RIP David Lynch, a Pop Culture Visionary Without Equal

I don’t have anything different or original to say about David Lynch, who died today at age 78. But this site has examined his later work carefully over the years. Here’s a piece I wrote about ‘What Did Jack Do?’, his funny and beautiful short film that aired on Netflix in February 2020. And here’s a consideration of his surrealist masterpiece ‘Inland Empire,’ which he restored and re-released in 2022. And, why not, here’s a clip of Jack’s haunting love song from the 2020 short film.

As long as I’ve got you here, let’s revisit a few of Lynch’s most surreal and beautiful moments as a director. First, the “Club Silencio” scene, the greatest scene in his greatest film, and one of the ten greatest films ever made, ‘Mulholland Drive,’ which was actually a failed TV pilot. I can only imagine what that show would look like, and now we’ll never know:

Second, his shocking and stunning reimagining of the Trinity atom-bomb test, from Twin Peaks: The Return, possibly the greatest TV show ever made. The video won’t show here, but click on the link to look at it. You’ll never see the world the same way again.

The opening sequence of Blue Velvet:

The Red Room scene from Twin Peaks.

There’s so much more. He packed every frame with unforgettably bizarre visuals, demented nostalgia, off-kilter humor, and characters that were always completely human, even when they were extremely bizarre.

Thank you, Mr. Jackpots!

We close with David Lynch’s final appearance in public, his guest turn as John Ford in Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fablemans.’ TV producer Greg Gutfeld introduces Gabriel LaBelle’s character to “the greatest living director.” Going in, I had no idea who was playing Ford. And when I realized it was Lynch, my entire perspective changed on the film. Because David Lynch was our greatest living director. And this scene completely captures his essence. I didn’t know him. I didn’t even come close to knowing him. But I knew and loved his work. It was anything but boring as shit.

David Lynch, RIP.

Photo of David Lynch at the 1990 Emmy Awards (credit: Alan Light).