Hatesong

Let's talk about David Lynch. I've mentioned before that I'm a big Lynch fan, but more than that I actually consider him a personal hero of mine. I love the way he can bend reality within film and create purely cinematic experiences to which you're riveted. You may not know what the hell is happening within the movie but damn if you can't take your eyes off the screen anyway! No one else can reach such sublimely surreal heights while still feeling completely rooted in reality. Many have tried, many have failed.

Lynch is a jack of all trades. In recent years he's moved away from film (sadface) and more and more into music. He's always had a hand in music and its come to the fore with his recent work. I'm not quite so enamored of his music. When solo, his stuff is more like abstract mood pieces, not unlikable but not essential by any means. His work with Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise for Twin Peaks and later songs he did with Danger Mouse are much better, in my opinion. That said, I admire that he likes to try new things, that he isn't afraid to venture into less lucrative endeavors. He's one of the most iconic directors around today and here he goes and all but abandons film to focus on small indie music projects. I may not love his music but I love that he does it anyway! He's intensely creative in a variety of ways, and uses that creativity to do his own thing. He doesn't let others' demands drive him as an artist.

Also, he was a bit of a dreamboat back in the day.

I also admire him as a person. Lynch is big on Transcendental Meditation. I couldn't meditate to save my life but it's clear from interviews that it has had a huge impact on him. He brims with positivity and a sort of contentment you don't often see in people. For some it can be hard to square the friendly, affable man with the dark, often violent imagery you see in his films. It seems clear that his openness stems from meditation and I imagine the clarity he says he gets from it has helped him acknowledge the darker aspects of life so often depicted in his films and still be the outgoing, kind person he is. If you ask me that's pretty damn cool.

Truth be told, I think he's still a bit of a dreamboat. (Don't judge!)

So why am I fanboying out over David Lynch today? Yesterday The A.V. Club ran an interview with him for Hatesong, their column in which they talk to someone about their most hated piece of music. It grabbed my attention because, duh, it's David Lynch! But his choice for his most hated song also intrigued me. He chose It's A Small World from the Disneyland attraction of the same name. Now I love me some Disneyland, and I even have a little place in my heart for Small World (emphasis on little), but I was curious what he had to say about it. IASW is a pretty stereotypical song to hate; it seems everyone bitches about it's incessant, repetitive hook. But I just knew Lynch would bring something new to the table in griping about this most catchy of songs, and he didn't disappoint. You can check it out here. I'll let you enjoy discovering why the song haunts him to this day, but I have to point out how awesome it is that they actually had to use a code word for the song while talking about it with him. Dude really hates It's A Small World!

Nightmare fuel?

As a nice little bonus, here's The World Spins, one of his collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise for Twin Peaks. The first time I heard this song was in Twin Peaks, married to one of the most harrowing and heartbreaking television scenes I've ever witnessed. It had a huge impact on me. I'm not sure how I'd feel about this song had I first heard it on it's own, minus the Peaks visuals. I might've hated it. But it will always be connected to Peaks for me, and it never fails to move me when I listen to it now.

As another bonus, here's FlavorWire's rank of Lynch's best work, top to bottom. I don't agree with all of it but they make some good points. In the meantime, if you haven't watched a Lynch film in a while, get thee to the video store!