Inland Empire

by

Over the past 19 years, David Lynch has been actively engaged in various creative pursuits outside of directing feature films, following his work on “Inland Empire” in 2006. His most renowned project during this period was the highly anticipated third season of “Twin Peaks,” which aired on Showtime in 2017. Lynch served as both director and co-writer for every episode. However, his creative endeavors extended beyond film and television into areas like music, painting, writing, and even YouTube. Additionally, he directed numerous short films, music videos, and TV commercials, frequently in partnership with other artists and organizations.

As a devoted movie enthusiast, I can tell you that David Lynch never gave up on his dream to create another feature film or TV series. Just a few months before his passing, he firmly declared on Twitter/X that retirement was not in his plans, even though his emphysema diagnosis had restricted his movements.

The Many Talents of David Lynch

It’s not unexpected that Lynch, who initially sought success as a painter, managed to continue pursuing his initial passion even after he ventured into filmmaking. In fact, his films mirror this dedication, showcasing surrealistic and occasionally brutal visuals. As described in his 2005 book “Lynch on Lynch“, Lynch refers to his paintings as “organic, violent comedies” that are “brutally executed and primitive,” adding that he shuns color because it restricts imagination. Since 2007, his artwork has been showcased in numerous exhibitions worldwide, including Munich, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, and most recently, Copenhagen.

In addition to his renowned film career, David Lynch also had a flourishing musical journey that kicked off in the ’90s through his fruitful partnerships with Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise. He later collaborated with numerous other musicians. Among his significant works are solo studio albums such as “Big Clown Time” (2011) and “The Big Dream” (2013), along with individual singles and joint projects following “Inland Empire.“. Interestingly, Lynch teamed up with Dean Hurley, the sound designer for “Inland Empire“, to produce many of his albums and songs. He primarily wrote the lyrics and sang on numerous tracks from these projects.

His music was marked by extensive exploration, frequently blending blues, industrial atmosphere, and electropop to produce eerie and cinematic tunes that seemed reminiscent of the soundtracks from his own films. Additionally, Lynch worked with a variety of musicians and groups for both personal musical ventures and collaborations, such as David Bowie, Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, Karen O, Lykke Li, Bastille, Danger Mouse, The Strokes, The Shins, Sparklehorse, Flying Lotus, Donovan, and Chrystabell (who also starred in Twin Peaks: The Return)).

Beyond his talents in painting and music, Lynch delved into architecture and design by launching an underground nightclub in Paris called “Silencio” in 2011. Named after a club from his 2001 film Mulholland Drive, this establishment continues to operate today and serves as a venue for concerts and artistic performances across various fields. According to Lynch, the purpose of Silencio was to establish an intimate setting that brings together all forms of art.

Lynch Enjoyed Being Both In Front of and Behind the Camera

After the enchanting worlds of “Inland Empire” and “Twin Peaks: The Return,” it’s clear that David Lynch never grew weary of directing. In fact, his artistic ventures took him beyond filmmaking, into the realm of music videos. He directed the hauntingly captivating Nine Inch Nails’ “Come Back Haunted” and Interpol’s “Lights,” as well as an experimental Duran Duran concert film in 2011. Fashion house Dior even tapped into Lynch’s unique directorial style for a short film, “Lady Blue Shanghai,” featuring Marion Cotillard in 2010. Most recently, he graced our screens with a 2020 Netflix short film titled “What Did Jack Do?”, where I, David Lynch, stepped into the role of a detective, interrogating an intriguing monkey, true to my distinctive style.

After the release of “Inland Empire”, David Lynch’s career took an unexpected turn, landing him various acting roles. These roles included appearances on the FX series “Louie” (2012), playing the best friend of the title character in “Lucky” (2017), taking on the role of Gus the bartender in “The Cleveland Show” (2010-2013), portraying legendary director John Ford in “The Fabelmans” (2022), and reprising his role as the hearing-impaired FBI agent Gordon Cole in the 2017 revival of “Twin Peaks”. He also starred in a Make-a-Wish film for a terminally ill boy. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Lynch launched his own YouTube channel, where he shared short films, trailers, Q&A videos, and notably, daily weather reports, which he continued until December 2022.

Unrealized Projects and Legacy

Despite many of David Lynch’s fans being disheartened by his limited film and TV production following “Inland Empire,” particularly outside the revival of “Twin Peaks,” it is likely that Lynch himself felt equally frustrated, given his abundance of creative ideas. Just a few months before his passing, in an interview with Sight & Sound, Lynch spoke about numerous projects that never materialized, including “Snootworld,” an animated fantasy film; “Antelope Don’t Run No More,” a live-action feature film for which Lynch had completed the screenplay; and “Unrecorded Night,” a Netflix series that had been the subject of widespread speculation for several years under the working title “Wisteria.

As per Lynch, the productions named “Snootworld” and “Antelope Don’t Run No More” were turned down by Netflix. However, he continued to seek financial support for them elsewhere. On the other hand, it was rumored that “Unrecorded Nights/Wisteria” collapsed due to the pandemic, although Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos later disclosed after Lynch’s demise that Netflix had always been open to funding the series. Sadly, with Lynch’s passing, it seems unlikely that we will witness progress on any of these projects in the near future.

Despite some incomplete projects, Lynch’s impact on cinema is undiminished. Few filmmakers have pushed the limits of mainstream storytelling and cinematic techniques as significantly as he did across both movies and television during his era. Beyond his films, Lynch showed a relentless dedication to the arts through his painting, music, and other endeavors. His consistent devotion to his craft until the end serves as a testament to his character, which is equally worthy of recognition alongside his artistic greatness.

If you’re interested in David Lynch’s work outside of feature films and ‘Twin Peaks’, you can explore his collection of short films and music on his YouTube channel. His movie “What Did Jack Do?” is available on Netflix, and even his brief, quirky sitcom is accessible online for free. To find out where to stream all of his movies, check out the relevant links provided.

Read More

2025-01-22 08:34