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

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

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

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

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

Once upon a time, Rob was a teenager in love. Specifically, he was in love with Stone Temple Pilots. He was also fond of his girlfriend, Jane. And when Rob and Jane found out that Stone Temple Pilots were playing nearby, they knew they had to see the show—even if it meant lying to their parents, with a key assist from Kevin Costner. Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville For more Rob Harvilla, check out his wonderful music podcast, ‘60 Songs That Explain the ’90s: The 2000s.’ There are many, many more stories about his childhood in this podcast. There’s a little bit about music, too. Possibly even a nugget or two about Kevin Costner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can a story be true even when most of its details are false? In 2005, Malcolm told a story at the Moth about his early days as a journalist. When he was accused of falsifying the facts, he admitted he’d made a lot of them up—but he insists the story wasn’t a lie. Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville You can check out Malcolm’s Moth story in full on ‘This American Life’ here: “Tough News Room.” And if you want to take a really deep dive into this episode, you can read Jack Shafer’s Slate story here: “The Fibbing Point.” But don’t click on these links until after you’ve listened to this episode—unless you love spoilers. Which would be weird, frankly. Just press play! Good grief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How far would you go to watch your favorite TV show? During the heyday of ‘Game of Thrones,’ Zito was working late hours as the assistant manager of a video store, which made it hard to keep up with the action in Westeros. His solution? A lie so diabolical it was worthy of a ‘Thrones’ episode unto itself. Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville For more from Zito, check out his remarkable first book, ‘The Minotaur at Calle Lanza.’ For more on the latest trends in adult wands and toys, use a search engine. Or maybe just drive through New Jersey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Mero was a teenager in the Bronx, he landed a job in the mail room at one of NYC’s biggest investment banks. When he decided he was ready for a promotion, he talked his way into a new job in the IT department. The only problem? He knew nothing about computers. 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

When Katie was in high school, she wanted what we all wanted at that age—to seem older. And she got her chance on her favorite hockey forum. All it took was a little lying. She wound up developing an intense online relationship with a much older hockey fan—until one day, her castle of lies came crashing down. Host: Brian Phillips Producers: Mike Wargon, Conor Nevins, and Vikram Patel Sound Design: Kaya McMullen Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville For a more first-person perspective on Katie’s tale of teenage deception, you can read her Deadspin blog about it: “The Confessions Of A Former Adolescent Puck Tease.” (You should—it’s really good.) If you want to know more about what being online was like in the ’90s, you can watch this endless Apple promo video from 1995. (You shouldn’t—it’s utterly terrifying.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices