good evening! i've mentioned a few times on popbytes before that i'm such a huge fan of twin peaks - it was one of the best shows in TV history (with a larger than life cult following - heck this show aired in like 1990 - that's like almost 18 years ago and i still can't talk enough about it) sadly the show had largely been unavailable on DVD until now - the entire series (29 episodes and the original two-hour pilot) is now out on one amazing DVD boxset packed with plenty of extras!
to celebrate the series' release i had an amazing opportunity to interview michael j andersen who played 'the man from another place' - who totally creeped everyone out with his backward talking and strange red curtained environment! he was so friendly & sweet - and answered all my questions with great insight - plus we had a number of laughs! he also made me think about the show in ways i never had before - i swear there could easily be a college course dissecting the show - along w/ all of david lynch's other work (you must see inland empire if you haven't already - it's crazy brilliant!)
i've been watching the series again over the past few weeks and it still holds up today - it's the most bizarre but oddly adorable show to ever grace television - it has been fascinating to see the drama of who killed laura palmer all over again - plus when i think back it was the first TV show to really open my eyes to 'cool' things and pop culture in general! anyways make sure to watch the trailer for the DVD embedded below - plus you must read my interview - i painstakingly transcribed it and i really do think it came out well - many thanks to ms. melanie for making this all happen! popbytes over & out for tonight...xxoo!
popbytes interviews michael j. andersen aka 'the man from another place'
what's it like working with david lynch?
it's not like working with other directors - he doesn't tell you what he's trying to do. with 'twin peaks' and with a lot of david's work you can't discern the final work from reading the script at all. there are some similarities between the script and the final work - but you can't get the final work by just reading the script.
do people still recognize you from 'twin peaks'?
they sure do - i've even been autographed in beijing. a lot of times people - actually have the same reaction to the show - they're seeing me but they're not really sure they're seeing me...
what's been appeal of 'twin peaks'?
i think 'twin peaks' was a different kind of artwork than we had ever seen before. it came from a deeper place - at lot of times the normal stuff we see is a plotline where you travel from a to b and in the course of that journey you develop the characters. if you look at 'twin' peaks there's no real plotline - there's no plot - if you were asked what happened - you couldn't answer that question.
for example when the french tried to pay him to solve the mystery in 'fire walk with me' "we want to know who killed laura palmer and that's it." but you know what - who killed laura palmer wasn't the plotline. it was the set - it was the environment - so to solve the mystery would be to be like detach the environment and cart it away - it would be demolishing the set - but you know what they kept adding on millions of dollars until he was willing to do it! (laughs)
in the end what they got - he answered the question so they could be satisfied but the real value of 'fire walk with me' was the picture of laura palmer's madness. really the answer to who killed laura palmer wasn't her father - it was laura palmer. she was gone like a turkey in the corn - there was no recovering from that. that was the point - which what was really shown.
do you still see cast members today?
there are 'twin peak' conventions and sometimes i can go to these little road shows and stuff like that and i'll run into people i worked with or cast members i didn't work with - it has been fun - it kind of stays with you the whole time - it never really goes away - which is a good thing. in a sense it's an amazing thing - how many art works that are that old can still be considered cutting edge?
i think it's possible that in a couple of hundred years - they're going to understand david lynch better than we do today - and we were alive at the same time (chuckles) i think that it's also true of van gogh - they're still looking at him and they grasp what he was about much better than they did when he was alive - he died as a homeless person thought to be a lunatic!
i'm still trying to figure out 'inland empire'?
well i think it's a warning. i was at david lynch's house and i saw this mouse in the refrigerator that was all taken apart and put in little plastic bags with labels on them as to what was in the bag and then there was a set of directions to tell you how to put the mouse back together...
the point to that was once you got the mouse taken apart in little bags - you can't put him back together - that was the point. i think that 'inland empire' is in the same vein. it's also really the actress (laura dern) she comes all apart and there's no way to get her back together. the two art pieces are on the same subject.
are you excited about the entire series coming out on dvd?
i guess so - to me it's all packaging. 'twin peaks' is the real thing - so the packaging is the packaging. you know there are fans that can tell me more about my life than i can remember myself. there's this one fan that can literally recite 'twin peaks' from beginning to end - every word - pretty convenient - don't you think? i suppose having all the episodes on a dvd is pretty convenient too!
every time i see it - i see it differently. it looks differently as i see it through the years - i read it differently. it's not just noticing stuff - stuff that i noticed completely had one reading and now i watch it and holy mackerel - and now i read it completely different after a couple of years.
it like a rauschberg blotter test - it sends you back on yourself as the way you look at things. i think that's part of what puts it in a category by itself - because so much of artwork is trying to direct you and to make sure you're interpreting it the way they want you to. i think the myriad of ranges of reactions and ways to read 'twin peaks' is part of the point. it's all in the eye of the beholder - and it's true not just of 'twin peaks' but of reality.
the definitive gold box edition of the series that became one of television's most acclaimed events finally arrives - with all 29 episodes plus both the original and european versions of the pilot - on october 30, 2007 from cbs home entertainment and paramount home entertainment. considered both technically and artistically revolutionary when it debuted, twin peaks garnered 18 emmy nominations over the course of its two-season run with its cast of memorable characters, stunning cinematography and intriguing plot. co-creators david lynch and mark frost and a large number of the cast and crew have returned to participate in this extraordinary new collection.
this 10-disc set includes "greetings from twin peaks" collectable postcards and a plethora of special features, including hours of newly-minted bonus content, featuring exclusive cast and crew interviews and rare footage never before released on dvd, produced by award-winning dvd producer charles de lauzirika ("alien quadrilogy," "spider-man 2: special edition," "blade runner: the final cut.")
thought to have been lost forever, a selection of deleted scenes has been unearthed for this collection and approved by david lynch, offering viewers additional clues and background on some of their favorite characters and locations in the series.
the collection showcases the phenomenon that was twin peaks with such archival nuggets as the "saturday night live" opening monologue and "twin peaks" sketch featuring kyle maclachlan, the "falling" music video featuring julee cruise, the richard beymer behind-the-scenes photo gallery, original network promo spots and many more rare gems!
newly remastered from the original negative and personally approved by david lynch, the episodes have never looked better. moreover, viewers will have the option of enjoying the episodes in either new 5.1 surround sound or the original 2.0 network television audio.
TOM FORD'S 'A SINGLE MAN' TRAILER & POSTER Friday November 6 2009 @ 8:09PM FILED UNDER TRAILERS COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
good evening! i finally got around to watching the trailer for sexy fashion maven tom ford's directorial debut a single man which garnered rave reviews at the venice film festival back in september - it stars colin firth alongside one of my favorite actresses julianne moore (her performances in both
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STANKY WHIP - MASHUP! Thursday November 5 2009 @ 8:06AM FILED UNDER MASHUP OF THE WEEK COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
† from dj paul v.last night, i got to see one of my new wave hero bands - devo - play their seminal 1980 freedom of choice album, live in its entirety. and they were beyond fun and amazing. before they came on, they played three of their ground-breaking
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NATALIE PORTMAN ROCKS V MAGAZINE! Wednesday November 4 2009 @ 7:03PM FILED UNDER ACTRESSES + MAGAZINES COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
good evening! i freakin' love actress natalie portman and she's looking totally stunning on the new cover of v magazine (#62) even though she started starring in films at the tender age of 12 (the professional) she's managed to keep herself glued together - this is one talented & gorgeous
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POP NOSH: THE URINATION EXPLANATION? Wednesday November 4 2009 @ 12:55PM FILED UNDER POP NOSH COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
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TWISTED LIES! DRUGS! OTHER LOVERS! Wednesday November 4 2009 @ 8:14AM FILED UNDER STAR MAGAZINE COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
good morning! the latest cover of star magazine is featuring details on the new book brangelina exposed written by ian halperin which is due out december 1st (just in time for the holidays - the perfect gossip stocking stuffer!) i'm sure brad pitt and angelina jolie aren't thrilled over the
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I'M OFF TO SEE LIGHTS Tuesday November 3 2009 @ 8:22PM FILED UNDER CONCERTS + MUSIC VIDEO COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
hey hey! although i'd love to stay home tonight and watch the series premiere of v (which i'll tivo) i have to make my way down to the troubadour over in west hollywood to catch 22-year-old canadian pop sensation lights in concert (girlfriend's real name is valerie poxleitner) her debut
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POP NOSH: THE BEST TATTOO EVER! Tuesday November 3 2009 @ 12:55PM FILED UNDER POP NOSH COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
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SOMEONE TELL LADY GAGA HALLOWEEN IS OVER Tuesday November 3 2009 @ 7:34AM FILED UNDER MUSICIANS COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
good morning! oh it seems like everyday is halloween for lady gaga ... she showed up to 13th annual ace (accessories council excellence) awards last night in nyc with yet another totally bizarre zombie-like outfit - what kind of fuckery is this? what's up with the white powder all over
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ANTONIO BANDERAS GETS HIS STIFF ON Monday November 2 2009 @ 8:48PM FILED UNDER ACTORS COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
here's a brand new wax figure of spanish stud antonio banderas (age 49) which was unveiled recently over in madrid, spain! now as far as wax figures go - this is definitely one of the better ones i've seen! (i still say the title for the worst wax figures ever
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COME GET YOUR HOT MORMON MUFFINS! Monday November 2 2009 @ 6:43PM FILED UNDER RANDOM COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
good evening - we made it through monday! i always thought mormons were all buttoned up & straight-laced but these ladies are definitely not your mom's mormons ... a group of mormon moms are being featured in a new 2010 controversial calendar from mormons exposed called hot mormon muffins: a
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POP NOSH: HEIDI KLUM IS THE CROW Monday November 2 2009 @ 12:55PM FILED UNDER POP NOSH COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
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ANDY WARHOL JUST ROLLED OVER ... Saturday October 31 2009 @ 1:32PM FILED UNDER ACTRESSES COMMENTS (2) | PERMALINK
hey kids - happy halloween! oh i had to laugh out loud when i saw these pictures of wacky d-list actress bai ling out and about last night in nyc - supposedly dressed as famed pop art figure andy warhol - i don't really see any resemblance at all -
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ADAM LAMBERT - FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT Friday October 30 2009 @ 7:42PM FILED UNDER LISTEN COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
hey everyone! i'm running out the door right now to see michael jackson's this is it over at the arclight's cinerama dome - of course i'm beyond excited ... i've heard nothing but great things! anyways below you can listen to the new adam lambert single for your entertainment which
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GOSH THIS MADE ME LAUGH - THE POO LOG! Wednesday October 28 2009 @ 8:28PM FILED UNDER RANDOM COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
good evening! so you know those commercials for the iphone where apple says there's an app for just about everything? well that's a totally true statement ... introducing an app called poo log from the authors of what's your poo telling you? - now you can truly keep track of
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GOOD MORNING STARSHINE Wednesday October 28 2009 @ 7:56AM FILED UNDER PAMELA ANDERSON COMMENTS (0) | PERMALINK
hey hey! oh i know i just did a post about pamela anderson yesterday morning but girlfriend seems to be on a roll (or shall we just call it a bender?) she was spotted wearing a super short (shocking, right?) pink dress in london last night leaving the 'whisky misty'
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POPBYTES TALKS W/ 'THE MAN FROM ANOTHER PLACE'