« On Sin City | Main | Volare? Seriously? »

Monday, April 18, 2005

She's dead, Harry. Wrapped in plastic.

Whoa. According to Nervous Breakdown, this week is the 15th anniversary of the debut of Twin Peaks. I watched the show on Japanese laser disc for the first time in the fall of '94, thanks to an insane college RA whose name I can't even remember. It had Japanese substitles that couldn't be turned off, but no-one minded. We watched the whole series over the course of the year, and I think he even had marathon viewing parties that would take almost 24 hours in one stretch.

I finally managed to find the pilot online a few days ago, thanks to a kind soul with BitTorrent. I watched it alone after the download finished, and as the climax drew near I suddenly realized that I wasn't sure if it was the "ordinary" US cut or the freaky, extended European version. I had to skip ahead and peek really quickly, since I can barely bring myself to watch the end of the Euro cut: BOB, the one armed man, fire walk with me, all that crazy shit in the basement. It's too much, too much!

Sure, the characters went a bit off the rails towards the end, but Twin Peaks was still amazing well into the second season. It's a crime that most of it isn't even available on DVD in the US. Just about every show I've liked since then has owed something to David Lynch and this groundbreaking series--Buffy's combination of the macabre and the humorous, the twisted examinations of suburbia in Strangers with Candy or even Desperate Housewives (heck, wasn't Laura Palmer herself, Sheryl Lee, the original choice for Mary Alice, the show's dead narrator?).

According to that EW piece, even Lost is modeled on Twin Peaks. Does that mean Boone is coming back in a funny wig and giant red glasses next season? Because that would really revive my flagging interest in the castaways.

Posted at 07:03 PM

Comments

001. David

Damn straight.

It can't be 15 years yet, though, can it? Man, I'm old. Twin Peaks still stands up amazingly well, I reckon - still probably the best thing that's ever been on telly. It's actually quite astounding that it even got made. I'm not sure if it'd get the nod today.

A year or so ago, a mate of mine set up this club night, where you'd go and watch Twin Peaks every Sunday night and drink crappy American coffee and eat "pie" and "donuts" and all that. It was really popular, and became a part of my weekend routine that I really looked forward to. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you ripped off the idea - I'd go as far as to recommend you do so.

Posted at 08:34PM on Monday, April 18, 2005

002. mikel-us

Coincidentally, this morning I saw an "Austin City Limits" on the local PBS station with a reunion of the Pixies. In the middle of all their songs they performed the song by "David Lynch & Peter Ivers" called "In Heaven". Kim Deal doing a cool vocal rendition of the creepy song - minus the tap dancing on foetuses - from "Eraserhead". Jack Nance who said virtually nothing in that, but I think was the one who said the Laura was dead and wrapped in plastic in Peaks.

Currently on Canadian TV, less over the top bizarre, but equally weird is a program called "Wonderland". If you're anywhere near the border and can pick up a CBC station, check it out.

Posted at 01:06PM on Saturday, April 23, 2005

003. Brian

I can't figure out why most television is such an empty experience still. Lynch showed that it was possible on TV, and how to do it with Twin Peaks.

The plot elements and the anticipation of twists weren't what made Twin Peaks work for me, at least not on second and third viewings. It's the mastery of style and character, and the way that Lynch wrings unimaginable depth of passion and humanity from scenes that in the hands of others would be quite stale.

I had no idea it wasn't available on DVD. I guess I won't ebay my VHS just yet. . . .

Posted at 11:31PM on Monday, April 25, 2005

004. brian w

S'true, Mr. Doublecow, all you can you get on DVD are the seven episodes of the first season. No pilot, no season two. Christ, even season two of Popular is out on DVD! The situation is recockulous.

Posted at 01:37AM on Tuesday, April 26, 2005

005. matt

In London's sf/comics/etc store Forbidden Planet they have a big list on the basement wall detailing forthcoming releases of books, DVDs, CDs, whatever, in chronological order. It gets updated every month or so. The level of accuracy gets lower the closer you get to the floor. Sometime last autumn, "Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD Box Set" made a miraculous appearance right at the bottom: March 2005. Come February it was still at ankle height, which by then was May or June. When I checked last weekend it had fallen off the list altogether :(