David Lynch is a director known to spark wildly different reactions from cinephiles and movie fans. There are legions of fans who claim Lynch as one of the great American auteurs, and see him as one of the finest filmmakers that the world has ever produced. There are also those that will stand tall and proud to proclaim Lynch a cinematic charlatan, and nothing more than a self indulgent weirdo filming his most outlandish fantasies. But say what you will of his work, David Lynch was a completely unique voice in the history of cinema.
Author and film scholar Mike Miley has taken on the herculean task of unpacking Lynch’s work, its origins, and its impacts on American culture. His new book, David Lynch’s American Dreamscape takes a deep look at the ways that Lynch was a master at showing us the underbelly of a seemingly idyllic American existence, one filled with cherry pie, carefree teenagers, and white picket fences. Author, and friend of the pod, Sarah Kendzior has also written deeply about the ways that Laura Palmer’s arc in Twin Peaks serves as an allegory for the Epstein Scandal and America’s rampant mistreatment of women.
WAIM Podcast #106 - Bestselling Author and Journalist Sarah Kendzior
In 2016, Sarah Kendzior’s family began vacationing across the American continent. Sarah, her husband, and their two children embarked on this series of lengthy road trips over several years in an attempt to fully experience the beauty of America; its landscapes, and its people. Kendzior hoped that she could show her children the most beautiful and bizarre places that this nation has to offer before America is irrevocably changed by this current wave of fascism and oligarchy.
Miley and I dive deep into Lynch’s world to learn where the filmmaker found the fuel for his completely singular cinematic sensibility. We explore the impacts that Lynch has had not just on the film world, but also in the realms of music and literature. Miley also paints a direct line between Lynch’s filmic outlook and some of the sacred texts of children’s literature.
Before we even get into the subject at hand, Mike and I begin the conversation with a chat about him seeing the Jason Narducy and Michael Shannon band playing R.E.M.’s Life’s Rich Pageant album, which eventually leads to some chatter about Wilco and even a bit of discussion on the state of modern day Dad rock. Rest assured, we get to the Lynch stuff after just a few minutes. So, please buckle up, this is a fascinating chat that looks deeply and thoughtfully at one of the most original artists this country has ever produced. Here now are me and author Mike Miley on David Lynch, America, and more.
Let’s get into it.
Cheers,
Matty C
