It. Is happening. Again.
Yes, on Friday, February 23, “Inside A Dream: A Music Tribute To David Lynch” will take over Turner Hall Ballroom and transform it into a Lynchian dream/nightmare. The brainchild of Milwaukee musician/barber Aidan White, “Inside A Dream” previously set up shop at The Cooperage in 2022 and 2023. The 2024 installment, however, promises to be bigger, better, and a whole lot weirder. To quote Sailor Ripley: Rockin’ good news.
So here’s the deal: “Inside A Dream” will feature a local 10-piece band (led by White) “bringing to life the haunting melodies from a selection of David Lynch’s works such as Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Eraserhead and more.” There’ll be work from local artists on display, a screening of a short film “inspired by the mind of David Lynch,” a themed costume contest (sign up HERE), and a recreation of Twin Peaks‘ infamous “Red Room.” A host of vendors will be on hand, including Mr. Dye’s Pies, Blast Radius MKE, Goody Gourmet, and Bad Love Design. Will Stone Creek Coffee be selling a limited supply of Peaks-inspired coffee? You better believe it. (Damn good coffee! And hot!)
Tickets are $25. Get them HERE.
“We are so excited to share the biggest iteration of this show yet,” White says. “I’ve brought together ten incredibly talented musicians from Milwaukee [White, Nicolas Buendia, David Brady, Paul Westfahl, Molly Lieberman, Ousia Moon, Troy Leisemann, Luis Solis-Trinidad, Kenzi Rayelle, and Pat Reinholz] to produce a truly unique event. It’s been such a cathartic experience being able to incorporate both of my passions, music and film, into one big celebration. I’m proud of the work we’ve produced and am eternally grateful for everyone that has supported us along the way.”
Here are a few snippets from the 2023 show:
Anyway, I (Matt) am a huge David Lynch fan, and I’m super excited to check out the show on Friday. To get myself (and you) in the mood, here are my 10 favorite David Lynch moments! (I’m keeping this list to a reasonable 10, with only one moment per project—otherwise it would be 4,000 favorite moments and half of them would be from the super messed-up Twin Peaks finale.)
Chicken dinner (Eraserhead)
You know that clip where Lynch says Eraserhead is his “most spiritual film”? And then an interviewer asks him to elaborate? And then Lynch says “No”? I love that clip. I also love that for all the mystery that surrounds Eraserhead, it still plays as a fairly straightforward anxiety nightmare about becoming a parent. Oh, and meeting a partner’s parents for the first time, as shown in this incredible scene. Just cut ’em up like regular chickens!
“In Dreams” (Blue Velvet)
Yeah, this one is pretty obvious, but what are you gonna do. It’s a classic! The dingy apartment, the drugged-out Dean Stockwell, the entranced Dennis Hopper, the hand-lamp-as-microphone: it all adds up to a perfect encapsulation of Lynch’s brand of American Surrealism. Oh, and here’s a fun fact about the Roy Orbison song: “In Dreams” doesn’t have any traditional verses or choruses, and is instead composed of seven non-repeating sections. Neat!
Car radio desert dance (Wild At Heart)
“This whole world’s wild at heart and weird on top!” So says Lula in Wild At Heart, Lynch’s wonderfully garish adaptation of Barry Gifford’s book of the same name. Lula and Sailor are in love, but an ugly and unjust world seems to be doing everything it can to keep them apart. That frustration boils over in this beautiful and cathartic moment, with Lula flipping out after hearing gruesome headline after gruesome headline on the car radio. If I had a nickel for every time I paraphrased Lula’s line, “I can’t take no more of this radio! I never heard so much shit in all my life!” after a long day of staring at the internet, I’d be livin’.
“It is happening again.” (Twin Peaks)
Choosing my favorite scene from Twin Peaks is a ridiculous exercise: I love the entire show (even James, who is cool), and there are just so many incredible moments. Cooper’s introduction, the Red Room dreams, the Tibetan rock-throwing experiment, anything with the Log Lady, anything with Audrey, anything with Norma, and that scene where Ben and Jerry eat sandwiches. And that’s just a start! But for this list, let’s go with this jaw-dropping moment at the Roadhouse, following the brutal, upsetting, can-you-believe-this-was-on-network-television? murder of Maddy Ferguson. The unspoken grief that washes over the characters, the Julee Cruise performance (RIP), that final dissolve to the curtains…ugh, it’s PERFECT.
Blue rose (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me)
If the TV murder of Maddy Ferguson was upsetting, then the entirety of the Twin Peaks prequel film, Fire Walk With Me, is wildly upsetting. Lynch doesn’t hold back here, depicting the final days of Laura Palmer in graphic, depressing detail. At least there’s a little bit of levity in the extended opening section. Here, Gordon Cole (Lynch) briefs agents Chet Desmond (Chris Isaak) and Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland) on the murder of another young woman, Teresa Banks. It’s easy to see Lynch poking fun at all the armchair detectives who tried to decipher the “clues” of the Peaks TV show.
“This Magic Moment” (Lost Highway)
Ever see those prompts on social media asking “What’s the most physically attractive you’ve ever found an actor in a film?” Here’s my answer!
Alvin sets out on his journey (The Straight Story)
I remember seeing The Straight Story for the first time at the Downer Theatre, back when it was released in 1999. I also remember crying like a baby through the whole thing. I dunno, something about Lynch’s G-rated tale of a man who rides a lawnmower nearly 250 miles to visit his ailing brother really got to me. And it’s based on a true story! And the brother lived in Wisconsin! Anyway, I love the sequence of Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) setting out on his journey. I love the way the old timers run out on the street, accompanied by random dogs; the way Angelo Badalamenti’s score starts chugging away as Alvin gets going; the way the camera tilts up to the clouds, then tilts back down to Alvin, who hasn’t made it terribly far since we last saw him. Also: RIP ANGELO BADALAMENTI.
The Cowboy (Mulholland Drive)
Long, tense, and vaguely threatening conversations can be found throughout Lynch’s films, but this one is a standout. “You will see me one more time if you do good. You will see me two more times if you do bad. Goodnight.” (Also, I’ll add Justin Theroux in Mulholland Drive to my “What’s the most physically attractive you’ve ever found an actor in a film?” answer.)
Green tea latte (Twin Peaks: The Return)
The Twin Peaks reboot/return/third season first aired in 2017. I’m still processing it. The 18-episode event is both a proper Peaks continuation and something of a Lynch greatest-hits compilation. As such, it’s fascinating. But it’s also unwieldy and scattershot, picking up and discarding random characters and plotlines every few minutes. (Your mileage may vary on Dougie; I think I love him.) Better to focus on individual moments, like this small scene about a man who wants his coffee, doesn’t get his coffee, doesn’t want a green tea latte instead, but tries the green tea latte anyway. His expression will be my expression Friday night at Turner Hall.
“My son was standing there.” (Twin Peaks)
Okay, I said I was going to choose only one moment per project. I lied. I LOVE this scene between Bobby Briggs and his father, Major Garland Briggs. It’s from the season two premiere of Twin Peaks, and even though it’s clearly written by series co-creator Mark Frost, it’s wonderfully directed by Lynch. “One of the best monologues in TV history,” says the video description. It’s definitely up there. (Bobby’s final expression will be my final expression after leaving Turner Hall on Friday night.)
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