David Lynch is one of the most original and distinctive film-makers of contemporary cinema - best known for "Twin Peaks", "Blue Velvet" and "Wild at Heart". This book presents the career of cinema's greatest surrealist, told in his own words.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
You know David Lynch as the director of terminally weird movies such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Wild at Heart, as well as the bizarre and highly influential television series Twin Peaks. But did you know that it was Mel Brooks who gave him his first big break? That the idea for Blue Velvet grew out of a fantasy Lynch had about sneaking into a private room and learning the secret to a murder mystery? That Twin Peaks came about because co-creator Mark Frost was obsessed with Marilyn Monroe?
In Lynch on Lynch, a 250-page interview book, editor Chris Rodley does a superb job of getting Lynch to talk at length about the high and low points of his life and career. Their conversation covers his early work as a painter through the making of his major films of the 1980s, the fiasco of Dune ("It is what it is."), and the recent and very obscure Lost Highway ("I just *loved* this title.").
Lynch is particularly interesting when he talks about the creative process: "I don't want to give the impression that I sit around thinking up horrible things. I get all kinds of different ideas and feelings. If I'm lucky, they start organizing themselves into a story--then maybe some ideas come along that are too eerie, too violent, or too funny, and they don't fit that story. So you write them down and save them for two or three projects down the road. There's nowhere you can't go in a film--if you think of it, you can go there." Lynch on Lynch is a treat for Lynch fans of all shapes, sizes, and fetishes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Chris Rodley is also the editor of Cronenberg on Cronenberg.
--This text refers to an alternate
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a great book written by Chris Rodley that is basically a series of interviews with living legend David Lynch. If you're not into Lynch or his movies at all, I doubt you'll find anything insightful in here but if you appreciate the man at all, this is definitely a must read. It covers a lot of ground on his upbringing, film and art projects. What makes this book such a good read is that Rodley asks great questions to which Lynch answers in a very entertaining fashion. Reading this is probably the closest thing to actually speaking to him and he has an incredible, warm personality. While he doesn't give up his secrets too readily, he does share personal opinions on art in general (film, painting, photography, etc.) and what makes art powerful. He offers invaluable insight on the filmmaking process and some details on what it took to get his films made. He talks about his successes and debacles with equal parts candidness as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates Lynch and anyone who digs offbeat filmmakers.
(NOTE: Make sure that if you pick this up, you get the edition that has been revised and updated to include "Mulholland Drive")
(NOTE: Make sure that if you pick this up, you get the edition that has been revised and updated to include "Mulholland Drive")
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In this revised edition of "Lynch on Lynch", two new sections have been added: one on the Straight Story and one on Mulholland Drive. As with the rest of the book the updated sections consist of Chris Rodley interviewing David Lynch. While some of the dialogue does become a bit repetitive, the questions really are well posed. In his answers Lynch gives a glimpse of his creative process and more; for example, he discusses the links between Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard and Mulholland Drive, talks about both his frustration with the TV medium and his attraction to it, as well as divulging more about his partnership with composer, Angelo Badalamenti (one of the most productive relationships between director and composer since Fellini and Nino Rota). Black and white photographs from sets are also included throughout.
Considering the book in its entirety, it is a very comprehensive work, covering everything from the aforementioned material to Lynch's childhood, his early work in painting and the first experimental films he directed. This book is still THE one to get for fans of David Lynch. Reading it one comes away with the sense of having actually met and talked with the man himself -- none of the other books on Lynch really capture this feeling.
Those who already own the old version of the book may want to think twice about purchasing the revised edition. The sections added are not all that lengthy and much of the material has already been discussed elsewhere.
Considering the book in its entirety, it is a very comprehensive work, covering everything from the aforementioned material to Lynch's childhood, his early work in painting and the first experimental films he directed. This book is still THE one to get for fans of David Lynch. Reading it one comes away with the sense of having actually met and talked with the man himself -- none of the other books on Lynch really capture this feeling.
Those who already own the old version of the book may want to think twice about purchasing the revised edition. The sections added are not all that lengthy and much of the material has already been discussed elsewhere.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
LOVED IT! If you are an artist no matter what medium, this book unravels more inspirations than your mind can possibly hold. David Lynch, known for his inability to express himself in words, ironically sends tantilizing pieces emerging into (in my mind) a complete puzzle. The essence of a great artist. Doesn't matter if your style differs from his, its a fundamental uniform feeling we tend to forget. Simplicity is good. Recommendation: Read this book slowly...what's the rush?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
Lynch has such a fascinating list of movies and TV work, this is a great way of putting them all in context of his career. It made me want to see a couple that I had not seen yet.
Published 3 months ago by A. Stout IV
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lynch on Lynch
This is a must read for anyone curious about Lynch and his creative process. Some of the segues in his life are as incomprehensible as in his movies, but inhabited by characters... Read more
Published on September 22, 2009 by K. L. Cotugno
5.0 out of 5 stars
INSIDE THE MIND OF A GREAT AUTEUR
David Lynch's talent transcends movie making. He is an accomplished video artist, photographer, painter and poet. Read more
Published on September 12, 2009 by NeuroSplicer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterful Interviews with a Giant
This book is a great resource for any creative person or anyone
interested in film. The Interviews are in-depth and Lynch's answers are illuminating, humourous, sharp,... Read more
interested in film. The Interviews are in-depth and Lynch's answers are illuminating, humourous, sharp,... Read more
Published on February 24, 2009 by Bill MacKay
5.0 out of 5 stars
Straight From the Source
This is one of the best Lynch books available, although I'm sure that honor will soon pass to the hefty, exhaustive, and ridiculously expensive "Beautiful Dark. Read more
Published on December 16, 2008 by Casey Broadwater
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible stuff
Perfectly pitched interview style book on the Great David Lynch. Much of his work is, if you will, impressionistic. And so you wonder what he intended in several places. Read more
Published on June 25, 2008 by Quinn D. Hubbard
3.0 out of 5 stars
Questions and answers (sometimes!)
This is a book unlike any I have ever read. It is 95% questions and answers, so don't expect it to be anything like a biography. Read more
Published on February 26, 2008 by Lynchianismist
4.0 out of 5 stars
In Need of a Third Revision
This book is a thorough and inspiring look into David Lynch's head. The original (which ended at Lost Highway) was a good read, but I think they were a little too fast to put out... Read more
Published on August 14, 2007 by Natalie Sharp
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for any Lynch fan
This book is a 300 pages interview with David, so you hear what he wants to say and you do not hear the stuff he likes to keep for himself. Read more
Published on August 4, 2005 by D. Roberto
5.0 out of 5 stars
The sum of one's FEARS
A fascinating read. In these extensive interviews, David Lynch tells of his journey from painting student to filmaker. Read more
Published on August 28, 2002 by KSG
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 33
books:
See all 33 books this book cites
13
books
cite this book:
See all 13 books citing this book
- Lost Highway by David Lynch on 19 pages
- Sunset Boulevard by Billy Wilder on page 71, page 268, and page 273
- The Straight Story by John Roach on page 246, page 247, and Back Matter
- Cronenberg on Cronenberg (Directors on Directors) by David Cronenberg in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- David Thompson (The Canadians) by James K Smith in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
See all 33 books this book cites
- The Naked And The Undead: Evil And The Appeal Of Horror (Thinking Through Cinema) by Cynthia Freeland in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Ways of Hearing: A User's Guide to the Pop Psyche, from Elvis to Eminem by Ben Thompson in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Gothic: Four Hundred Years of Excess, Horror, Evil and Ruin by Richard Treadwell Davenport-Hines in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Blue Velvet: A Bloomsbury Movie Guide (Bloomsbury Movie Guides) by Charles Drazin on page 66, and Back Matter
- The Story of Film: A Worldwide History of Film from the Host of the BBC's Scene by Scene by Mark Cousins in Back Matter
See all 13 books citing this book
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