Cover Director David Lynch poses for a portrait session in his office in Los Angeles, California in October 1984 (Photo: Getty Images / Ann Summa)
Director David Lynch poses for a portrait session in his office in Los Angeles, California in October 1984 (Photo: Getty Images / Ann Summa)
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There are artists, and there are visionaries—David Lynch is gone, but the quirks remain
David Lynch is an iconoclast, visionary, and master of the surreal. At 78, the director of Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks passed away, but his influence will remain etched in the film industry. The word visionary is reserved for those who exude the rarest of talents. In his case, it’s more than deserved.
Whether or not he was fully aware, the filmmaker possessed a distinctive and innate sense of humour. He created a state of self-expression, performing with a singular audience in mind—his own.
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Used a live cow to campaign for Laura Dern’s ‘Inland Empire’ Oscar nomination
Above Director David Lynch used a live cow to campaign for Laura Dern’s ‘Inland Empire’ Oscar nomination (Photo: Reuters)
Director David Lynch used a live cow to campaign for Laura Dern’s ‘Inland Empire’ Oscar nomination (Photo: Reuters)
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Despite its lack of commercial success, Lynch employed an unorthodox approach to draw attention to Laura Dern during the awards season for Inland Empire. He sat at the busy intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea in Los Angeles and spent an entire day sitting beside a live cow and a towering poster of Dern.
With limited financial resources, he opted for creativity over conventional promotional tactics. Far from a mere publicity stunt, the experience became something deeply personal for Lynch—an opportunity to engage with passersby, share his admiration for Dern, and revel in the unexpected joy of the moment.
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Refused to call ‘Mad Men’ actors by their real names
Above David Lynch refuses to call ‘Mad Men’ actors by their real names
Lynch had a peculiar habit of refusing to call Mad Men actors by their real names while directing them in Twin Peaks: The Return (2017). Instead, he insisted on addressing them by their Mad Men character names. For instance, he referred to Elisabeth Moss as “Peggy” and Patrick Fischler as “Jimmy,” fully committing to the idea that they were their on-screen personas.
His short weather reports on Youtube
Above David Lynch regularly posts on Youtube
The filmmaker’s weather reports on YouTube reflect his eccentric charm. Nearly every morning, he posts a short, no-frills video delivering the daily weather forecast for Los Angeles. The format is always the same: a static camera shot of Lynch seated at his desk and his signature calm yet unsettling voice.
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Funny tweets
Above Tweets from David Lynch from 2010
Tweets from David Lynch from 2010
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Lynch’s X (formerly Twitter) presence is as delightfully bizarre as you’d expect. While he mostly uses it for his daily weather reports, he drops a completely out-of-nowhere tweet every so often that sends fans into a frenzy.
Some of his funniest tweets include the time he tried to find out if he was connected to the moon.
Interviewed a monkey
Above David Lynch features a monkey in 'What Did Jack Do?'
In his surreal short film What Did Jack Do? (2020), Lynch plays a detective interrogating Jack Cruz, a capuchin monkey accused of murder. Throughout the 17-minute black-and-white film, Lynch treats the conversation with complete seriousness, as if questioning a hardened criminal. Jack, meanwhile, occasionally sips from a tiny cup of coffee.
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Jove holds a degree in Journalism and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines–Diliman. She has flair for in-depth, interview-driven stories that explore politics and culture, shaped by her background in national broadsheets.
When she’s not on assignment, Jove spends her days painting, sipping lemonade, and walking her dog, Jupiter. She can often be seen in Escolta with a film camera in hand, browsing novelty shops in search of rare memorabilia. For leads, reach her at Jove@tatlerphilippines.com.
