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True Stories is the title of an American musical motion picture released in 1986. The film starred, and was directed by, David Byrne. Inspired by tabloid journalism, the film features Byrne as an unnamed, cowboy hat-wearing stranger who visits a small city in midwest America, where he observes the citizens and their idiosyncracies as they prepare for the annual Celebration of Specialness, the highlight of which is a talent show.
Several plots intertwine in this quirky film, which features a number of songs written by Byrne and performed by various members of the cast, as well as by Byrne's band, Talking Heads (the members of whom make cameo appearances).
Among the unique individuals the stranger meets is Louis Fyne, played by John Goodman (in one of his first major film roles) - a clean room technician at a local computer manufacturing plant who is unlucky in love. He also encounters: town leader Earl Culver (Spalding Gray) who never speaks directly to his wife; Miss Rollings (Swoosie Kurtz), who never leaves her bed; Mr. Tucker (Pops Staples of The Staple Singers), who practices a mutated form of voodoo to help Louis find love; a conspiracy theory-living preacher (John Ingle); Ramon (Tito Larriva), who claims to read minds like someone tunes into a radio; and "The Lying Woman" (Jo Harvey Allen), whose skill at bending the truth is legendary.
A full soundtrack release for this film never occurred. Instead, Talking Heads released a popular album entitled True Stories in which they performed the songs that Goodman, Staples, et al sang in the film. (Several of the film performances did appear on 12-inch single releases, however.) Later, Byrne released an album containing instrumental music from the soundtrack.
The movie was not a commercial or critical success at the time of its release, but is now considered a time capsule of mid-1980s Americana.
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