In one of his very best early essays, David Lynch Keeps His Head (1996), the late novelist and essayist David Foster Wallace did his best to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes Lynch such an odd and wonderful director. The article is pure pleasure (and a reminder of just how fresh and original Wallace was, and how rarely his imitators ever do him justice). One line in particular stands out — the writer’s now-famous comparison between Lynch and Tarantino: “Quentin Tarantino,” wrote Wallace, “is interested in watching someone’s ear get cut off. David Lynch is interested in the ear.”
We’re not quite sure what that line has to do with the director’s latest production (a commercial advertising his new coffee line and starring a severed Barbie head) except that we couldn’t stop thinking of either the quote or the essay as we watched it — appalled, dismayed, perplexed, and, as always with the films of Mr. Lynch, completely incapable of looking away.
Related Content:
David Lynch on his Favorite Movies and Filmmakers
The David Foster Wallace Audio Project
via David Lynch
Sheerly Avni is a San Francisco-based arts and culture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA Weekly, Mother Jones, and many other publications. You can follow her on twitter at @sheerly
That Barbie head looks attached to me.
Also: that’s a–excuse me–damn fine cup of coffee.
The barbie head is NOT severed. It remains attached to the body, although is is weirdly squeezed and held close my Lynch’s hand.