The iconic guitarist David Lynch “loves”
David Lynch‘s movies have used music extensively, perhaps even rivalling Quentin Tarantino, who is known for putting together the perfect soundtrack to accompany his movies. For instance, one cannot think of Lynch and not immediately recall the work of Chris Isaak ringing out over the images of his films.
Lynch is undoubtedly inextricably linked to the medium of cinema, but he has occasionally made a foray into the world of music, too. In 2011, Lynch put out his debut solo album Crazy Clown Time, which the director had described as a “modern blues” record and which received generally positive reviews upon release.
In an interview with ONTD, spoke of how he made his debut solo record with producer Dean Hurley. “Dean knows what I like,” Lynch said. “He records the guitar in a certain way that gets a certain kind of sound that I like.” According to the director, he would jam with Hurley until “a magical thing starts happening and the thing starts to cook in a beautiful way.”
As for the influences on Lynch’s guitar playing, he admitted to “loving” the American rock and roll guitarist Duane Eddy. Eddy had been known for releasing a series of hit singles produced by Lee Hazlewood that possessed a distinctive twangy sound, which went on to influence the likes of the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen, as well as, of course, Lynch himself.
It was in the 1950s that Eddy first came to the public’s attention, and Lynch noted that at the time, it was Elvis Presley who signalled the “first giant change” of the rock and roll era. “It was phenomenal,” he said. “It just was so major a change; I don’t know that we really appreciate how great it was, how fantastic it was.”
Then, before long, Eddy and Gene Vincent came along and solidified the new sound of guitar music. It left a deep impression on Lynch, who would hold Eddy’s work close to his heart throughout his life. “All these people came and instantly recognized a new thing,” he explained. “They knew it, and they wanted to play it too. It gave everybody such a thrill. They recognized it and were just euphoric over it.”
In fact, it was the sound of Eddy, plus Elvis and Vincent, that seemed to capture the spirit of the 1950s when Lynch grew up. The decade itself remains a big influence on the director, who noted, “Those things stay with you for the rest of your life: the music of that time, the smells, the look of the trees. Every bit of detail stays with you in a real special way, and it can be an influence. It’s not the only influence, but it’s an influence.”
The musical taste of Lynch spreads far and wide, and he’s previously expressed his admiration for the works of Jimi Hendrix, Laura Marling, Pixies, Neil Young, Bjork, Depeche Mode and Bob Dylan, proving an eclectic taste and a penchant for diving into a wide variety of sonic artistry.
Going back to his youth, though, it seemed to be Eddy who inspired his early love of music and the legendary guitarist’s distinctive sound can certainly be heard echoing through the amplifier of another of Lynch’s musical loves: Chris Isaak, of whom Lynch has used the music of in his movies on several brilliant occasions.
