In the video embedded above, the band Atomic Tom lied by saying someone had stolen all of their equipment and proceed to play an entire song on four iPhones. The video ended up earning tens of thousands of views on eBookNewser and millions of views on YouTube.
Lead singer Luke White explained the publicity stunt at Billboard: “We’re a band that is trying to reach out to new fans … Of course it was intentional. Of course we rehearsed it. We’re creating our own story and get ourselves out there.” The possibilities for author readings, musical eBooks, and performance are endless. The band used Shred, Drum Meister, Pocket Guitar and Microphone to record the video.
What do you think? Can you lie in a viral video? The Coen brothers did the same thing with Fargo, lying about the truth of the film with the solemn introduction: “THIS IS A TRUE STORY. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.”