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This interview was originally published June 25, 2018.
Were rerunning it following David Lynchs death at 78.
SinceEraserheadin 1977, David Lynch has reigned as one of our most compellingly enigmatic directors.
He also long ago proved to be adept at concealing the intentions behind his work.
Which is why the arrival of his 2018 sort-of memoir,Room to Dream, is so surprising.
But giving anybody clues has nothing to do with why I did it.
Its real, real weird.
Ive never thought of you as someone interested in being personally or professionally revealing.
So whyd you want to doRoom to Dream?I like to tell stories.
Before we get any further: This coffee were drinking is excellent.
How often do people say this adamn fine cup of coffee to you?Pretty often.
Did knowing that affect what information about your work was included?No.
Theres no reason for it.
No reason for what?The book.
So whyd you do it?Its interesting to go back over your life.
There are over 7.5 billion people on Earth and every life is different.
You pop out of your mother and your life starts.
So many things happen in the first hour!
And its like, how come somebody becomes a scientist?
Certain gates are opened for them.
How you got to where you got is interesting.
Do you see your own path differently now?It made me feel so unbelievably lucky.
Life doesnt have to happen any one way.
Thats the main thing.
The material in the book was a result of Kristine McKennas research and then your responses to her work.
So how did you decide what not to talk about?
I might have done that, but it doesnt sound like me.
I might have wanted to shut the door and not leave a squeak of light coming through.
For who knows what reason?
Ive just seen Isabella recently and thats all water under the bridge.
But I feel bad about cutting it [the relationship] off that way.
Glenn Ford ruined the joy of filmmaking for Frank Capra.
Im really upset with Glenn Ford.
It would be a shame for people not to experience those things anymore.
Things get a little out of hand.
You feel terrible for anyone whos been a victim.
This subject is tricky business.
It is.And political correctness came in.
I dont know if thats a good thing.
I dont know if that might be better.
I feel so bad for those people.
Its there but for the grace of God go I.
Or pedophiles: Theyre born and theyve got this sickness that they dont know how to deal with.
Instead of repressing it we need to get people help so no one gets hurt.
I love an idea for itself, and I love what cinema can do with some ideas.
It was a big deal to go to Europe.
Now its not a big deal.
The world has gotten smaller.
But those are real clues?Theyre real.
Theoretically, could you come up with clues to unlocking your other movies?Theoretically.
Could you do it now?No.
I read an anecdote from Questlove where he said that youd invested in a soda company owned byMichael Jackson.
He seemed very intelligent.
I had in my pocket $5,000 in cash that Id saved from my per diems.
I used to love carrying money around in my pocket.
I dont carry money around now because people find out you carry cash and you get rolled.
But I passed this guys office and he said, David, listen to me.
you’re free to buy in now.
So I said, Well, I got this five grand right here.
My thinking was that Id double it at least, so I put $5,000 into Chewy Nougats.
I followed it for a while and the Chewy part left and it was just called Nougats.
Then the Nou was gone and it was called Gats.
Then it all disappeared.
So Chewy Nougats was candy?
Im confused.I dont even know what it was.
I think it was candy.
I never really knew.
I just knew that if it was Michael Jackson, it was gonna be big.
How do you know Michael Jackson was really involved?I dont.
I took it on faith.
Im glad for your sake that you didnt have more than $5,000 in your pocket.No kidding.
Ive been bitten twice like that.
The next time was way more serious.
But thats not a story for now.
Do you know what I mean?I sure do.
So, every human being has consciousness, but not every human being has the same amount.
As human beings its our birthright to one day enjoy supreme enlightenment.
But enlightenment needs unfolding.
Youre saying its a process?Yeah, and Im not there yet.
An enlightened human being would be flowing with what we call natural law.
All the thinking, speaking, and doing would be in this flow that was beneficial to everything.
I do plenty of things that are not flowing with natural law.
But when you get Transcendental Meditation the torment goes out and its replaced by happiness and awareness and love.
And so for your question, How do you know?
But you got happier and you see a bigger picture.
On Saturday, she got taught.
I said, When theyre old enough to keep a secret.
She said, Oh, no!
The nun freaked out about that.
Maybe that tells you something about nuns.
And I would get divorced and stuff Ive got four kids and three divorces.
The work is the main thing, and I know Ive caused suffering because of that.
But at the same time I have huge love for the kids.
I wouldnt want em to come to the games.
I didnt want my parents to go to my high-school graduation.
I wanted them to stay away.
You needed separation?I had different worlds!
Nowadays parents are involved with every single thing and theres stay-at-home dads.
It seems strange but thats how things have changed.
Shell say, Look, a dad is here and Ill say, Thats a homeless man.
But I shouldnt make fun.
Its beautiful for that mans kid that hes there.
Everybodys got their own way.
What made you believe that work had to be so central?
When I finish a film,to get back into paintingis a huge transition.
Youve got to find your way into a painting and that takes time and interruptions kill you.
They make you crazy.
The time you have for work is so precious.
Relationships, if theyre not smooth and I dont have room to work, theyre a torment.
I can love people, and I do love people, but I need the space to work.
Ive always needed it but I havent always faced the music about howmuchI need it.
I know in the past youve had very specific routines in your life.
Was itBobs Big Boywhere you used to go every day for milkshakes?I went there for seven years.
Most all the Bobs are closed now.
But I went one time maybe the last time and Id never thought about food so much.
I read the ingredients and it looked like every one ended in zene or ate all chemical words.
So I said, That might not be good for me.
Food makes you wonder these days.
Its questionable, these things that were eating.
Im trying to find those chips.
I dont know what they were.
The flavor was incredible.
Terra Blues?No, they were beige and brown.
They were lighter, with some gray-brown spots in them.
Maybe somebody who reads this will know the chips youre talking about and can send you some.Thatd be great!
Do you have any current routines?I have an exact routine.
Can you tell me about it?I have coffees in the morning and meditate.
Then for lunch I have one piece of bread, toasted, with some mayonnaise and some chicken.
Thats your day?Every day.
And ideally youre painting in-between all that?Ideally Im working on whatever Im working on.
Ill also have a little trail mix in the evening if Im still hungry.
And coffees; a lot of coffees.
Once in a while someone will bring me a doughnut or a cookie.
Thats your big treat?On the weekend I have crunchy peanut butter and banana.
So its eating, meditating, and work.
Do you ever watch the news?I watch crime shows at night.
Or shows about customizing cars.
Crime shows likeLaw & Order?No,true crime.Its fascinating what people do.
Based on human nature gone to an extreme could be a fair description of a lot of your work.Maybe.
Ive never seen a toilet like yours.Theseelectric toiletsare so beautiful, David.
Id always wanted one of these electric toilets and its the most fantastic thing.
Its modern technology at work for a toilet!
Its got this great lavender-blue lamplight.
Its the whole thing.
And the thing is, the price went way down on them.
So I got four of them.
I may even get some more.
And give them out to friends?They make a great gift.
Theyre gone and its just terrible.
Did you ever read any offan analysisof the show?
The depth is amazing.Not really.
If I did look at it, I probably would love it.People are thinkers.
You see something and it can conjure so many thoughts and interpretations.
Thats why I dont like to talk about my own intentions, because everyone elses interpretation is so great.
What detective work are you doing lately?How to get more uninterrupted time.
If you stopped meditating youd save about 45 minutes a day right there.But meditating is money in the bank.
Ive never missed a meditation.
Theres a line in there thats something like: Meditation helps you become more you.
That was pretty close to life-changing for me.
So in a full-circle way its very meaningful for me to be here with you.Thats fantastic, David!
So what wasTwin Peaks: The Returnall about anyway?
[Laughsand shakes his head no.]
I thought Id try and sneak that in there.Okay, I can tell you whatTwin Peakswas about.
So what its about?Its about 18 hours long.
I shouldve seen that coming.
Where does the discipline to not miss meditating once in 40 years come from?Love.
I dont see how I could be disciplined if meditation was making me suffer.
Thats why I say Ive been so lucky.
I love what I do and I get to work on stuff I want to work on.
I wish everybody had that opportunity.
Thats five days a week.
Then Sunday is a weird day because you feel Monday coming up.
Its tough to get the work done.
Most people might not even recognize the idea as being related to the event.
Is that what happened with O.J.
Simpson andLost Highway?Maybe.
Well, was there a connection?It wasnt conscious.
Id heard that after O.J.
got off, he went golfing.
And the protagonist inLost Highwayis experiencing a psychogenic fugue?Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Theyre not about leaving you with a mystery.
There are all different kinds of endings.
One of my favorite ones isChinatown: Forget it, Jake.
That ending is so beautiful; it opens everything up.
And thats a Roman Polanski film.
He took a 13-year-old-girl and he madeChinatown.
Is Polanskis behavior in the realm of killing people and then going golfing?Maybe so.
I think possibly this could have happened to O.J.
Are you thinking about any film or TV ideas?Not right now.
Ive got these boxes of ideas and Im starting to go through them to see if theres any gold.
I would want to do another series but itd involve finding the time.
And youre not exactly a spring chicken.Im pretty much a spring chicken.
Its a freedom to be poor and unrecognized you’re free to do your stuff.
So interruptions have happened more as Ive gotten older.
But if youre really excited about something, you go where the love takes you.
You just mentioned listening to the news and hearing about brain injuries and football players.Uh-huh.
But I believe were in transition to a great time on Earth.
I believe thatMaharishi Mahesh Yogibrought technologies for the enlightenment of individuals and for peace on Earth.
Peace comes fromthe unified field.
Its a real thing and this time were living in could be so beautiful.
Its headed that way.
What makes you say that?There are people working toward it.
There are thesepeace meditation groupsthat enliven that unified field andchange collective consciousness.
They make people who dont even meditate whove never even heard of meditation start feeling better in their body.
The secret is that field within.
So its a very hopeful time.
How often do you leave your house?Not often at all.
I like to stay here at home.
I smoke cigarettes and its an unfriendly world for smokers.
Smokers are like animals; they put em outside.
I know smoking is not good for a person but I dont believe in the secondhand-smoke thing.
Theres so many things in the air that are way worse than cigarette smoke.
After I started meditating I quit smoking for 21 years but then went back to it.
You could vape.I dont like the vaping.
I just love it.
I hate the smell of marijuana.
So what is up for you now?
Maybe I have that.
But theres the phrase, Keep your eye on the doughnut and not the hole.
Happiness is not a new car; its the doing of the work.
If you like the doing, the result will be a joy.
Life, work, its a joy a true, true joy.
This interview has been edited and condensed from two conversations.
