Sincerity or Sarcasm?

I don't think its necessarily sincere or sarcastic, although Byrne walks a fine line in regards to the later. Way back when, I thought songs like 'Big Country' off the 'More Songs About Buildings and Food' album were sarcasm directed at rural America, and its "small people and little dreams". In the 80's, I sort of appreciated that. But in retrospect, I believe Byrne is so much better than that as an artist.

Watching 'True Stories' 25 years later, I see something different. We now know the Byrne has Asperger's (no surprise there). I think this helps us to understand a lot of TH music. The Asperger's perspective is very unique, especially in its high functioning genius form, which is David Byrne. Its a detached point of viewe with no prejudicial social context(s), an 'ahuman' perspective if you will. Byrne sees small town Texas society as an alien might, and he puts this to song and film in 'True Stories'.

Sincerity and sarcasm, yes, but its neither sincere or sarcastic at its essence.

I'm a civilian, I'm not a trout

Back in the 80's, just about everyone saw this as artful sarcasm of small town America, and it was enjoyable along those lines for some of us.

25 years later, I think that interpretation is completely wrong. Now that we understand the Asperger's perspective and that Byrne is a high functioning Asperger's-type, its possible to more fully understand 'True Stories'. Of course, Byrne brings far more to the table than an Asperger's' perspective, he's an artist of the highest order. Byrne gives us a somewhat detached, prejudicial context free vision of small town Texas society.

Along these lines, he can see art in freeway overpasses, shopping malls, commercialism, etc. 'Who can say its not beautiful'?

So could 'True Stories' actually have an anti-elite slant?

David Byrne is the greatest American artist of an era, I'm grateful to live in his time.

I'm a civilian, I'm not a trout

Bumping an old thread but going through clips on YouTube (saw the movie on video in the 90's) - I think it's absolutely sincere. If anything it's borderline hipster chic but that doesn't mean it's not genuine. There was (and it still is) that thing where people who have money point to people without money and say how beautiful it all is. John Waters celebrates the scuzzy masses, David Lynch will throw out a movie about the guy on the lawnmower, Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands was all about the manicured lawns and pastel paint; even Ken Russell used to throw in contemporary type commercials in his movies where you weren't quite sure if he enjoyed it or made fun of it. So basically I think David Byrne is not patronizing but I think some of his elitist fans would be. I think many of the high brow npr types pretend to appreciate pink flamingos because they think they're supposed to like it.