‘Outside’: The David Bowie album inspired by David Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’
Impressively, for a global superstar on the unimaginable level of David Bowie, the artist always kept his finger on the pulse of cultural trends. From his controversial flirts with drum and bass to his appearance in Ricky Gervais’ Extras, the iconic songwriter never resigned himself to living off of his early success in glam rock. It is no surprise, therefore, that the cultural phenomenon of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks did not pass Bowie by.
When Twin Peaks debuted on ABC in 1990, it quickly became one of the highest-rated programmes on television. The strange, uneasy atmosphere created by director David Lynch was unlike anything that audiences were used to at the time, and the show became a hit among critics and gained a cult following that still remains to this day. Initially running for two series, the world of the fictional Washington town returned for the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, followed by a third series on Showtime in 2017.
Following Agent Dale Cooper and his investigation into the death of Laura Palmer, Twin Peaks is a typical detective show on the surface level. As fans of David Lynch will be all too aware, nothing is ever as it seems when it comes to the Montana-born director. Unlike every other detective show, Twin Peaks featured elements of surrealism, the supernatural and the downright weird. The ethereal, fever-dream quality of the show is what made it so endearing to fans, one of whom was the legendary musician David Bowie.
Inspired by the Lynch series, Bowie produced the 1995 album Outside. His first collaboration with Brian Eno since his beloved Berlin period in the 1970s, the album was said to be inspired by outsider artists and cult art. A concept album, Outside tells the story of a detective investigating the murder of a young girl in a fictional American town. So, the influence of Twin Peaks on the record is not exactly subtle. Despite its mixed reception, Outside is a definite highlight of Bowie’s later career. The experimental nature of the album, featuring spoken word tracks and industrial influences, makes it one of Bowie’s most out-there records, which is no mean feat.
In many ways, Bowie and Lynch are very similar artists; both drawing on surrealism, confusing audiences and remaining fiercely innovative throughout their respective careers. The two Davids seemed to share a mutual appreciation for each other’s work, with Bowie reportedly being a huge fan of Lynch’s 1977 cult classic Eraserhead.
Lynch has also spoken about his appreciation for Bowie, saying, “There’s something about him that’s so different from everybody else. I only met him during the time I worked with him and just a couple of other times, but he was such a good guy, so easy to talk to and regular. I just wish he was still around and that I could work with him again.”
The collaboration that Lynch alludes to in that quote comes with the feature film that followed the original Twin Peaks series. Bowie appeared as Phillip Jeffries in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, showcasing his questionable American accent in a short cameo as a troubled FBI Agent. The two would cross paths again in Lynch’s 1997 thriller Lost Highway, for which his song ‘I’m Deranged’, taken from Outside, would provide the theme.
