David Lynch, the surrealist in chief, is enjoying a lockdown renaissance.
Instead of riffing on the horror and anguish that’s currently flooding headlines, which wouldn’t be uncharacteristic from the man who brought Inland Empire and Eraserhead into the world, Lynch has become a harbinger of catharsis and contentment.
It all began on May 11th, when Lynch decided to revive his daily weather reports, gazing out at the same endless LA sky that hangs over Mulholland Drive.
The blur of days spent under lockdown suddenly earned a bequiffed narrator, a comforting figure reminding us to remain grateful for the little things — steaming hot coffee and golden sunshine.
Since then he’s been drip-feeding a steady flow of content: unreleased shorts and back catalogue gems such as Pozar and Rabbits, updates on his daily tinkerings in his sunny home studio, and more recently a daily numbers game which continues to captivate code-crackers the internet over.
There’s something comforting about the homespun nature of his recent outpouring.
It seems that lockdown, and perhaps old age in general, has seen the director return to the art student days that bore Eraserhead and launched his career.
Perhaps he’s winding down, satisfying his need to create without the pressure of Hollywood execs, tight budgets and tighter schedules still.
David Lynch has been winning the lockdown
Read more: David Lynch Has No Interest In Watching Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Remake
In a recent interview with PCS Literary Magazine Lynch stated that “I love isolation. I’m not able to make films, but I’m able to paint and work on sculpture and work on my YouTube channel. It’s pretty great. I really kind of like isolation.”
He also revealed that if it weren’t for lockdown, he’d probably be working on a film or continuing story.
Since the earth-shattering finale of Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017, Lynch has been fairly quiet, with only Netflix’s release of What Did Jack Do? to satisfy cravings.
Some mused that Twin Peaks: The Return would be his magnum opus, a final tumble down the rabbit hole of the themes and ideas that define ‘Lynchian’.
Though I’m sure fans (myself included) pray he’s still got one more film waiting in the wings.
Though for now, we’ll just have to remain satisfied by the steam gently curling skywards from his morning coffee, and that golden sunshine pouring through the window.
You can keep up to date with all his latest at David Lynch Theater on YouTube.
What do you make of what David Lynch has been getting up to during lockdown?
Are you a fan of the slightly odd filmmaker?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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