In Memory of David Lynch – Keep Your Eye on the Donut and Not on the Hole

David Lynch has passed away, and his words “Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole” may sum up his career and skewered world view better than I could here. Usually, I hear or read about celebrities passing away, think about them for a few moments, and then move on with my day. Hearing about Lynch’s passing yesterday – in a throwaway two lines spoken on the radio – felt like a gut punch. I couldn’t follow Lynch’s advice because all I could focus on was the hole I felt inside me. 

David Lynch: More than Words

Since I first heard the news yesterday, I have read, heard, and watched other reports about Lynch’s passing, and there are lots of similar words being thrown around – “surrealistic,” “avant-garde,” and “off-kilter” to name a few – and, while those words apply, his work and the man himself were so much more than those words. He was a master of the visual art of filmmaking and storytelling. 

All of Lynch’s work seems indelible and unforgettable. He could capture the larger-scale or epic tale as he did in Dune (1984) – which I really enjoyed despite the naysayers – but Lynch could also focus on the small scale in examining the human condition in a film like The Elephant Man (1980) or the other side of terror and madness in Blue Velvet (1986). I know that if you mention one of his works, for example Wild at Heart (1990), I can picture scenes from that film and the actors who played the roles in it. There is something about all of his work that stays in my mind, almost like a catalogue in my memory banks that I can access because the impression is lasting.

Another way of testing Lynch’s mastery of filmmaking is stopping the film you are watching. Unlike many other directors, his frozen frames are like works of art. There is symmetry and color and placement of objects and characters that is utter perfection. It seems that nothing has been left to chance. That kind of attention to detail is not only awesome but testimony to his respect for the art of filmmaking.   

By the time the original Twin Peaks (1990-1991) debuted on television, I was more than excited about all the possibilities it could have in store for me. In my humble opinion, its two seasons, the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and the followup third season Twin Peaks: The Return are the masterpieces of his very impressive body of work.  

Twin Peaks featured an ensemble cast led by his unforgettable frequent collaborator Kyle MacLachlan as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, who comes to the small Washington town to investigate the murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), a young girl found dead on a beach. But this was no ordinary detective series. It featured supernatural elements as well as regular stories about people in the town, some of whom tried to hide the darkness that hung over the place.

On Screen

Lynch also cast himself as hard-of-hearing FBI Agent Gordon Cole, who is good-natured but speaks in an elevated voice. While we can talk about his directorial skills, Lynch’s comedic acting skills are also in full display for us when he graces an episode. The clip below gives an idea of how funny he was in the show. 

In Twin Peaks Lynch reaches the pinnacle of his creativity, drawing on all his powers to craft something that lingers long after seeing the shows and film. There are characters who can be empathetic and scary all at the same time. And season two’s cliffhanger, while leaving some viewers unsatisfied, gets resolved 25 years later in Twin Peaks: The Return, which in many ways is superior compared to the first two seasons and the film. 

The music composed by Angelo Badalamente, including the theme for the series, is haunting and memorable. The tone of the third season leaves the viewer on the edge of the seat or sometimes causes one to fall off it onto the floor. There is a deeper sense of dread here, as the heft of the darkness hanging over the town becomes more apparent.

Later in his career, I was able to see Mr. Lynch online on an almost daily basis as he gave his tongue-in-cheek daily weather reports (you can watch them here). Sometimes he would make comments about more than the weather, but it was always delightful and felt like he was talking directly to me. It was in these moments that we understood Lynch as a regular person, with sometimes a touch of Gordon Cole coming into the report. 

David Lynch has left us too soon, but his legacy is everlasting. There were many others who tried to imitate what he did, but they did not have much success. They didn’t realize that that was because Lynch and his work were the donut and the hole, and that is impossible to replicate.

Rest in peace, David Lynch. 

Below: the hilarious scene between Lynch as Gordon Cole and Madchen Amick as Shelly Johnson, and Julee Cruise singing the Twin Peaks theme song.