“Wasn’t the whole point of art, at least in part, to explore what we don’t know by way of what we think we do—perhaps even to create new aspects of ideation itself as out of thin air, rather than endlessly recycling takes and bon mots in hopes of getting money and being liked?” Loved this and the whole piece.
"No matter how many times I’ve seen them, every time I return to watch again I see new things, find new connections within his universe that sometimes open directly into ours." Beautiful. Thank you.
Hiding in plain sight--that's what I loved about the ear. It wasn't about the ear per se, but that it was in a public park passed by hundreds of people before she found the ear. As if she were drawn to it and that made her more interesting. For me the weirdness of the ear is much less than the weirdness of her finding it. The moment when something so unreal becomes real without losing its unreality also occurs in your writing.
love the way you said that - the act of discovery far outweighs the object so often in lynch, and i think that's where people who don't get it tend to get hung up. ty
Flying Burbank to SF: a flight so brief you barely leave the ground. Ten years back, seat neighbor turns: "Know transcendental meditation?" Response: "Lynch's Catching the Big Fish." "Ah yes, David is such an inspiration..." First name basis? First name basis. Turns out it was ChrystaBell, his musical muse, who several years later would act in the 3rd season of Twin Peaks.
Mulholland Drive: metamodernist before the word had meaning. Fragments hiding truths like Bresson suggests: "Hide the ideas, but so that people find them. The most important will be the most hidden." Each viewing peels back another layer. The sex scene breaks you upon eyes opened to the dream that mourns the real.
Strange how dreams spin narratives from loss, while Hollywood drowns in meetings and sidequests trying to manufacture the same magic. Formulas first, turning into algorithms. The subconscious: director, writer, editor all at once, creating what a hundred people can barely grasp together. A conversation of an auteur and a viewer is increasingly uncommon, mediated by committee, mediated by algorithm.
Cheers to one of the last true conversationalists.
This is so good. @ericraymond turned me onto this post, and you absolutely nailed it for those of us who have such gratitude for David Lynch and what he manifested into the world. Especially loved this: "There seemed to be a whole lot more going on in Lynch’s films than words could describe, in a way that made the real world I was living in seem less definitive; like there was something more to be found to life hidden in plain sight, which could be explored by indulging it, listening back where others refused."
I was working on a Sympathetic Destroyer post about monsters that started with the Winky's Diner scene. And then he died and now I'm sitting staring at it wondering if it will do justice to the man.
“Wasn’t the whole point of art, at least in part, to explore what we don’t know by way of what we think we do—perhaps even to create new aspects of ideation itself as out of thin air, rather than endlessly recycling takes and bon mots in hopes of getting money and being liked?” Loved this and the whole piece.
"No matter how many times I’ve seen them, every time I return to watch again I see new things, find new connections within his universe that sometimes open directly into ours." Beautiful. Thank you.
thank you lydia!
Hiding in plain sight--that's what I loved about the ear. It wasn't about the ear per se, but that it was in a public park passed by hundreds of people before she found the ear. As if she were drawn to it and that made her more interesting. For me the weirdness of the ear is much less than the weirdness of her finding it. The moment when something so unreal becomes real without losing its unreality also occurs in your writing.
love the way you said that - the act of discovery far outweighs the object so often in lynch, and i think that's where people who don't get it tend to get hung up. ty
‘there will always be new films within his films’ so true, been waiting to hear yr voice on this ❤️❤️❤️
Great post as always Blake!
Some reflections:
Flying Burbank to SF: a flight so brief you barely leave the ground. Ten years back, seat neighbor turns: "Know transcendental meditation?" Response: "Lynch's Catching the Big Fish." "Ah yes, David is such an inspiration..." First name basis? First name basis. Turns out it was ChrystaBell, his musical muse, who several years later would act in the 3rd season of Twin Peaks.
Mulholland Drive: metamodernist before the word had meaning. Fragments hiding truths like Bresson suggests: "Hide the ideas, but so that people find them. The most important will be the most hidden." Each viewing peels back another layer. The sex scene breaks you upon eyes opened to the dream that mourns the real.
Strange how dreams spin narratives from loss, while Hollywood drowns in meetings and sidequests trying to manufacture the same magic. Formulas first, turning into algorithms. The subconscious: director, writer, editor all at once, creating what a hundred people can barely grasp together. A conversation of an auteur and a viewer is increasingly uncommon, mediated by committee, mediated by algorithm.
Cheers to one of the last true conversationalists.
Wild at Heart is one of my favorite films of all time. Lynch is sorely missed. Thank you for this piece.
This is so good. @ericraymond turned me onto this post, and you absolutely nailed it for those of us who have such gratitude for David Lynch and what he manifested into the world. Especially loved this: "There seemed to be a whole lot more going on in Lynch’s films than words could describe, in a way that made the real world I was living in seem less definitive; like there was something more to be found to life hidden in plain sight, which could be explored by indulging it, listening back where others refused."
Thanks for writing this.
I was working on a Sympathetic Destroyer post about monsters that started with the Winky's Diner scene. And then he died and now I'm sitting staring at it wondering if it will do justice to the man.