Reading | "Magic Night: David Lynch on Movies": Mulholland Road in Lynch's Life

David Lynch, director of Mulholland Road, Twin Peaks, internationally acclaimed Hollywood genius, Academy Award Lifetime Achievement Award winner. In the past 30 years, few directors have been able to make films that are more engaging, more controversial, and more confusing than Lynch's, and no director is more reluctant to talk about his own creations than Lynch. "Magic Night: David Lynch on the Movie" contains 23 important Lynch interviews, spanning more than 30 years, and many first translations Chinese. These are also one of Lynch's few open-minded and outspoken interviews that cover all aspects of his creation and life, documenting his unique interpretation of his films, his philosophy of life, and his in-depth exploration of issues such as violence, terror, cities, desires, women, old age, illness and death, and the anxiety of modern people. Film, painting, music, furniture design; Modern but disturbing New York, decayed and filthy but ancient and beautiful Philadelphia; Childhood memories, absurd stories, surreal imagery... Everything grabs people's hearts in Lynch's elusive conversation and silence.

"Magic Night: David Lynch on Movies"

Richard M. A. Barney, eds

Translated by Shao Yi

Nanjing University Publishing September 2022 edition

Use cinema to fight decay and runaway

Breskin: You say your childhood memories are a little bit good, a little scary. Can you talk about it in detail?

Lynch: It's a little hard to explain, but going to Brooklyn to visit grandparents is one of the horrific memories. This is just one example. At the time, I realized that big cities were frightening because many people lived in dense clusters. That feeling filled the air. I think people who live in cities will get used to this atmosphere, but people who have just arrived in big cities from the northwest will feel the general shock of being hit by a train or a subway.

In fact, I feel like walking into a subway station is like going to hell. As I walked deeper and deeper down the stairs, I felt a dilemma, and it seemed difficult for me to immediately go upstairs and leave and continue to board the train. It was a fear of the unknown—the winds, the sounds, the smells, the various lights and atmospheres brought by the passing trains—a unique experience, but it left me with a psychological shadow.

I also had terrible encounters in Boise, Idaho, but the environment there was more natural and brighter, and there was less of a strong smell of fear in the air.

Breskin: You use the shot of red ants crawling out of the cherry tree to express your antipathy to the blue sky, the white pointed fence and the cherry tree in your childhood memories...

Lynch: It was in Spokane, Washington, and there was a very old cherry tree in my backyard. The sap seeping out of the trunk — more precisely, gushing out — attracts a large number of ants. I used to stare at the ants for hours. It was like watching TV.

Breskin: This is a common scenario in the home. You say your parents don't smoke, don't drink, or even argue; But you're ashamed of it. You expect them to quarrel and want to experience that strange feeling.

Lynch: Yes, like in the '50s, a lot of magazines had ads where a well-dressed woman took a freshly baked pie from the stove with an indescribable smile on her face; Or a couple walking with a smile toward their house, which is surrounded by a white pointed fence in front of it. This smile has always been seen in my childhood.

Breskin: But you don't believe it.

Lynch: That's a weird smile. It exists only in the ideal perfect world. Such a smile always makes me have crazy dreams at night. I love a world like this. But expect something unusual — not a disaster — to happen, something that makes someone sympathize with you and think you're a victim. For example, if you encounter some kind of major accident and become alone. It was like a beautiful dream. But my life was as calm as ever.

Breskin: Are you secretly desperate to be an orphan?

Lynch: What I expect is not to be an orphan, but to be special. Maybe it's just an excuse for me not wanting to do anything else. You suddenly become important. With some kind of outside help. I was thinking about these things all the time. My parents were so normal that I was embarrassed.

Breskin: Is there something more unusual at a friend's house?

LINCH: Yes, that's right!

Breskin: So you go on adventure in order to make your life less ordinary?

Lynch: I don't do anything dangerous and I don't like to talk about it. Although there are always people who will do dangerous things, I still don't want to mention these things—doing dangerous things is not a necessary condition for creation. There are some things that should not be publicized at all.

Breskin: You want your parents to quarrel, but you've said on other occasions that you don't like conflict and tensions between people, and always be a peacemaker.

LINCH: Yes, it is. In the end, it is still the tension that fills the air. I once witnessed a well-connected friend suddenly turn his face and then the friendship ceased to exist. I always try to redeem them, try to reconcile them. That way we can have fun together.

Breskin: You mentioned the "smile" that appears in the advertisement, do you have this feeling of joy in your heart? Or is it a completely different feeling?

Lynch: I have a big smile in my heart. In previous photos, I was standing under a Christmas tree with a heartless smile on my face. I used to be happy.

Breskin: But you don't fully trust that happiness.

Lynch: That's another thing: everything in the world can change if you don't pay attention – it's reassuring. Unseen secrets are everywhere and elusive, and I don't know if I am overly sensitive or if I really have secrets. By studying science, you will gradually realize that many things are invisible. Scientists have done a lot of experiments; They know that the human eye cannot see atoms and many other substances. And our brains are good at finding reasons to worry. Once you are exposed to something frightening, you will realize that there are too many unbearable things in this world, and many people are doing weird and even terrible things. As a result, you worry that your peaceful and happy life will be threatened or even gone.

Breskin: What kind of things do you think hurt or cause concern?

Lynch: It's the negative feeling in the air that gives people an ominous premonition.

Breskin: Let's be specific. You're a master in this area, try —

Lynch: (Laughs.) Okay! In Philadelphia, for example, a family went out to attend a baptism. I happened to be at home at the time, painting black paint on the third floor. My then-wife, Paige Rayvi, was pushing a stroller ready to take my daughter Jennifer (who was a year old at the time) out. That stroller is definitely the Cadillac of its kind, which we bought for a dollar at a charity second-hand store, and it's unbelievable. There are a lot of springs in it – it makes it feel like sitting in a Cadillac. At the time, Paige was leading the child down the stairs. A large family is preparing to attend the baptism of the baby. A gang of gangsters rushed from across the street and attacked the family. A young son of their family wanted to protect his family when gangsters knocked him down and shot him in the back of the head. This kind of thing will permanently make the atmosphere dirty and make the world darker.

Breskin: Is art your only weapon against such events?

Lynch: There is no way to resist. The most terrifying thing is that we all lose control, and thinking about it can worry for a long time.

Breskin: But you weren't knocked down.

Lynch: Just get by and get by. But you'll realize you're lucky to be able to do that.

Breskin: You said that as a child you felt "a kind of strength, a kind of ubiquitous pain and decay." What does that feel like?

Lynch: I don't know what I was talking about, but once anything is done, it immediately starts to decay. Just like New York. New York was built with a beautiful vision: business districts and neighborhoods are closely connected, people come together and have the best restaurants, theaters, cinemas and great buildings! Elaborately built, eloquent building. They are both functional and urban sculptures. Over time, however, the bridge began to rust. Roads and buildings are gradually falling into ruin. New buildings are constantly rising from the ground, but they are different from the previous ones. The decay of things and the law of impermanence are also worrying.

Breskin: Our bodies also age.

LINCH: Yes. We grow, and then we start to go downhill. There will be strange changes that happen. You think, "That kind of thing isn't going to happen to me." Impossible. "Then one day when you look in the mirror you see that it's already happened.

Breskin: What did you find when you looked in the mirror that you were so angry?

Lynch: I have silver hair like fish scales on my ears.

Breskin: When you first found out...

Lynch: I couldn't believe my eyes.

Author: [American] Richard M. A. Barney, eds

Editor: Jiang Chuting