David Lynch (actor)
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David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, painter, visual artist, musician, actor and philanthropist. Lynch has received critical acclaim for his films, which are often distinguished by their surrealist, dreamlike qualities. He has received numerous accolades, including the
Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...
in 2006 and an
Honorary Academy Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Moti ...
in 2019. In 2007, a panel of critics convened by '' The Guardian'' announced that "after all the discussion, no one could fault the conclusion that David Lynch is the most important film-maker of the current era." Lynch studied painting before he began making short films in the late 1960s. His first feature-length film was '' Eraserhead'' (1977), which saw success as a
midnight movie The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides. As a cinematic ...
. He received nominations for the
Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...
for '' The Elephant Man'' (1980), '' Blue Velvet'' (1986), and '' Mulholland Drive'' (2001). His film '' Wild at Heart'' (1990) earned the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or. Other notable films include ''
Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
'' (1984), '' Lost Highway'' (1997), and ''
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'' (2006). Lynch and Mark Frost created the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
series '' Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991), and Lynch co-wrote and directed its film prequel, '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992) and the limited series '' Twin Peaks: The Return'' (2017). He also portrayed Gordon Cole in the ''Twin Peaks'' projects. Lynch's other artistic endeavors include his work as a musician, encompassing the studio albums ''
BlueBOB ''BlueBOB'' (stylized as ) is the debut studio album by the American director and musician David Lynch and audio engineer John Neff. It was released in December 2001 on Absurda—Lynch's own record label—and Soulitude Records. Recorded ove ...
'' (2001), ''
Crazy Clown Time ''Crazy Clown Time'' is the second studio album and debut solo album by the American director and musician David Lynch. It was released on November 7, 2011 on PIAS and Sunday Best. Described as a "modern blues" album by Lynch, ''Crazy Cl ...
'' (2011), and ''
The Big Dream ''The Big Dream'' is the third studio album by the American film director and musician David Lynch, released on July 10, 2013. It was released on Sacred Bones Records in the United States and Sunday Best in Europe. Consisting of 12 "modern ...
'' (2013) as well as painting and photography. He has written the books '' Images'' (1994), '' Catching the Big Fish'' (2006), and ''Room to Dream'' (2018). He has also directed several music videos for artists such as Chris Isaak, X Japan,
Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
, Interpol,
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, and
Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
, and commercials for
Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...
,
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, L'Oreal, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, and the New York City Department of Sanitation. A practitioner of Transcendental Meditation (TM), he founded the David Lynch Foundation, which seeks to fund the teaching of TM in schools and has since widened its scope to other at-risk populations, including the homeless, veterans, and refugees in 2005.


Early life

David Keith Lynch was born in Missoula, Montana, on January 20, 1946. His father, Donald Walton Lynch (1915–2007), was a research scientist working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and his mother, Edwina "Sunny" Lynch (née Sundberg; 1919–2004), was an English language tutor. Two of Lynch's maternal great-grandparents were Finnish-Swedish immigrants who arrived in the U.S. during the 19th century. He was raised as a Presbyterian. The Lynches often moved around according to where the USDA assigned Donald. Because of this, Lynch moved with his parents to Sandpoint, Idaho, when he was two months old; two years later, after his brother John was born, the family moved to Spokane, Washington. Lynch's sister Martha was born there. The family then moved to
Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
, Boise, Idaho, and Alexandria, Virginia. Lynch adjusted to this transitory early life with relative ease, noting that he usually had no issue making new friends whenever he started attending a new school. Of his early life, he remarked: Alongside his schooling, Lynch joined the
Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...
, although he later said he only "became Scoutso I could quit and put it behind me". He rose to the highest rank of
Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...
. As an Eagle Scout, he was present with other Boy Scouts outside the White House at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, which took place on Lynch's 15th birthday. Lynch was also interested in painting and drawing from an early age, and became intrigued by the idea of pursuing it as a career path when living in Virginia, where his friend's father was a professional painter. At Francis C. Hammond High School in Alexandria, Lynch did not excel academically, having little interest in schoolwork, but he was popular with other students, and after leaving he decided that he wanted to study painting at college. He began his studies at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, D.C., before transferring in 1964 to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he was roommates with musician
Peter Wolf Peter Wolf (born March 7, 1946) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of the J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983 and as a solo artist. Early life and education Peter Wolf was born Peter Walter Blankfield on March 7, 1946 in The ...
. He left after only a year, saying, "I was not inspired AT ALL in that place." He instead decided that he wanted to travel around Europe for three years with his friend
Jack Fisk Jack Fisk (born December 19, 1945) is an American production designer and director. As a production designer, he is known for his collaborations with Terrence Malick, designing all of his first eight films including ''Badlands (film), Badlands'' ...
, who was similarly unhappy with his studies at
Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) is a private college at Cooper Square in New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-supported École Polytechnique in ...
. They had some hopes that they could train in Europe with Austrian expressionist painter Oskar Kokoschka at his school. Upon reaching Salzburg, however, they found that Kokoschka was not available; disillusioned, they returned to the United States after spending only two weeks in Europe.


Career


1967–1976: Short films and ''Eraserhead''

Back in the United States, Lynch returned to Virginia, but since his parents had moved to Walnut Creek, California, he stayed with his friend Toby Keeler for a while. He decided to move to Philadelphia and enroll at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, after advice from Fisk, who was already enrolled there. He preferred this college to his previous school in Boston, saying, "In Philadelphia there were great and serious painters, and everybody was inspiring one another and it was a beautiful time there." It was here that he began a relationship with a fellow student, Peggy Reavey, whom he married in 1967. The following year, Peggy gave birth to their daughter
Jennifer Jennifer or Jenifer may refer to: People *Jennifer (given name) * Jenifer (singer), French pop singer * Jennifer Warnes, American singer who formerly used the stage name Jennifer * Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer * Daniel Jenifer Film and tele ...
. Peggy later said, " ynchdefinitely was a reluctant father, but a very loving one. Hey, I was pregnant when we got married. We were both reluctant." As a family, they moved to Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood, where they bought a 12-room house for the relatively low price of $3,500 () due to the area's high crime and poverty rates. Lynch later said: Meanwhile, to help support his family, he took a job printing engravings. At the Pennsylvania Academy, Lynch made his first short film, '' Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times)'' (1967). He had first come up with the idea when he developed a wish to see his paintings move, and he began discussing doing animation with an artist named Bruce Samuelson. When this project never came about, Lynch decided to work on a film alone, and purchased the cheapest 16mm camera that he could find. Taking one of the academy's abandoned upper rooms as a workspace, he spent $150, which at the time he felt to be a lot of money, to produce ''Six Men Getting Sick''. Calling the film "57 seconds of growth and fire, and three seconds of vomit", Lynch played it on a loop at the academy's annual end-of-year exhibit, where it shared joint first prize with a painting by Noel Mahaffey. This led to a commission from one of his fellow students, the wealthy H. Barton Wasserman, who offered him $1,000 () to create a film installation in his home. Spending $478 of that on the second-hand Bolex camera "of isdreams", Lynch produced a new animated short, but upon getting the film developed, realized that the result was a blurred, frameless print. He later said, "So I called up assermanand said, 'Bart, the film is a disaster. The camera was broken and what I've done hasn't turned out.' And he said, 'Don't worry, David, take the rest of the money and make something else for me. Just give me a print.' End of story." With his leftover money, Lynch decided to experiment with a mix of animation and live action, producing the four-minute short '' The Alphabet'' (1968). The film starred Lynch's wife Peggy as a character known as The Girl, who chants the alphabet to a series of images of horses before dying at the end by hemorrhaging blood all over her bed sheets. Adding a sound effect, Lynch used a broken
Uher Uher may refer to: * Uher (village), a village in Poland * Uher (brand), a German brand of electronic equipment People *Karel Uher (born 1983), Czech curler * Rudolf Uher, Canadian psychiatrist *Štefan Uher Štefan Uher (4 July 1930 – 29 M ...
tape recorder to record the sound of Jennifer crying, creating a distorted sound that Lynch found particularly effective. Later describing what had inspired him, Lynch said, "Peggy's niece was having a bad dream one night and was saying the alphabet in her sleep in a tormented way. So that's sort of what started ''The Alphabet'' going. The rest of it was just subconscious." Learning about the newly founded
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...
, which gave grants to filmmakers who could support their application with a prior work and a script for a new project, Lynch decided to send them a copy of ''The Alphabet'' along with a script he had written for a new short film that would be almost entirely live action, ''
The Grandmother ''The Grandmother'' () is a novella written by Czech writer Božena Němcová in 1855. It is her most popular work and is regarded as a classic piece of Czech literature. This most frequently read book of the Czech nation was published more than ...
''. The institute agreed to help finance the work, initially offering him $5,000 out of his requested budget of $7,200, but later granting him the additional $2,200. Starring people he knew from both work and college and filmed in his own house, ''The Grandmother'' featured a neglected boy who "grows" a grandmother from a seed to care for him. The film critics Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell wrote, "this film is a true oddity but contains many of the themes and ideas that would filter into his later work, and shows a remarkable grasp of the medium". In 1970, Lynch moved with his wife and daughter to Los Angeles, where he began studying filmmaking at the
AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory is a private not-for-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills district of Los Angeles. Students (called "Fellows") learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on st ...
, a place he later called "completely chaotic and disorganized, which was great ... you quickly learned that if you were going to get something done, you would have to do it yourself. They wanted to let people do their thing." He began writing a script for a proposed work, ''Gardenback'', that had "unfolded from this painting I'd done". In this venture he was supported by a number of figures at the Conservatory, who encouraged him to lengthen the script and add more dialogue, which he reluctantly agreed to do. All the interference on his ''Gardenback'' project made him fed up with the Conservatory and led him to quit after returning to start his second year and being put in first-year classes. AFI dean Frank Daniel asked Lynch to reconsider, believing that he was one of the school's best students. Lynch agreed on the condition that he could create a project that would not be interfered with. Feeling that ''Gardenback'' was "wrecked", he set out on a new film, '' Eraserhead''. ''Eraserhead'' was planned to be about 42 minutes long (it ended up being 89 minutes), its script was only 21 pages, and Lynch was able to create the film without interference. Filming began on May 29, 1972, at night in some abandoned stables, allowing the production team, which was largely Lynch and some of his friends, including Sissy Spacek,
Jack Fisk Jack Fisk (born December 19, 1945) is an American production designer and director. As a production designer, he is known for his collaborations with Terrence Malick, designing all of his first eight films including ''Badlands (film), Badlands'' ...
, cinematographer Frederick Elmes and sound designer Alan Splet, to set up a camera room, green room, editing room, sets as well as a food room and a bathroom. The AFI gave Lynch a $10,000 grant, but it was not enough to complete the film, and under pressure from studios after the success of the relatively cheap feature film '' Easy Rider'', it was unable to give him more. Lynch was then supported by a loan from his father and money that he earned from a paper route that he took up, delivering '' The Wall Street Journal''. Not long into ''Eraserhead'''s production, Lynch and Peggy amicably separated and divorced, and he began living full-time on set. In 1977, Lynch married Mary Fisk, sister of Jack Fisk. Lynch has said that not a single reviewer of the film understood it in the way he intended. Filmed in black and white, ''Eraserhead'' tells the story of Henry ( Jack Nance), a quiet young man living in a
dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...
n industrial wasteland, whose girlfriend gives birth to a deformed baby whom she leaves in his care. It was heavily influenced by the fearful mood of Philadelphia, and Lynch has called it "my '' Philadelphia Story''". Due to financial problems the filming of ''Eraserhead'' was haphazard, regularly stopping and starting again. It was in one such break in 1974 that Lynch created the short film ''The Amputee'', a one-shot film about two minutes long. Lynch proposed that he make ''The Amputee'' to present to AFI to test two different types of film stock. ''Eraserhead'' was finally finished in 1976. Lynch tried to get it entered into the Cannes Film Festival, but while some reviewers liked it, others felt it was awful, and it was not selected for screening. Reviewers from the New York Film Festival also rejected it, but it was screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival, where Ben Barenholtz, the distributor of the
Elgin Theater The Elgin Theater is the former name of the building now known as the Joyce Theater, located on the corner of 19th Street and Eighth Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The theater showed films from its opening ...
, heard about it. He was very supportive of the movie, helping to distribute it around the United States in 1977, and ''Eraserhead'' subsequently became popular on the
midnight movie The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides. As a cinematic ...
underground circuit, and was later called one of the most important midnight movies of the 1970s, along with ''
El Topo ''El Topo'' (, "The Mole") is a 1970 Mexican acid Western art film written, scored, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky. Characterized by its bizarre characters and occurrences, use of maimed and dwarf performers, and heavy doses of Ju ...
'', '' Pink Flamingos'', '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', '' The Harder They Come'' and '' Night of the Living Dead''.
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
said it was one of his all-time favorite films.


1980–1989: Rise to prominence

After ''Eraserhead''s success on the underground circuit,
Stuart Cornfeld Stuart Cornfeld (November 13, 1952 – June 26, 2020) was an American film producer. He was business partners with Ben Stiller in the company Red Hour Productions. Biography Cornfeld was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended the Universi ...
, an executive producer for Mel Brooks, saw it and later said, "I was just 100 percent blown away ... I thought it was the greatest thing I'd ever seen. It was such a cleansing experience." He agreed to help Lynch with his next film, ''
Ronnie Rocket ''Ronnie Rocket'' is an unfinished film project written by David Lynch, who also intended to direct it. Begun after the success of his 1977 film ''Eraserhead'', Lynch shelved ''Ronnie Rocket'' due to an inability to find financial backing for ...
'', for which Lynch had already written a script. But Lynch soon realized that ''Ronnie Rocket'', a film that he has said is about "electricity and a three-foot guy with red hair", was not going to be picked up by any financiers, and so he asked Cornfeld to find him a script by someone else that he could direct. Cornfeld found four. On hearing the title of the first, ''The Elephant Man'', Lynch chose it. ''The Elephant Man''s script, written by Chris de Vore and
Eric Bergren Eric Lee Bergren (April 27, 1954 – July 14, 2016) was an American screenwriter. Early life and career Bergren was born 1954 in Pasadena, California. He studied theatre arts at the University of Southern California. Based on works of Frede ...
, was based on a true story, that of Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man in
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...
London, who was held in a sideshow but later taken under the care of a London surgeon, Frederick Treves. Lynch wanted to make some alterations that would alter the story from true events but in his view make a better plot, but he needed Mel Brooks's permission, as Brooks's company, Brooksfilms, was responsible for production. Brooks viewed ''Eraserhead'', and after coming out of the screening theatre, embraced Lynch, declaring, "You're a madman! I love you! You're in." '' The Elephant Man'' starred
John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in ...
as John Merrick (the name changed from Joseph) and Anthony Hopkins as Treves. Filming took place in London. Though surrealistic and in black and white, it has been called "one of the most conventional" of Lynch's films. ''The Elephant Man'' was a huge critical and commercial success, earning eight Academy Award nominations, including
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...
and
Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
. After ''The Elephant Man''s success,
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
, a fan of ''Eraserhead'', offered Lynch the opportunity to direct the third film in his original ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' trilogy, '' Return of the Jedi''. Lynch declined, saying that he had "next door to zero interest" and arguing that Lucas should direct the film himself as the movie should reflect his own vision, not Lynch's. Soon, the opportunity to direct another big-budget science fiction epic arose when Dino de Laurentiis of the
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) was an entertainment production company and distribution studio founded by Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis. The company is notable for producing '' Manhunter'', '' Blue Velvet'', the horror films ''Ne ...
asked Lynch to create a film adaptation of
Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel '' Dune'' and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also wrote short stories and worked a ...
's science fiction novel ''
Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
'' (1965). Lynch agreed, and in doing so was also contractually obliged to produce two other works for the company. He set about writing a script based upon the novel, initially with both Chris de Vore and Eric Bergren, and then alone when De Laurentiis was unhappy with their ideas. Lynch also helped build some of the sets, attempting to create "a certain look", and particularly enjoyed building the set for the oil planet
Giedi Prime ''Dune'' is a 1965 Epic (genre), epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published as two separate serials in ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Analog'' magazine. It tied with Roger Zelazny's ''This Immortal'' f ...
, for which he used "steel, bolts, and porcelain". ''Dune'' is set in the far future, when humans live in an interstellar empire under a feudal system. The main character,
Paul Atreides Paul Atreides (; later known as Paul Muad'Dib, and later still as The Preacher) is a fictional character in the ''Dune'' universe created by Frank Herbert. Paul is the primary protagonist in the first two novels in the series, ''Dune'' (1965) ...
( Kyle MacLachlan), is the son of a noble who takes control of the desert planet Arrakis, which grows the rare spice melange, the empire's most highly prized commodity. Lynch was unhappy with the work, later saying, "''Dune'' was a kind of studio film. I didn't have final cut. And, little by little, I was subconsciously making compromises" o his own vision Much of his footage was eventually removed from the final theatrical cut, dramatically condensing the plot. Although De Laurentiis hoped it would be as successful as ''Star Wars'', ''
Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
'' (1984) was a critical and commercial dud; it had cost $45 million to make, and grossed $27.4 million domestically. Later, Universal Studios released an "extended cut" for syndicated television, containing almost an hour of cutting-room-floor footage and new narration. It did not represent Lynch's intentions, but the studio considered it more comprehensible than the original version. Lynch objected to the changes and had his name struck from the extended cut, which has
Alan Smithee Alan Smithee (also Allen Smithee) is an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project. Coined in 1968 and used until it was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild o ...
credited as the director and "Judas Booth" (a pseudonym Lynch invented, reflecting his feelings of betrayal) as the screenwriter. In 1983, he began writing and drawing of a comic strip, ''
The Angriest Dog in the World ''The Angriest Dog in the World'' is a comic strip created by film director David Lynch. Background The strip was conceived by Lynch in 1973 during a period when he was experiencing feelings of great anger. First published in the ''LA Reader'', ...
'', that featured unchanging graphics of a tethered dog so angry it could not move, alongside cryptic philosophical references. It was published from 1983 to 1992 in '' The Village Voice,'' '' Creative Loafing'', and other tabloid and alternative publications. Around this time Lynch also became interested in photography as an art form, and traveled to northern England to photograph the degrading industrial landscape. Lynch was contractually still obliged to produce two other projects for De Laurentiis, the first a planned sequel to ''Dune'', which due to the film's failure never went beyond the script stage. The other was a more personal work, based on a script Lynch had been working on for some time. Developing from ideas that Lynch had had since 1973, the film, '' Blue Velvet'', was set in the real town of
Lumberton, North Carolina Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. As of 2020, its population was 19,025. It is the seat of Robeson County's government. Located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, Lumberton is located on the Lum ...
, and revolves around a college student, Jeffrey Beaumont (MacLachlan), who finds a severed ear in a field. Investigating further with the help of friend Sandy ( Laura Dern), he discovers that it is related to a criminal gang led by psychopath Frank Booth (
Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...
), who has kidnapped the husband and child of singer Dorothy Vallens ( Isabella Rossellini) and repeatedly rapes her. Lynch has called the story "a dream of strange desires wrapped inside a mystery story". Lynch included pop songs from the 1960s in the film, including
Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...
's " In Dreams" and Bobby Vinton's " Blue Velvet", the latter of which largely inspired the film. Lynch has said, "It was the song that sparked the movie ... There was something mysterious about it. It made me think about things. And the first things I thought about were lawns—lawns and the neighborhood. Other music for the film was composed by
Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the ''Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), ''The Straight St ...
, who wrote the music for most of Lynch's subsequent work. De Laurentiis loved the film, and it received support at some of the early specialist screenings, but the preview screenings to mainstream audiences were very negatively received, with most of the viewers hating the film. Lynch had found success with ''The Elephant Man'', but ''Blue Velvet''s controversy with audiences and critics introduced him into the mainstream, and it became a huge critical and moderate commercial success. The film earned Lynch his second Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Woody Allen, whose ''
Hannah and Her Sisters ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' is a 1986 American comedy-drama film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen, who ...
'' was nominated for Best Picture, said ''Blue Velvet'' was his favorite film of the year. In the late 1980s, Lynch began to work in television, directing a short piece, ''The Cowboy and the Frenchman'', for French television in 1989.


1990–1999: ''Twin Peaks'' and stardom

Around this time, he met the television producer Mark Frost, who had worked on such projects as '' Hill Street Blues'', and they decided to start working together on a biopic of Marilyn Monroe based on Anthony Summers's book ''The Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe'', but it never got off the ground. They went on to work on a comedy script, ''One Saliva Bubble'', but that did not see completion either. While talking in a coffee shop, Lynch and Frost had the idea of a corpse washing up on a lakeshore, and went to work on their third project, initially called ''Northwest Passage'' but eventually '' Twin Peaks'' (1990–91). A drama series set in a small Washington town where popular high school student
Laura Palmer Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...
has been murdered, ''Twin Peaks'' featured FBI
Special Agent Dale Cooper Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper, portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ABC's and Showtime's television series ''Twin Peaks''. He also plays a supporting role in ...
(MacLachlan) as the investigator trying to identify the killer, and discovering not only the murder's
supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
aspects but also many of the townsfolk's secrets; Lynch said, "The project was to mix a police investigation with the ordinary lives of the characters." He later said, "
ark Frost and I Ark or ARK may refer to: Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva'' * Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses Hebrew ''aron'' * ...
worked together, especially in the initial stages. Later on we started working more apart." They pitched the series to
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
, which agreed to finance the pilot and eventually commissioned a season comprising seven episodes. During season one Lynch directed two of the seven episodes, devoting more time to his film ''Wild at Heart'', but carefully chose the other episodes' directors. He also appeared in several episodes as FBI agent Gordon Cole. The series was a success, with high ratings in the United States and many other countries, and soon spawned a cult following. Soon a second season of 22 episodes went into production, but ABC executives believed that public interest in the show was decreasing. The network insisted that Lynch and Frost reveal Laura Palmer's killer's identity prematurely, which Lynch grudgingly agreed to do, in what Lynch has called one of his biggest professional regrets. After identifying the murderer and moving from Thursday to Saturday night, ''Twin Peaks'' continued for several more episodes, but was canceled after a ratings drop. Lynch, who disliked the direction that writers and directors took in the later episodes, directed the final episode. He ended it with a cliffhanger (like season one had), later saying, "that's not the ending. That's the ending that people were stuck with." While ''Twin Peaks'' was in production, the
Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...
asked Lynch and Badalamenti, who wrote the music for ''Twin Peaks'', to create a theatrical piece to be performed twice in 1989 as a part of the New Music America Festival. The result was '' Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted'', which starred frequent Lynch collaborators such as Laura Dern, Nicolas Cage and
Michael J. Anderson Michael J. Anderson (born October 31, 1953) is a retired American actor known for his roles as The Man from Another Place in David Lynch's television series ''Twin Peaks'', the prequel film for the series, ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'', and a ...
, and contained five songs sung by Julee Cruise. Lynch produced a 50-minute video of the performance in 1990. Meanwhile, he was also involved in creating various
commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
for companies including Yves Saint Laurent,
Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...
,
Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer. He first gained notoriety working for Cerruti and then for many others, including Allegri, Bagutta and Hilton. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expande ...
and the Japanese coffee company Namoi, which featured a Japanese man searching Twin Peaks for his missing wife. While Lynch was working on the first few episodes of ''Twin Peaks'', his friend Monty Montgomery "gave me a book that he wanted to direct as a movie. He asked if I would maybe be executive producer or something, and I said 'That's great, Monty, but what if I read it and fall in love with it and want to do it myself?' And he said, 'In that case, you can do it yourself'." The book was
Barry Gifford Barry Gifford (born October 18, 1946) is an American author, poet, and screenwriter known for his distinctive mix of American landscapes and prose influenced by film noir and Beat Generation writers. Gifford is best known for his series of nove ...
's novel ''Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula'', about two lovers on a road trip. Lynch felt that it was "just exactly the right thing at the right time. The book and the violence in America merged in my mind and many different things happened." With Gifford's support, Lynch adapted the novel into '' Wild at Heart'', a crime and road movie starring Nicolas Cage as Sailor and Laura Dern as Lula. Describing its plot as a "strange blend" of "a road picture, a love story, a psychological drama and a violent comedy", Lynch altered much of the original novel, changing the ending and incorporating numerous references to ''
The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...
''. Despite a muted response from American critics and viewers, ''Wild at Heart'' won the Palme d'Or at the
1990 Cannes Film Festival The 43rd Cannes Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 May 1990 in film, 1990. The Palme d'Or went to ''Wild at Heart (film), Wild at Heart'' by David Lynch. The festival opened with ''Dreams (1990 film), Dreams'', directed by Akira Kurosawa and clo ...
. After ''Wild at Heart''s success, Lynch returned to the world of the canceled ''Twin Peaks'', this time without Frost, to create a film that was primarily a prequel but also in part a sequel. Lynch said, "I liked the idea of the story going back and forth in time." The result, '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), primarily revolved around the last few days in the life of Laura Palmer, and was much "darker" in tone than the TV series, with much of the humor removed, and dealing with such topics as incest and murder. Lynch has said the film is about "the loneliness, shame, guilt, confusion and devastation of the victim of incest". The company CIBY-2000 financed ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'', and most of the TV series' cast reprised their roles, though some refused and many were unenthusiastic about the project. The film was a commercial failure in the United States at the time of its release, but it has since experienced a critical reappraisal. A number of critics, such as
Mark Kermode Mark James Patrick Kermode (, ; ; born 2 July 1963) is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter and podcaster. He is the chief film critic for ''The Observer'', contributes to the magazine ''Sight & Sound'', prese ...
, have called it Lynch's "masterpiece". Meanwhile, Lynch worked on some new television shows. He and Frost created the comedy series ''
On the Air On the Air may refer to: *On the Air (album), ''On the Air'' (album), 1984, by Billy Preston *On the Air (TV series), ''On the Air'' (TV series), an American sitcom *On the Air (film), ''On the Air'' (film), a 1934 British musical comedy *On the A ...
'' (1992), which was canceled after three episodes aired, and he and Monty Montgomery created the three-episode
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
''
Hotel Room A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
'' (1993) about events that happen in one hotel room on different dates. In 1993, Lynch collaborated with Japanese musician Yoshiki on the video for X Japan's song " Longing ~Setsubou no Yoru~". The video was never officially released, but Lynch claimed in his 2018 memoir ''Room to Dream'' that "some of the frames are so fuckin' beautiful, you can't believe it." After his unsuccessful TV ventures, Lynch returned to film. In 1997, he released the non-linear noiresque '' Lost Highway'', which was co-written by Barry Gifford and starred Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette. The film failed commercially and received a mixed response from critics. Lynch then began work on a film from a script by
Mary Sweeney Mary Sweeney is an American director, writer, film editor and film producer. She was briefly married to American film director David Lynch, whom she collaborated with for 20 years. Sweeney worked with Lynch on several films and television se ...
and John E. Roach, '' The Straight Story'', based on a true story: that of
Alvin Straight Alvin Boone Straight (October 17, 1920 – November 9, 1996) was an American man who became notable for traveling on a riding lawn mower from Laurens, Iowa to Blue River, Wisconsin to visit his ailing brother. He inspired the 1999 film ''The ...
( Richard Farnsworth), an elderly man from Laurens, Iowa, who goes on a 300-mile journey to visit his sick brother ( Harry Dean Stanton) in Mount Zion, Wisconsin, by riding lawnmower. Asked why he chose this script, Lynch said, "that's what I fell in love with next", and expressed his admiration of Straight, describing him as "like
James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...
, except he's old". Badalamenti wrote the music for the film, saying it was "very different from the kind of score he's done for ynchin the past". Among the many differences from Lynch's other films, '' The Straight Story'' contains no profanity, sexuality or violence, and is rated G (general viewing) by the Motion Picture Association of America, which came as "shocking news" to many in the film industry, who were surprised that it "did not disturb, offend or mystify". Le Blanc and Odell write that the plot made it "seem as far removed from Lynch's earlier works as could be imagined, but in fact right from the very opening, this is entirely his film—a surreal road movie".


2000–2009: Established career

That year, Lynch approached
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
again with ideas for a television drama. The network gave Lynch the go-ahead to shoot a two-hour pilot for the series ''Mulholland Drive'', but disputes over content and running time led to the project being shelved indefinitely. But with $7 million from the French production company StudioCanal, Lynch completed the pilot as a film, '' Mulholland Drive''. The film, a non-linear narrative surrealist tale of
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
's dark side, stars Naomi Watts, Laura Harring and Justin Theroux. It performed relatively well at the box office worldwide and was a critical success, earning Lynch
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...
at the
2001 Cannes Film Festival The 54th Cannes Film Festival started on 14 May and ran until 20 May 2001. Norwegian actress and director Liv Ullmann was the Jury President. The Palme d'Or went to the Italian film ''The Son's Room'' by Nanni Moretti. The festival opened with ...
(shared with
Joel Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...
for '' The Man Who Wasn't There'') and Best Director from the New York Film Critics Association. He also received his third Academy Award nomination for Best Director. In 2016, the film was named the best film of the 21st century in a BBC poll of 177 film critics from 36 countries. With the rising popularity of the Internet, Lynch decided to use it as a distribution channel, releasing several new series he had created exclusively on his website, davidlynch.com, which went online on December 10, 2001. In 2002, he created a series of online shorts, '' DumbLand''. Intentionally crude in content and execution, the eight-episode series was later released on DVD. The same year, Lynch released a surreal sitcom, ''
Rabbits Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit specie ...
'', about a family of humanoid rabbits. Later, he made his experiments with
Digital Video Digital video is an electronic representation of moving visual images (video) in the form of encoded digital data. This is in contrast to analog video, which represents moving visual images in the form of analog signals. Digital video comprises ...
available in the form of the Japanese-style horror short ''
Darkened Room ''Darkened Room'' is an 8-minute film directed by David Lynch. It first appeared on Lynch's website, ''DavidLynch.com'', in 2002. It has subsequently been released on the DVD anthology ''Dynamic:01''. Premise In the first half of the film, ...
''. In 2006, Lynch's feature film ''
Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities o ...
'' was released. At three hours, it is the longest of his films. Like ''Mulholland Drive'' and ''Lost Highway'', it does not follow a traditional narrative structure. It stars Lynch regulars Laura Dern, Harry Dean Stanton and Justin Theroux, with cameos by Naomi Watts and Laura Harring as the voices of Suzie and Jane Rabbit, and a performance by Jeremy Irons. Lynch has called ''Inland Empire'' "a mystery about a woman in trouble". In an effort to promote it, he made appearances with a cow and a placard bearing the slogan "Without cheese there would be no ''Inland Empire''". In 2009, Lynch produced a documentary web series directed by his son Austin Lynch and friend Jason S., ''Interview Project''. Interested in working with Werner Herzog, in 2009 Lynch collaborated on Herzog's film ''
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? ''My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done'' is a 2009 crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog, and written by Herzog and Herbert Golder. The film stars Michael Shannon as Brad McCullam, a mentally unstable man who kills his own mother (played by Grac ...
'' With a nonstandard narrative, the film is based on a true story of an actor who committed matricide while acting in a production of the Oresteia, and starred Lynch regular Grace Zabriskie. In 2009, Lynch had plans to direct a documentary on
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 1918
consisting of interviews with people who knew him, but nothing has come of it.


2010–2019: Return to television

In 2010, Lynch began making guest appearances on the ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' spin-off '' The Cleveland Show'' as Gus the Bartender. He had been convinced to appear in the show by its lead actor, Mike Henry, a fan of Lynch who felt that his whole life had changed after seeing ''Wild at Heart''. '' Lady Blue Shanghai'' is a 16-minute promotional film that was written, directed and edited by Lynch for
Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...
. It was released on the Internet in May 2010. Lynch directed a concert by English new wave band
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...
on March 23, 2011. The concert was streamed live on YouTube from the
Mayan Theater The Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, California is a landmark former movie palace and current nightclub and music venue. History The Mayan Theater opened in August 1927 as a performance arts theater. Leon Hefflin Sr. rented out the Mayan Theater d ...
in Los Angeles as the kickoff to the second season of '' Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express''. "The idea is to try and create on the fly, layers of images permeating Duran Duran on the stage", Lynch said. "A world of experimentation and hopefully some happy accidents". The animated short ''I Touch a Red Button Man'', a collaboration between Lynch and the band Interpol, played in the background during Interpol's concert at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
in April 2011. The short, which features Interpol's song "Lights", was later made available online. It was believed that Lynch was going to retire from the film industry; according to Abel Ferrara, Lynch "doesn't even want to make films any more. I've talked to him about it, OK? I can tell when he talks about it." But in a June 2012 '' Los Angeles Times'' interview, Lynch said he lacked the inspiration to start a new movie project, but "If I got an idea that I fell in love with, I'd go to work tomorrow". In September 2012, he appeared in the three-part "Late Show" arc on FX's ''
Louie Louie may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Louie'' (American TV series), by comedian Louis C.K. * ''Louie'' (French TV series), animated series about a young rabbit who draws pictures which come to life * "Louie" (song), by Blood Raw * ''L ...
'' as Jack Dahl. In November 2012, Lynch hinted at plans for a new film while attending Plus Camerimage in
Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
, Poland, saying, "something is coming up. It will happen but I don't know exactly when". At Plus Camerimage, Lynch received a lifetime achievement award and the Key to the City from Bydgoszcz's mayor, Rafał Bruski. In a January 2013 interview with the '' Los Angeles Times'', Laura Dern confirmed that she and Lynch were planning a new project, and '' The New York Times'' later revealed that Lynch was working on the script. '' Idem Paris'', a short documentary film about the lithographic process, was released online in February 2013. On June 28, 2013, a video Lynch directed for the
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
song " Came Back Haunted" was released. He also did photography for the
Dumb Numbers Dumb Numbers is the musical project of Adam Harding. Harding selects musicians for each Dumb Numbers project from a large group of friends and collaborators.” Lou Barlow, Dale Crover, Bobb Bruno (of Best Coast) and others contributed to the ...
' self-titled album released in August 2013. On October 6, 2014, Lynch confirmed via Twitter that he and Frost would start shooting a new, nine-episode season of '' Twin Peaks'' in 2015, with the episodes expected to air in 2016 on
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
. Lynch and Frost wrote all the episodes. On April 5, 2015, Lynch announced via Twitter that the project was still alive, but he was no longer going to direct because the budget was too low for what he wanted to do. On May 15, 2015, he said via Twitter that he would return to the revival, having sorted out his issues with Showtime. Showtime CEO David Nevins confirmed this, announcing that Lynch would direct every episode of the revival and that the original nine episodes had been extended to 18. Filming was completed by April 2016. The two-episode premiere aired on May 21, 2017. While doing press for ''Twin Peaks'', Lynch was again asked if he had retired from film and seemed to confirm that he had made his last feature film, responding, "Things changed a lot... So many films were not doing well at the box office even though they might have been great films and the things that were doing well at the box office weren't the things that I would want to do". Lynch later said that this statement had been misconstrued: "I did not say I quit cinema, simply that nobody knows what the future holds." Since the last episode of ''The Return'' aired, there has been speculation about a fourth season. Lynch did not deny the possibility of another season, but said that if it were to happen, it would not air before 2021.


2020–present: Weather reports and other projects

Lynch did weather reports on his now-defunct website in the 2000s. He returned to doing weather reports from his apartment in Los Angeles, along with two new series, ''What is David Lynch Working on Today?'', which details him making collages and ''Today's Number Is...'', where each day he picks a random number from 1 to 10 using a jar containing ten numbered ping-pong balls. In one of his weather reports, he detailed a dream he had about being a German soldier shot by an American soldier on
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
. In June 2020, Lynch rereleased his 2002 web series ''
Rabbits Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit specie ...
'' on YouTube. On July 17, 2020, his store for merchandise released a set of face masks with Lynch's art on them for the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2022, it was announced that Lynch had been cast in the
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
film ''
The Fabelmans ''The Fabelmans'' is a 2022 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written and produced by Tony Kushner and Spielberg. It is a semi-autobiographical story loosely based on Spielberg's adolescence and first years as ...
'' in a role '' Variety'' called at the time "a closely guarded secret", later revealed to be that of real-life film director John Ford, whose famous encounter with Spielberg is dramatized in the film's final moments, with the film's protagonist Sammy Fabelman (played by
Gabriel LaBelle Gabriel LaBelle (born September 20, 2002) is a Canadian-American actor. He is best known for his leading role as young aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman in Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film ''The Fabelmans'' (2022), for which he rece ...
) in Spielberg's place. Lynch and the cast were nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Lynch stopped doing weather reports after 2022. In 2021, it was reported that Lynch was developing a new project potentially for Netflix with the working titles ''Wisteria'' and ''Unrecorded Night''.


Cinematic influences and themes


Influences

Lynch has said his work is more similar to that of European filmmakers than American ones, and that most films that "get down and thrill your soul" are by European directors. He has expressed his admiration for
Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...
,
Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran ...
,
Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...
, Werner Herzog,
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
, Roman Polanski, Jacques Tati,
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
, and Billy Wilder. He has said that Wilder's '' Sunset Boulevard'' (1950) is one of his favorite pictures, as are Kubrick's ''
Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humber ...
'' (1962), Fellini's '' '' (1963), Tati's ''
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday ''Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot'' (french: Les Vacances de M. Hulot; released as ''Monsieur Hulot's Holiday'' in the US) is a 1953 French comedy film starring and directed by Jacques Tati. It introduced the pipe-smoking, well-meaning but clumsy c ...
'' (1953), Hitchcock's '' Rear Window'' (1954), and Herzog's ''
Stroszek ''Stroszek'' is a 1977 German tragicomedy film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Bruno S., Eva Mattes, and Clemens Scheitz. Written specifically for Bruno S., the film was shot in Plainfield, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Most of the lead ...
'' (1977). He has also cited
Herk Harvey Harold Arnold "Herk" Harvey (June 3, 1924 – April 3, 1996) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and film producer. Early life Harvey was born in Windsor, Colorado, the son of Everett and Minnie R. Prewitt Harvey. He grew up in ...
's '' Carnival of Souls'' (1962) and
Jerzy Skolimowski Jerzy Skolimowski (, born 5 May 1938) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist and actor. A graduate of the prestigious National Film School in Łódź, Skolimowski has directed more than twenty films since his 1960 début ''Oko wykol' ...
's '' Deep End'' (1970) as influences on his work.


Motifs

Several themes recur in Lynch's work. Le Blanc and Odell write, "his films are so packed with motifs, recurrent characters, images, compositions and techniques that you could view his entire output as one large jigsaw puzzle of ideas". One of the key themes they note is the usage of dreams and dreamlike imagery and structure, something they relate to the " surrealist ethos" of relying "on the subconscious to provide visual drive". This can be seen in Merrick's dream of his mother in ''The Elephant Man'', Cooper's dreams of the red room in ''Twin Peaks'' and the "dreamlike logic" of the narratives of ''Eraserhead'', ''Mulholland Drive'' and ''Inland Empire''. Of his attitude to dreams, Lynch has said, "Waking dreams are the ones that are important, the ones that come when I'm quietly sitting in a chair, letting my mind wander. When you sleep, you don't control your dream. I like to dive into a dream world that I've made or discovered; a world I choose ... ou can't really get others to experience it, butright there is the power of cinema." His films are known for their use of magic realism. The motif of dreams is closely linked to his recurring use of drones, real-world sounds and musical styles. Another of Lynch's prominent themes is industry, with repeated imagery of "the clunk of machinery, the power of pistons, shadows of oil drills pumping, screaming woodmills and smoke billowing factories", as seen in the industrial wasteland in ''Eraserhead'', the factories in ''The Elephant Man'', the sawmill in ''Twin Peaks'' and the lawnmower in ''The Straight Story''. Of his interest in such things, Lynch has said, "It makes me feel good to see giant machinery, you know, working: dealing with molten metal. And I like fire and smoke. And the sounds are so powerful. It's just big stuff. It means that things are being made, and I really like that." Another theme is the dark underbelly of violent criminal activity in a society, such as Frank Booth's gang in ''Blue Velvet'' and the cocaine smugglers in ''Twin Peaks''. The idea of deformity is also found in several of Lynch's films, from ''The Elephant Man'' to the deformed baby in ''Eraserhead'', as well as death from head wounds, found in most of Lynch's films. Other imagery common in Lynch's works includes flickering electricity or lights, fire, and stages upon which a singer performs, often surrounded by drapery. Except ''The Elephant Man'' and ''Dune'', which are set in Victorian London and a fictitious galaxy respectively, all of Lynch's films are set in the United States, and he has said, "I like certain things about America and it gives me ideas. When I go around and I see things, it sparks little stories, or little characters pop out, so it just feels right to me to, you know, make American films." A number of his works, including ''Blue Velvet'', ''Twin Peaks'' and ''Lost Highway'', are intentionally reminiscent of 1950s American culture despite being set in later decades of the 20th century. Lynch has said, "It was a fantastic decade in a lot of ways ... there was something in the air that is not there any more at all. It was such a great feeling, and not just because I was a kid. It was a really hopeful time, and things were going up instead of going down. You got the feeling you could do anything. The future was bright. Little did we know we were laying the groundwork for a disastrous future. Lynch also tends to feature his leading female actors in "split" roles, so that many of his female characters have multiple, fractured identities. This practice began with his casting Sheryl Lee as both
Laura Palmer Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...
and her cousin Maddy Ferguson in ''Twin Peaks'' and continued in his later works. In ''Lost Highway'', Patricia Arquette plays the dual role of Renee Madison/Alice Wakefield; in ''Mulholland Drive'' Naomi Watts plays Diane Selwyn/Betty Elms and Laura Harring plays Camilla Rhodes/Rita; in ''
Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities o ...
'' Laura Dern plays Nikki Grace/Susan Blue. The numerous alternative versions of lead characters and fragmented timelines may echo and/or reference the many worlds interpretation of
quantum physics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...
and perhaps Lynch's broader interest in quantum mechanics. Some have suggested that Lynch's love for Hitchcock's '' Vertigo'', which employs a split lead character (the Judy Barton and Madeleine Elster characters, both portrayed by Kim Novak) may have influenced this aspect of his work. His films frequently feature characters with supernatural or omnipotent qualities. They can be seen as physical manifestations of various concepts, such as hatred or fear. Examples include The Man Inside the Planet in ''Eraserhead'', BOB in ''Twin Peaks'', The Mystery Man in ''Lost Highway'', The Bum in ''Mulholland Drive'', and The Phantom in ''Inland Empire''. Lynch approaches his characters and plots in a way that steeps them in a dream state rather than reality.


Recurring collaborators

Lynch is also widely noted for his collaborations with various production artists and composers on his films and other productions. He frequently worked with
Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the ''Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), ''The Straight St ...
to compose music for his productions, former wife
Mary Sweeney Mary Sweeney is an American director, writer, film editor and film producer. She was briefly married to American film director David Lynch, whom she collaborated with for 20 years. Sweeney worked with Lynch on several films and television se ...
as a film editor, casting director
Johanna Ray Johanna Ray is an American casting director and film producer, sometimes credited as "Joanna Ray". She has been nominated for five Artios Awards, and won once in 1990. She has worked with Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, Julia Roberts, and Nicolas C ...
, and cast members Harry Dean Stanton, Jack Nance, Kyle MacLachlan, Naomi Watts, Isabella Rossellini, Grace Zabriskie, and Laura Dern.


Filmography

Film Television


Other work


Painting

Lynch first trained as a painter, and although he is now better known as a filmmaker, he has continued to paint. Lynch has stated that "all my paintings are organic, violent comedies. They have to be violently done and primitive and crude, and to achieve that I try to let nature paint more than I paint." Many of his works are very dark in color, and Lynch has said this is because Many of his works also contain letters and words added to the painting. He explains: Lynch considers the 20th-century Irish-born British artist Francis Bacon to be his "number one kinda hero painter", stating that "Normally I only like a couple of years of a painter's work, but I like everything of Bacon's. The guy, you know, had the stuff." Lynch was the subject of a major art retrospective at the
Fondation Cartier The Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, known simply as the Fondation Cartier, is a contemporary art museum located at 261 boulevard Raspail in the 14th arrondissement of the French capital, Paris. History The Fondation Cartier was cre ...
, Paris from March 3 – May 27, 2007. The show was titled ''The Air is on Fire'' and included numerous paintings, photographs, drawings, alternative films and sound work. New site-specific art installations were created specially for the exhibition. A series of events accompanied the exhibition including live performances and concerts. His alma mater, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, presented an exhibition of his work, entitled "The Unified Field", which opened on September 12, 2014, and ended in January 2015. Lynch is represented by Kayne Griffin Corcoran in Los Angeles, and has been exhibiting his paintings, drawings, and photography with the gallery since 2011. His favorite photographers include
William Eggleston William Eggleston (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition for color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...
(''
The Red Ceiling ''The Red Ceiling'' is a photograph by William Eggleston. Its formal title is ''Greenwood, Mississippi''. Eggleston took the photo at the home of his friend Dr. Thomas Chester Boring, Jr., at 508 Macarthur St. in Greenwood, Mississippi. The pho ...
''), Joel-Peter Witkin, and Diane Arbus.


Music

Lynch has been involved in several music projects, many of them related to his films, including sound design for some of his films (sometimes alongside collaborators Alan Splet, Dean Hurley, and/or
Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the ''Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), ''The Straight St ...
). His album genres include experimental rock,
ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...
soundscapes and, most recently, avant-garde
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
music. He produced and wrote lyrics for Julee Cruise's first two albums, '' Floating into the Night'' (1989) and '' The Voice of Love'' (1993), in collaboration with Badalamenti, who composed the music and also produced. In 1991, Lynch directed a 30-second teaser trailer for the Michael Jackson album ''Dangerous'', personally requested by Jackson. Lynch also worked on the 1998
Jocelyn Montgomery Jocelyn West (formerly Jocelyn Montgomery) is a British musician and actress. West was one of the founding members of the band Miranda Sex Garden. After leaving the band in the early 1990s, she joined the medieval music ensemble Sinfonye. In 1998 ...
album ''Lux Vivens (Living Light), The Music of Hildegard von Bingen''. He composed music for ''Wild at Heart'', ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'', ''Mulholland Drive'', and ''Rabbits''. In 2001, he released ''
BlueBob ''BlueBOB'' (stylized as ) is the debut studio album by the American director and musician David Lynch and audio engineer John Neff. It was released in December 2001 on Absurda—Lynch's own record label—and Soulitude Records. Recorded ove ...
'', a rock album performed by Lynch and John Neff. The album is notable for Lynch's unusual guitar playing style. He plays "upside down and backwards, like a lap guitar", and relies heavily on effects pedals. Most recently Lynch composed several pieces for ''Inland Empire'', including two songs, "Ghost of Love" and "Walkin' on the Sky", in which he makes his public debut as a singer. In 2009, his new book-CD set '' Dark Night of the Soul'' was released. In 2008, he started his own record label, David Lynch MC, which first released ''Fox Bat Strategy: A Tribute to Dave Jaurequi'' in early 2009. In November 2010, Lynch released two
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
music singles, "Good Day Today" and "I Know", through the independent British label Sunday Best Recordings. Describing why he created them, he stated that "I was just sitting and these notes came and then I went down and started working with Dean urley, his engineerand then these few notes, 'I want to have a good day, today' came and the song was built around that". The singles were followed by an album, ''
Crazy Clown Time ''Crazy Clown Time'' is the second studio album and debut solo album by the American director and musician David Lynch. It was released on November 7, 2011 on PIAS and Sunday Best. Described as a "modern blues" album by Lynch, ''Crazy Cl ...
'', which was released in November 2011 and described as an "electronic blues album". The songs were sung by Lynch, with guest vocals on one track by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and composed and performed by Lynch and Dean Hurley. All or most of the songs for ''Crazy Clown Time'' were put into art-music videos, Lynch directing the title song's video. On September 29, 2011, Lynch released ''This Train'' with vocalist and longtime musical collaborator Chrysta Bell on the La Rose Noire label. Lynch's third studio album, ''
The Big Dream ''The Big Dream'' is the third studio album by the American film director and musician David Lynch, released on July 10, 2013. It was released on Sacred Bones Records in the United States and Sunday Best in Europe. Consisting of 12 "modern ...
'', was released in 2013 and included the single " I'm Waiting Here", with Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li. ''The Big Dream''s release was preceded by ''TBD716'', an enigmatic 43-second video featured on Lynch's YouTube and Vine accounts. For Record Store Day 2014, David Lynch released ''The Big Dream Remix EP'' which featured four songs from his album remixed by various artists. This included the track "Are You Sure" remixed by Bastille. The band Bastille have been known to take inspiration from David Lynch's work for their songs and music videos, the main one being their song "
Laura Palmer Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...
" which is influenced by Lynch's television show ''Twin Peaks''. On November 2, 2018, a collaborative album by Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, titled '' Thought Gang'', was released on vinyl and on compact disc. The album was recorded around 1993 but was unreleased at the time. Two tracks from the album already appeared on the soundtrack from the 1992 movie ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' and three other tracks were used for the ''Twin Peaks'' TV series in 2017. In May 2019, Lynch provided guest vocals on the track ''Fire is Coming'' by
Flying Lotus Steven Ellison (born October 7, 1983), known by his stage name Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, Disc jockey, DJ, filmmaker and rapper from Los Angeles. He is also the founder of the record label Brainfeeder. Flyi ...
. He also co-wrote the track that appears on Flying Lotus' album ''
Flamagra ''Flamagra'' is the sixth studio album by American record producer Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison), released on May 24, 2019 by Warp Records. It is his first album since 2014's ''You're Dead!''. The lead single, the spoken-word "Fire Is Coming" feat ...
''. A video accompanying the song was released on April 17, 2019. In May 2021, Lynch produced a new track by Scottish artist
Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
titled "
I Am the Shaman "I Am the Shaman" is a song written by Scottish singer Donovan. It was originally released on his 2010 album ''Ritual Groove''. The song and its music video were produced by experimental director and musician David Lynch, with whom Donovan has ...
". The song was released on May 10, Donovan's 75th birthday. Lynch also directed the accompanying video.


Design

Lynch designed and constructed furniture for his 1997 film ''Lost Highway'', including the small table in the Madison house and the VCR case. In April 1997, he presented a furniture collection at the prestigious Milan Furniture Fair. "Design and music, art and architecture – they all belong together." Working with designer Raphael Navot, architectural agency Enia and light designer Thierry Dreyfus, Lynch has conceived and designed a nightclub in Paris. "Silencio" opened in October 2011, and is a private members' club although is free to the public after midnight. Patrons have access to concerts, films and other performances by artists and guests. Inspired by the club of the same name in his 2001 film ''Mulholland Drive'', the underground space consists of a series of rooms, each dedicated to a certain purpose or atmosphere. "Silencio is something dear to me. I wanted to create an intimate space where all the arts could come together. There won't be a Warhol-like guru, but it will be open to celebrated artists of all disciplines to come here to programme or create what they want."


Literature

In 2006, Lynch wrote a short book, '' Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity'', which describes his creative processes, stories from his career, and the benefits he has realized from his practice of Transcendental Meditation. He describes the metaphor behind the title in the introduction: The book weaves a nonlinear autobiography with descriptions of Lynch's experiences during Transcendental Meditation. Working with
Kristine McKenna Kristine McKenna is an American journalist, critic and art curator best known for her interviews with artists, writers, thinkers, filmmakers and musicians. Many of these have been collected in ''Book of Changes'' (2001) and ''Talk to Her'' (200 ...
, Lynch published a biography-memoir hybrid, ''Room to Dream'', in June 2018.


Awards and nominations

In 2017, Lynch was awarded The Edward MacDowell Medal by
The MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...
for outstanding contributions to American culture.


Reception

In 2007, a panel of critics convened by '' The Guardian'' announced that "after all the discussion, no one could fault the conclusion that David Lynch is the most important film-maker of the current era", and
AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
called him "the Renaissance man of modern American filmmaking". His work led to him being labeled "the first populist surrealist" by film critic Pauline Kael.


Legacy

The moving image collection of David Lynch is held at the Academy Film Archive, which has preserved two of his student films.


Personal life


Relationships

Lynch has had several long-term relationships. In January 1968, he married Peggy Reavey, with whom he had one child, Jennifer Lynch, born in 1968, who is a film director. They filed for divorce in 1974. In June 1977, Lynch married Mary Fisk, and the couple had one child, Austin Jack Lynch, born in 1982. They separated in 1985 and divorced in 1987. Lynch later developed a relationship with actress
Isabella Rosselini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is note ...
, with whom he lived between 1986 and 1991. In 1992, he and his editor
Mary Sweeney Mary Sweeney is an American director, writer, film editor and film producer. She was briefly married to American film director David Lynch, whom she collaborated with for 20 years. Sweeney worked with Lynch on several films and television se ...
had a son, Riley Sweeney Lynch. Sweeney also worked as Lynch's producer and co-wrote and produced '' The Straight Story''. The two married in May 2006, but filed for divorce that June. In 2009, Lynch married actress Emily Stofle, who appeared in his 2006 film ''
Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities o ...
'' as well as the 2017 revival of ''Twin Peaks''. The couple have one child, Lula Boginia Lynch, born in 2012. They filed for divorce in 2023.


Political and public views

Lynch has said that he is "not a political person" and that he knows little about politics. Describing his political philosophy in 2006, he said, "at that time
he 1990s He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
I thought of myself as a libertarian. I believed in next to zero government. And I still would lean toward no government and not so many rules, except for traffic lights and things like this. I really believe in traffic regulations." He continued: "I'm a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
now. And I've always been a Democrat, really. But I don't like the Democrats a lot, either, because I'm a smoker, and I think a lot of the Democrats have come up with these rules for non-smoking." He has said he voted for
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
in the
1984 U.S. presidential election The 1984 United States presidential election was the 50th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan defeated Democratic former Vice President Walter Mondale, in ...
; in the
2000 U.S. presidential election The 2000 United States presidential election was the 54th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Republican candidate George W. Bush, the governor of Texas and eldest son of the 41st president, George H. W. Bush ...
he endorsed the
Natural Law Party The Natural Law Party (NLP) is a transnational party founded in 1992 on "the principles of Transcendental Meditation", the laws of nature, and their application to all levels of government. At its peak, it was active in up to 74 countries; it con ...
, which advocated Transcendental Meditation. He said he would vote for Democratic incumbent Barack Obama in the
2012 U.S. presidential election The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were re-el ...
. In 2009, Lynch signed a petition in support of director Roman Polanski after Polanski's arrest on his 1977 sexual abuse charges. Polanski had been detained while traveling to a film festival. The petition argued the arrest would undermine the tradition of film festivals as a place for works to be shown "freely and safely", and that arresting filmmakers traveling to neutral countries could open the door "for actions of which no-one can know the effects." In the
2016 U.S. presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald ...
, he endorsed
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
, whom he described as "for the people", He voted for Sanders in the
2016 Democratic primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for president in the 2016 United States presidential e ...
, and for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson in the general election. In a June 2018 interview with '' The Guardian'', he said that Donald Trump could go down as "one of the greatest presidents in history because he has disrupted the ountryso much. No one is able to counter this guy in an intelligent way." He added: "Our so-called leaders can't take the country forward, can't get anything done. Like children, they are. Trump has shown all this." The interviewer clarified that "while Trump may not be doing a good job himself, Lynch thinks, he is opening up a space where other outsiders might." At a rally later that month, Trump read out sections of the interview, claiming Lynch was a supporter. Lynch later clarified on Facebook that his words were taken out of context, saying that Trump would "not have a chance to go down in history as a great president" if he continued on the course of "causing suffering and division" and advising him to " treat all the people as you would like to be treated". In one of his daily weather report videos, Lynch expressed support for Black Lives Matter protests. In another such video, Lynch condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and addressed Russian president Vladimir Putin directly, telling him there was "no room for this kind of absurdity anymore" and that Putin would reap what he had sown, lifetime after lifetime.


Transcendental Meditation

Lynch advocates Transcendental Meditation as a spiritual practice. He was initiated into Transcendental Meditation in July 1973, and has practiced the technique consistently since then. Lynch says he met
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 1918
, the founder of the
TM movement Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a form of silent mantra meditation advocated by the Transcendental Meditation movement. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created the technique in India in the mid-1950s. Advocates of TM claim that the technique promotes a ...
, for the first time in 1975 at the
Spiritual Regeneration Movement Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a form of silent mantra meditation advocated by the Transcendental Meditation movement. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created the technique in India in the mid-1950s. Advocates of TM claim that the technique promotes a ...
center in Los Angeles, California. He became close with the Maharishi during a month-long "Millionaire's Enlightenment Course" held in 2003, the fee for which was $1 million. In July 2005, Lynch launched the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and Peace, established to help finance scholarships for students in middle and high schools who are interested in learning Transcendental Meditation and to fund research on the technique and its effects on learning. Together with John Hagelin and Fred Travis, a brain researcher from Maharishi University of Management (MUM), Lynch promoted his vision on college campuses with a tour that began in September 2005. Lynch is on MUM's board of trustees and has hosted an annual "David Lynch Weekend for World Peace and Meditation" there since 2005. Lynch was working for the building and establishment of seven buildings in which 8,000 salaried people would practice advanced meditation techniques, "pumping peace for the world". He estimates the cost at US$7 billion. As of December 2005, he had spent $400,000 of his money and raised $1 million in donations. In December 2006, ''The New York Times'' reported that he continued to have that goal. Lynch's book '' Catching the Big Fish'' (Tarcher/Penguin, 2006) discusses Transcendental Meditation's effect on his creative process. Lynch attended the funeral of the Maharishi in India in 2008. He told a reporter, "In life, he revolutionized the lives of millions of people. ... In 20, 50, 500 years there will be millions of people who will know and understand what the Maharishi has done." In 2009, Lynch went to India to film interviews with people who knew the Maharishi as part of a biographical documentary. In 2009, Lynch organized a benefit concert at
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
for the David Lynch Foundation. On April 4, 2009, the "Change Begins Within" concert featured Paul McCartney,
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
,
Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
,
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
,
Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...
,
Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
,
Bettye LaVette Bettye LaVette (born Betty Jo Haskins, January 29, 1946) is an American soul singer-songwriter who made her first record at sixteen, but achieved only intermittent fame until 2005, when her album ''I've Got My Own Hell to Raise'' was released to ...
, Ben Harper, and Mike Love of the Beach Boys. '' David Wants to Fly'', released in May 2010, is a documentary by German filmmaker David Sieveking "that follows the path of his professional idol, David Lynch, into the world of Transcendental Meditation (TM)". At the end of the film, Sieveking becomes disillusioned with Lynch. An independent project starring Lynch called ''Beyond The Noise: My Transcendental Meditation Journey'', directed by film student Dana Farley, who has severe dyslexia and attention deficit disorder, was shown at film festivals in 2011, including the Marbella Film Festival. Filmmaker
Kevin Sean Michaels Kevin Sean Michaels is an American film director, artist, producer and entertainer. Biography and career Michaels is best known as an Art Director for Troma Entertainment as well as directing and producing his own documentaries, ''Vampira: The ...
is one of the producers. In 2013, Lynch wrote: "Transcendental Meditation leads to a beautiful, peaceful revolution. A change from suffering and negativity to happiness and a life more and more free of any problems." In a 2019 interview of Lynch by British artist
Alexander de Cadenet Alexander de Cadenet (born 24 May 1974), also known as Bruiser, is a British artist working in various media: predominantly painting, photography and sculpture. He is most known for his photographic "skull portraits" and also his meteorite and Li ...
, Lynch said of TM: "Here's an experience that utilizes the full brain. That's what it's for. It's for enlightenment, for higher states of consciousness, culminating in the highest state of unity consciousness." In April 2022, Lynch announced a $500 million transcendental meditation world peace initiative to fund transcendental meditation for 30,000 college students.


Website

Lynch designed his personal website, a site exclusive to paying members, where he posts short videos and his absurdist series '' Dumbland'', plus interviews and other items. The site also featured a daily
weather report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocali ...
, where Lynch gives a brief description of the weather in Los Angeles, where he resides. He continues to broadcast this weather report (usually no longer than 30 seconds) on his personal YouTube channel, ''DAVID LYNCH THEATER'', along with "TODAY'S NUMBER", where he draws a random number, between one and ten, out of a bingo cage. Lynch also created a short film, "Rabbits", for his website. An absurd
ringtone A ringtone, ring tone or ring is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call. Originally referring to and made by the electromechanical striking of bells, the term now refers to any sound on any device alerting of a new incoming ...
("I like to kill deer") from the website was a common sound bite on '' The Howard Stern Show'' in early 2006. Lynch is a coffee drinker and has his own line of special organic blends available for purchase on his website and at Whole Foods. Called "David Lynch Signature Cup", the coffee has been advertised via flyers included with several recent Lynch-related DVD releases, including ''Inland Empire'' and the Gold Box edition of ''Twin Peaks''. The brand's tagline is "It's all in the beans ... and I'm just full of beans." This is also a line said by Justin Theroux's character in ''
Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities o ...
''.


Solo exhibitions


Discography

Studio albums *''
BlueBOB ''BlueBOB'' (stylized as ) is the debut studio album by the American director and musician David Lynch and audio engineer John Neff. It was released in December 2001 on Absurda—Lynch's own record label—and Soulitude Records. Recorded ove ...
'' (2001) *''
Crazy Clown Time ''Crazy Clown Time'' is the second studio album and debut solo album by the American director and musician David Lynch. It was released on November 7, 2011 on PIAS and Sunday Best. Described as a "modern blues" album by Lynch, ''Crazy Cl ...
'' (2011) *''
The Big Dream ''The Big Dream'' is the third studio album by the American film director and musician David Lynch, released on July 10, 2013. It was released on Sacred Bones Records in the United States and Sunday Best in Europe. Consisting of 12 "modern ...
'' (2013) Collaborative albums *''Lux Vivens'' (with Jocelyn Montgomery) (1998) *''The Air Is On Fire'' (with Dean Hurley) (2007) *'' Polish Night Music'' (with Marek Zebrowski) (2007) *''This Train'' (with Chrysta Bell) (2011) *''Somewhere in the Nowhere'' (with Chrysta Bell) (2016) *'' Thought Gang'' (with
Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the ''Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), ''The Straight St ...
) (recorded 1992/93) (2018)


See also

* David Lynch's unrealized projects


References


Bibliography

* Lynch, David and McKenna, Kristine (2018). ''Room to Dream''. Random House.
''David Lynch: The Art of the Real''
the website of a 2012 Berlin conference on the artistic work of David Lynch with all lectures in text form. * ''David Lynch: The Unified Field'' by Robert Cozzolino with Alethea Rockwell (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia and the University of California Press, 2014 ). * ''The Passion of David Lynch: Wild at Heart in Hollywood'' by Martha Nochimson (University of Texas Press, 1997, ). * ''The Complete Lynch'' by David Hughes (Virgin Virgin, 2002, ). * ''Weirdsville U.S.A.: The Obsessive Universe of David Lynch'' by Paul A. Woods (Plexus Publishing. UK, Reprint edition, 2000, ). * ''David Lynch'' (Twayne's Filmmakers Series) by Kenneth C. Kaleta (Twayne Publishers, 1992, ). * ''Pervert in the Pulpit: Morality in the Works of David Lynch'' by Jeff Johnson (McFarland & Company, 2004, ). * ''Snowmen'' by David Lynch (Foundation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2008, ). * ''David Lynch: Beautiful Dark'' by Greg Olson (Scarecrow Press, 2008, ). * ''The Film Paintings of David Lynch: Challenging Film Theory'' by Allister Mactaggart (Intellect, 2010, ). * ''Interpretazione tra mondi. Il pensiero figurale di David Lynch'' by Pierluigi Basso Fossali (Edizioni ETS, Pisa, 2008, , 9788846716712). * ''David Lynch'' ed. by Paolo Bertetto (Marsilio, Venezia, 2008, , 9788831793933). * ''David Lynch – Un cinéma du maléfique'', by Enrique Seknadje, Editions Camion Noir, 2010. .

, a collection of essays edited by Francois-Xavier Gleyzon (Charles University Press, 2010) . * ''David Lynch, 2nd Edition'' by Michel Chion (BFI Publishing, 2006, ).
''Mulholland Drive: An Intertextual Reading''
by Ebrahim Barzegar (CINEJ Cinema Journal, 2014)
''Labyrinths and Illusions in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire''
by Ebrahim Barzegar (CINEJ Cinema Journal, 2016)


External links

*
Official YouTube Channel
* *
David Lynch
at Moviefone
Bibliography of books and articles about Lynch
via UC Berkeley Media Resources Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, David David Lynch 1946 births Living people 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters Academy Honorary Award recipients AFI Conservatory alumni American comic strip cartoonists American experimental filmmakers American experimental musicians American film producers American furniture designers American libertarians American lyricists American male painters American male screenwriters American male television actors American male voice actors American music video directors American people of Finnish descent American philanthropists American rock musicians American surrealist artists American television directors Animators from Montana Artists from Missoula, Montana California Democrats Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners César Award winners Counterculture of the 1970s Counterculture of the 1980s Counterculture of the 1990s Counterculture of the 2000s Directors of Palme d'Or winners European Film Awards winners (people) Film directors from Los Angeles Film directors from Montana George Washington University Corcoran School alumni American horror film directors Male actors from California Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Montana Male actors from Philadelphia Musicians from Los Angeles Musicians from Missoula, Montana Musicians from Philadelphia Officers of the Legion of Honour Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni People from Missoula, Montana Postmodernist filmmakers Sacred Bones Records artists School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts alumni Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Montana Surrealist filmmakers Television producers from California Television producers from Pennsylvania Transcendental Meditation exponents Writers from Los Angeles Writers from Missoula, Montana Writers from Philadelphia Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement recipients