463 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: the local press, The New York Times, reported breathlessly on 464 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,640 Speaker 1: theories that David Berkowitz may have acted together with the 465 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 1: sons of Sam Carr. The literal sons of Sam. Sam 466 00:32:56,680 --> 00:32:59,680 Speaker 1: Carr was the neighbor who owned the black lab that 467 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:04,120 Speaker 1: David Burkwitz claimed had ordered him to kill. Stories like 468 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:08,200 Speaker 1: that only increased after both brothers died violent deaths in 469 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: the two years following Berkowitz's arrest. On Friday September sixteenth, 470 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:17,800 Speaker 1: the New York Mets finally completed the game against the 471 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 1: Chicago Cubs that had been postponed by the blackout, and 472 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:25,239 Speaker 1: that same day, Talking Head's debut album, also delayed by 473 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: the blackout, was finally released. Psycho Killer was the first 474 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:36,280 Speaker 1: single Seymour Stein's new wave marketing strategy worked perfectly for 475 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:39,360 Speaker 1: a band of clean cut art school students. They didn't 476 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:42,640 Speaker 1: look like punks, they didn't sound like punks. They were 477 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:46,800 Speaker 1: the vanguard of an entirely new sound, and by the 478 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:51,760 Speaker 1: following spring, David Burkowitz was found legally sane and sentenced 479 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: to twenty five years to life, thanks in no small 480 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 1: part to the publicity around the case. Around that same time, 481 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 1: the talking single Psycho Killer snuck onto the Billboard Hot 482 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 1: one hundred for a five week run, peaking at number 483 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,880 Speaker 1: ninety two. It was a hit, just barely, but it 484 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,040 Speaker 1: was enough of a hit to guarantee the band a 485 00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:15,640 Speaker 1: second album on Sire. They made the most of it. 486 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: Learning from previous experience, they lined up Brian Eno, formerly 487 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:23,560 Speaker 1: of the band Roxy Music and at the time one 488 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:27,320 Speaker 1: of David Bowie's musical collaborators, to produce their next record. 489 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:32,040 Speaker 1: Finally working with someone who was on their wavelength, the 490 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:37,360 Speaker 1: band ditched the standard studio practices of recording in isolation. Instead, 491 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:40,840 Speaker 1: they played together in the same room, allowing them to 492 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:43,800 Speaker 1: harness the energy of their set in the recording studio. 493 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:47,960 Speaker 1: Brian Eno rode the rhythm section, of Tina Weymouth and 494 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,800 Speaker 1: Chris Franz, as he pushed the band into a funkier 495 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:56,360 Speaker 1: or more stylistically diverse sound. Their second album, More Songs 496 00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,040 Speaker 1: About Buildings and Food went all the way up to 497 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:03,880 Speaker 1: number twenty nine, largely powered by their Cold Detached an 498 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:07,359 Speaker 1: incredibly funky cover of Al Green's Take Me to the River. 499 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:12,560 Speaker 1: The band worked with Brian Eno for three albums in total, 500 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 1: including one of their many masterpieces, Remain in Light. Over 501 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,520 Speaker 1: the years, David Byrne and Brian Eno continued to collaborate 502 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:25,080 Speaker 1: on more award winning albums and projects, including My Life 503 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:29,000 Speaker 1: in the Bush of Ghosts and twenty eighteen's American Utopia, 504 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:32,879 Speaker 1: which charted higher than any Talking Heads album ever did. 505 00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:38,200 Speaker 1: The power of art is an incredible thing. It took 506 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,440 Speaker 1: an awkward college dropout and gave him an outlet, a 507 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:44,880 Speaker 1: way to communicate, a way to connect to c and 508 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,680 Speaker 1: to be seen, and it made him a star. Without art, 509 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,920 Speaker 1: who knows where David Byrne would have ended up. David Berkowitz, 510 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:56,680 Speaker 1: on the other hand, found no such connection, no outlet 511 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:00,319 Speaker 1: for his rage and for his pain, and because that 512 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:03,840 Speaker 1: he inflicted that rage and that pain on the world. 513 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 1: Around him. It's enough to make you wonder if he 514 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,040 Speaker 1: had found his place, could this have been stopped? Could 515 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:14,640 Speaker 1: those lives have been saved? Could it all have turned 516 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 1: out differently with another chance? Could David Berkowitz have turned 517 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:24,400 Speaker 1: out like David Byrne? Or was David Berkowitz simply destined 518 00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:33,799 Speaker 1: for evil, for violence, for disgrace. I'm Jake Brennan in 519 00:36:33,920 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 1: this This disgrace Land. 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