Truthless

10. Changelings

When Claire was in her late 30s, she found herself telling strangers on airplanes stories about her kids—which is a pretty normal thing to do, except that Claire didn’t have any kids. She also didn’t know why she was doing it. Why would a successful, accomplished, and happily married woman start making up imaginary children? And why do men and women have such different reactions when they learn about Claire’s lie?Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9. Putting Down the Cheese, With Simon Rich

The Strokes. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Interpol. New York’s indie rock scene of the early 2000s was a hive of creativity, and Simon was one of the most gifted young bassists in Manhattan. But when his new band signed up to play his high school talent show, his increasingly bizarre lies threw his entire identity as a musician into doubt.Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville You’re going to want to listen to the Vigils after hearing this episode, but you can’t, because the Vigils were far too artistic to do anything as pedestrian as make a recording. You can buy Simon’s latest short-story collection, ‘Glory Days,’ or check out his TV series, ‘Miracle Workers.’ (Simon is still artistic, but these days he does occasionally like to leave a record of his work.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8. The Big Stick, With Tyler Parker

Tyler was the biggest, baddest slugger on his small-town Little League team—until the day he realized he was scared of the ball. To get out of facing an intimidating pitcher, 8-year-old Tyler told a lie that made him feel guilty for decades to come. Has the time come for adult Tyler to forgive himself?Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville For more from Tyler, check out his hilarious and heartbreaking first novel, A Little Blood and Dancing, which Brian once described as “the funniest novel about Oklahoma since The Grapes of Wrath—only Tyler is doing it on purpose.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7. The Artist’s Way, With Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Before he was a star on the smash sitcom ‘Modern Family,’ Jesse was a young actor struggling to make it in New York. When he landed an audition for a role that could change his life, he was ecstatic—until he realized he was going to have to forge his entire résumé.Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville For a glimpse of Jesse’s Broadway breakthrough, you can find a clip from his star-making turn in ‘On the Town’ here. And check out the issue of Playbill he talks about in the episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6. The Lower Depths, With Sarah Bunting

In college, Sarah and her friends were obsessed with the tabloid talk-show queen Ricki Lake. So they cooked up a scheme to appear on the show—and all Sarah had to do was tell the most twisted lie you’ve ever heard in your life. (But rest assured: No dogs were harmed in the making of this episode. At least … no real dogs were.)Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville If you think you can bear to hear Sarah’s story in full, here it is. Hug your dog, whether it’s real or imaginary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices