David Lynch is perhaps the biggest renaissance man in filmmaking since Orson Welles. Since his 1977 debut Eraserhead, Lynch has pushed the boundaries of filmmaking as an art by dabbling in internet shorts, television, music, and experimental films. Despite his critical success with Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks, Lynch has practically been retired from filmmaking for 15 years. So where did this icon of experimental filmmaking go? The answer is YouTube. While Lynch has worked with the internet short format before with series like Dumbland and Rabbits, Lynch recently started his personal YouTube channel in November of 2018.
It’s hard to know where to begin when talking about the channel (named “DAVID LYNCH THEATER” in all-caps). At first glance, the channel seems woefully unprofessional. Unlike other celebrity channels, it isn’t verified, and it has no proper social media links. New viewers may be overwhelmed by the strange and seemingly-inane weather reports and “Number of the Day” videos. Buried beneath these daily uploads, are a mix of new “David Lynch Theater” shorts and Lynch’s classic short films like Rabbits. The contents of these films range from friendly stories and Q&As, to nightmarish still-images accompanied by the disturbing music signature, to David Lynch films. For example, one short called “The Adventures of Alan R.” features a decapitated, mummified head repeating the phrase, “I’m not going fishing, mom!”. Another short film called “FIRE (POZAR)” features flying eyeball puppets, burning houses, and deer-men. In contrast to these disturbing shorts, the channel also has fairly relaxing videos that involve David Lynch pulling out a random number out of a jar of numbered balls. David also gives insight into his creative projects by showing his home improvement projects and woodworking. It’s a channel that delights fans of David Lynch’s weird experimental style as much as it horrifies and alienates others.
So what significance does the obscure channel of an eccentric retired film director have? Personally, what I find most interesting is how an old-school director like Lynch, is completely embracing the online format. As a medium, films are becoming less tied to theaters and more tied to the internet and streaming services. Lynch himself has directed the Netflix exclusive “What Did Jack Do?” short film. What David Lynch is doing with his YouTube channel (though seemingly crude) could serve as a precedent for new filmmakers without the resources or money to attend film school. Another impact David Lynch’s YouTube work might have, is the increase in creative freedom for new online filmmakers. Unlike his theatrical work, David Lynch’s YouTube videos have no meddling from studios and no pressure to conform to the standards of traditional cinema. The idea of other established directors starting up their own YouTube channels is filled with potential. It’d be exciting to see people like John Carpenter, Quentin Tarantino, or even old-school Martin Scorsese produce short films on their own YouTube channels. While the theaters may still be dominated with big-budget blockbusters, I hope there’s still room for more experimental and artistic films on the internet, and I think David Lynch has made that possible.