david lynch - 3

Sundog Rising!

Reflections on living the life literary by the Urban Sundog

Happy Smiles, Dark Dreams

David Lynch — such a happy guy, why such dark movies?

I haven’t read enough of his interview books or studied enough of his approach to art — which ranges far beyond film — to begin to answer that question, of course. But I did read Catching the Big Fish, where David outlines his approach to life and creativity. Achieve a state of bliss each day through transcendental meditation, then let everything flow from there.

This does seem like a counterintuitive process to anyone familiar with the bulk of Lynch’s work. Frank Booth came out of a state of bliss?! Lost Highway emerged from someone having a good day? INLAND EMPIRE is all about what springs from the joyful things in life?

The thing is to look a little deeper and find the emotional balance to the darkness present in almost all his work as well. Laura Palmer ascending at the end of Fire Walk With Me — a much maligned movie that doesn’t deserve its criticism. Julee Cruise singing “The World Spins” as we find out who the murderer is on Twin Peaks — because he’s killing again at the same time — and people feel it. That’s very important. That people feel the presence of the evil in their lives. Everyone jumping up and dancing to Nina Simone’s “Sinner Man” at the end of INLAND EMPIRE. The sunshine and lawnchairs back triumphant at the end of Blue Velvet. The ears back where they’re supposed to be.

And David himself singing at the end of Eraserhead, “In Heaven, everything is fine. You’ve got your good things, and I’ve got mine.”

Okay. I admit even I can’t think of a single redemptive moment to go with Lost Highway but it’s still a good flick. And just because I haven’t found the moment yet doesn’t mean it’s not there. I’ve only seen the movie once. And most people walk out of a David Lynch movie the first time they see it feeling like they’ve been hit over the head with a plank.

This may sound odd, but I believe the reason David Lynch movies work so well is because horrible as they are, they do arise as he says from someone with a genuinely positive outlook on life. Let’s be honest, there are any number of movies out there portraying horrible worlds. But the hearts of these worlds generally are only maudlin or unperceptive at best, which waters down the experience. Having something genuinely good at the centre of Lynch’s universe creates such a deeper contrast the mix carries so much more force. Start from a state of bliss and you can make even a nightmare appealing when you get past being chilled.

I like this idea. I’ve only written one work where I decided to let my central characters be straight out heart-damaged nihilistic murderers — a book of poetry naturally, titled We Might Have Been Up To Little Somethings. Haven’t found anything even remotely resembling a market for it, so it may end up yet on a blog. All my life I’ve resisted working with characters like that, for two main reasons. One — I think it’s a cheap trick. Too easy to manipulate the reader by, no subtlety. Two — I don’t particularly enjoy the thought of being engulfed in such a character’s head. Or letting them in mine.

But I suppose I had something of a Lynchian epiphany writing Little Somethings, as the darker my characters’ existence grew the more I found myself focussing on what was still good in their lives. They grew more and more distanced from it, but had the self awareness to know that. As a result of that knowledge, it became increasingly important for them to find a way in which to pass on what they were losing as they sank deeper into their own path to destruction. When I finished the account, I realized it was a manuscript that actually made me feel good about myself.

Of course, nobody’s dared to read it yet. I’ve offered …

So in an odd sort of way, if you give yourself permission as David Lynch does to start from a base of light, you can explore the darkest shadows you want to safely. And the brighter your light, the darker the shadows you can delve into.

Just remember to sing at the end of it.

Mind you, even that can have its mystifying implications. My all-time favourite scene from any David Lynch film — and I have many — will always be Rebekah Del Rio in the Club Silencio singing “Llorando” from Mulholland Drive. You know the one. Where the singer drops to the floor unconscious halfway through the song, and the voice keeps on singing …

*****

The MayWorks Festival of Labour & the Arts 2015 Presents the Book Launch of:

A Reader's Guide to the Unnameable

by Ron Romanowski

McNally Robinson Booksellers 1120 Grant Avenue Winnipeg

Monday, May 4th, 2015 7PM

In the Atrium

See the poetry video by Dylan Baillie: http://bit.ly/1JgD1Gf

More on MayWorks Festival events: http://mayworks.org

A book launch and literary thrill-ride for poetry fans and everyone else by one of Winnipeg's most experimental poets.

Tickets not necessary. Admission is free.

A Reader’s Guide to the Unnameable

is avant-garde Winnipeg writer Ron Romanowski’s sixth poetry collection.

His first, Sweet Talking, was published in 2004.

His work has appeared in journals and in numerous anthologies.

His poetry has been read on national CBC Radio.

Ron continues to work with, among many other cutting-edge themes,

definitions of authorship and identity in his latest collection.

*****

REALITY FICTION AND BEYOND!

Part Two of "Hamlet the Barbarian" went up on Monday, with the results posting on Friday, May 1st. Reality Fiction Three: The Interrupted Edition continues at:

http://realficone.blogspot.ca/

Continuing the debate on what’s culturally inappropriate, and what’s just plain inappropriate. Also — who can really quote the last line from Hamlet? It may surprise you!

Episodes to Date:

Episode One: Dante-Ish — Mak’s Inferno

Episode Two: Chaucer-Ish — The Hermit’s Tale

Episode Three: Malory-Ish — Le Morte de Mak

Episode Four: Doyle-Ish — Mak the Kipper

Episode Five: Carroll-Ish — Madelyn in Wonderland

Episode Six: Stoker-Ish — The Down For The Count Shimmy

Episode Seven: Tolstoy-Ish — Anna Makerena

Episode Eight: Lem-Ish — So there is …

Episode Nine: Hoffman-Ish — Dr. Hoffman’s Happy Gene Machine

Episode Ten: Shakespeare-Ish — Hamlet the Barbarian

All with illustrations by the author. The complete roster of 34 Contestants have now appeared, so we move on to the supporting cast, the Judges, and the Guest Judges.