Chalk Farm - Lie On Lie

What this video is

Released in 1996 amid the commercial peak of post-grunge alternative rock, 'Lie On Lie' by Chalk FarM represented the archetypal trajectory of a critically admired LA alt-rock band signed to a major label (Columbia Records) and given MTV and radio exposure, yet ultimately unable to convert critical goodwill into commercial sales. The song's lyrical themes of systemic division and the inadequacy of institutional…

Why it matters

A representative artifact of the mid-90s major-label alternative rock video format: performance-primary, fast-edited, warm-toned, low-budget realist aesthetic. Captures the transitional moment between grunge's raw documentary impulse and the more polished post-grunge MTV product. Historically…

The director

David Palmer is an American director who attended the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He built his career directing music videos before transitioning to documentaries and feature films. Known music video clients include…