12 Comments
May 24Liked by Aisling Walsh

This is great. Subscribed :)

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Thank you for being here!!

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I've been a David Byrne fan since 1984 when this album came out. I was 25. In the last several hours I learned that he is autistic. I've only known this about myself for less than a year. It all makes sense now.

Thanks for your great essay!

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Wow, you were there from the beginning!! Delighted this essay resonated with you and thank you for your kind comments!

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Once in a lifetime is my favorite Talking Heads song. I'd love to watch this film. Thanks for recommending and relating the music and movement to being autistic. I can really relate.

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Thanks Rey, it's definitely worth a watch, especially if you can find a screening near you!

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I'm a Talking Heads fan here. I just love the way you have worked your undiagnosed and post-diagnosed 'aha' moments into this. I am immediately brought back to my 17-year-old, undiagnosed teenage self reading this in a well-known disco here in Dublin, The Grove and Psycho Killer played every weekend, and I too held the lyrics close to my head and heart because I wanted to run, run, run away. A poignant memory, but also a momentous one, as I now have my autism revelations, and I autonomously choose to run away from everything and everyone now when I need a sensory, mental, and emotional rest from it all. Just now I don't find myself repeatedly apologising for prioritising myself anymore.

As I say, thank you, Autism.

And thank you for sharing this piece of yourself and the memory prompt. I enjoyed the reflective reading. And it so makes sense that David Byrne identifies as having ASD too; I wasn't aware of that..

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Thanks so much for reading Pauline and sharing your own memories! Diagnosis helps everything make more sense... On that note, will you be going to see the Stop Making Sense re-release in August?

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I will, for sure—great memories amidst all of the teen angst into adult chaos. Once in a lifetime was yesterday's on repeat loop on Spotify for most of my day. Autistic joy and regulation while navigating some uncertainty here at present. Have a great weekend.

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You too, enjoy the sunshine :)

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I loooooove Stop Making Sense and have watched it many times. The version of “Once in a Lifetime” is my favorite of the track. There’s something very wild but orchestrated about the whole concert. Bernie Worell is a master on keys and I had newfound respect for Weymouth watching her play. Great piece.

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Thanks for stopping by and reading Chevanne, it's such a wonderful ensemble performance!

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