Liner Notes

Soundscape #63: “Pinochio! Your Nose Is Growing!”

A child (under 5 I think) cannot understand the concept of lying. Psychologists say it’s because they do not yet have a strong sense of self and they think that everyone knows what he/she knows. As we grow up, we start to tell little fibs about homework and school to our moms and dads. We start to lie. It’s hard not to actually, if you think about it. It’s much easier to tell someone what they want to hear rather than having to explain your point of view all the time. Especially the little things like what devoted but hopelessly useless boyfriends do at the fitting rooms in malls.

Clonny. Her Lesson, 2005.

People also lie because they don’t want to “let a loved one down.” They lie to mislead people into thinking they are something they are not. Or they can, like Holden Caufield in Catcher in the Rye, lie that they are going to the opera when they are in fact running some mundane errands. I lie too, all the time. I say “fine” when my mom asks me how my day went. I say I’m busy when I don’t feel like doing something. Sometimes I’m just too lazy to tell the truth. But when it comes to the big things, I find it hard to lie because I know I’m not going to remember what I say later on. I suppose the danger comes when your lies constitute so much of your life that you will have to keep a separate log just to remember what to say to whom and when.

download

Playlist:
1. (0:00) The Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) (Funeral)
2. (5:09) The White Stripes - Truth Doesn’t Make A Noise (De Stijil)
3. (8:23) Bright Eyes - Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh (Fevers And Mirrors)
4. (13:08) The Clientele - Step Into The Light (Strange Geometry)
5. (17:07) Stars - He Lied About Death (Set Yourself On Fire)
6. (22:22) Yo La Tengo - The Lie And How We Told It (I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One)
7. (25:37) Gene - Your Love, It Lies (Olympian)
8. (28:57) The Magnetic Fields - I Don’t Believe You (I)
9. (32:38) Elf Power - Never Believe (Walking With The Beggar Boys)
10. (35:15) The Decemberists - Billy Liar (Her Majesty The Decemberists)
11. (39:23) Gigolo Aunts - The Big Lie (Minor Chords And Major Themes)