11 Aug The album that changed David Lynch’s life
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Arguably the most iconic directorial auteurs of his generation, David Lynch has put his unique and unadulterated style on every project he has ever faced. From TV and film to commercials, everything he touches is distinctly Lynchian.
In the same piece, Lynch speaks of the album that changed his life and arguably set him on the path towards the hallowed ground of commercial success and artistic credibility. It was music that pushed him towards the icons of Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding and the unstoppable Janis Joplin. Lynch goes on to explain that while he wanted to be Elvis when he was a kid, “primarily concerning his looks and style,” it was the unfathomable spirit of Big Brother & The Holding Company and most notably their singer Janis Joplin that really grabbed his attention as a teen.
An “almost 20” Lynch saw the band’s now-iconic performance of Joplin with her band Big Brother & Holding Company at the Monterey Jazz festival and was left stunned. “The energy of this performance and Janis’ vocal power electrified me,” wrote Lynch. “Really it was like lightning flashing through my body. Since then, I have always searched for the music that triggered something like that inside of me. Most in vain.”
It’s hard to capture the sheer stunning brilliance of prime-Janis Joplin at the top of her game at the Monterey Jazz festival but it would seem the band’s first record goes a long way to inspire him still, “What comes closest is actually the first album by Big Brother & Holding Company, one of the two that they recorded with Janis.” Lynch calls it “A monolith of passion, the essence of rock ‘n’ roll. I keep it like a treasure.”