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David Lynch is a generational talent whose work has come to symbolize – well, so many things to so many people. It's simultaneously almost immediately recognizable while somehow remaining largely undefinable. To very loosely paraphrase one of the contributing voices in this episode, it's as if he leaves room for his audience to collaborate in an ongoing moment of creation that is open-ended and truly never finished, but perhaps the clearest thing about his work is that the open-ended undefinable nature of the work is largely the point.

In this episode, Jeremiah is joined by Mike Miley, author of the new book, David Lynch's American Dreamscape: Music, Literature, Cinema, set for release on February 6th by Bloomsbury Academic. The book asks the question:

How are David Lynch's films as much in dialogue with literary and musical traditions as they are cinematic ones?

Mike answers the question by "calling for a new approach to Lynch's films that goes beyond cinema and visual art to explore how Lynch's work engages with literary and musical works that have shaped the American imagination.As much as Lynch stands as a singular artistic voice, his work arises from and taps into the cultural zeitgeist in a way that illuminates not only his approach to creativity but also the way works interact with each other in an age of mass media."

Together, Jeremiah and Mike discuss Lynch's tremendous legacy and impact on cinema, television, and art, and the ways in which his work has touched each of them personally. Along the way, we also hear messages from friends of the show: Matt Tyson, Andréa DeFelice, and Michelle Brundige, who share their own thoughts and experiences of Lynch's work.

Mike Miley (photo by Nick Ramey) + his book

Episode Credits:

  • Producer/Host - Jeremiah Lee McVay
  • Guest - Mike Miley
  • Contributors - Matt Tyson, Andréa DeFelice, Michelle Brundige

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