David Lynch 1999 SCENE BY SCENE interview

[@starark]

jeez this has to be my favourite lynch interview. this guy actually got some specific answers and not vauge ramblings of falling in love with ideas. he gets what lynch won't talk about and actually asks questions that lynch is happy to explain.

[@MrMarsFargo]

*The reason he doesn't talk about his other films is because his other films are surrealist.* The nature of surrealism, unique to other genres, is that surrealism is based off dreams. Dreams don't make explicit sense, and when you wake up from them you have to decode them. So part of the fun of a surrealist film is having to decode what it means, and if he explained any part of what his movies meant it would take away from that experience.

[@LosBerkos]

@@MrMarsFargo But this interview contains plenty of discussion of his other films as well.

[@MrMarsFargo]

LosBerkos Right, just not their underlying themes. He does reveal that much for the non-surrealist films he’s done.

[@skatinghippo366]

Still the best Lynch interview ever conducted, not some timid interviewer too in awe to ask direct questions. Mark Cousins killed it & gained a lot more insight into his filmmaking process than any interviewer before (and probably since) this

[@mousehead2000]

I think the interviewer is great. He clearly adores his guest and his work.

[@losttango]

Yep. One of the good things about Cousins is that he's prepared to zoom in and analyse/discuss the precise thinking behind a camera movement or focus pull and then zoom out and discuss the philosophical implications of an entire body of work. He also really knows his stuff - to the extent of tracking down a copy of a book Lynch once said inspired him. You could see that Lynch warmed to him when he produced that, and that he respected his depth of knowledge.

[@tranzco1173]

I like when the interviewers literally have the exact same outfit as Lynch, I've seen this a few times. Very funny.

[@AnnaLVajda]

He sets him at ease right away by acknowledging Davids dislike for interviews so David knows it won't be an interrogation. The Irish can be very charming and have a gift for gab.

[@LosBerkos]

@@losttango Hey, a question I'm just assuming you might know the answer to - I have this very strong feeling that Mark Cousins at some point did a long multi part video essay of some Lynch work (possibly Twin Peaks). Would you happen to know what it was called? Just realized I was thinking of The story of film: An oddyssey. Brilliant watch, impossible to stop.

[@psychomantis183]

What?! He is a antagonistic douchebag, and his questions were idiotic (‘I noticed a phone in a couple of your films; what do you have to say about phones?’)

[@MrElectricdude]

David handled this interview like a champ!

[@LichenAndMoss]

indeed

[@HalvLion]

it's short for champion

[@TheMan-we4bc]

This is the best David Lynch interview I've seen.

[@lucyvalentinemusic]

Totally. I wasn't expecting much. I'm always amazed how few people ask him about his animation work also and early films.

[@psychomantis183]

What?! It’s garbage. Poor Lynch having to put up with that douchebag. Heaps better interviews on youtube.

[@musichettajoly3051]

Je t'adore Mark Cousins! No one does a film documentary or an interview better, and he has persuaded David Lynch to open up and reveal his wonderful and incredible psyche. Thanks for sharing

[@snappycatchy]

"A man dreamt up by the Surrealist Manifesto" - Mark Cousins' way with words continues to amaze.

[@BigDaddyZakk420]

snappycatchy Eh, hardly...

[@AussoOnePlus]

extraordinary hand movement

[@tomlee3765]

I don't get why so many commenters are harsh on the host. I think he did ok. In the beginning of the interview, he mentioned that Lynch said interviews are like facing a firing squad, but you don't die. With that in mind, I noticed that Lynch was completely comfortable during the interview. The host must have been part of the reason for that.

[@naneeleo823]

agree. His DavidLynchness said , he was doing this itw as a favour to Cousins .. so folks , stop slamming him

[@Vingul]

@@jamesadams1584 NNNOOOOO HIS ACCENT, HIS ACCENT AAAAHHH!!!!!!!

[@ballacaust]

I find this interview struck a happy medium between asking "DUR WHAT DUZ DIS MEAN" and the interviewers general observations. Wonderful video!

[@ryanburns6284]

I could listen to David forever . Practical and logical in a dream world

[@LilachLavy]

Great interview... i love the questions...

[@felixcat4346]

David Lynch is such an obstruse peson and artist, but I must say this is one of the best interviews on him. The interviewer doesn't let him off the hook for one instant.

[@psychomantis183]

You mean he constantly attacks him via cherry picking incendiary criticism made by random reviewer-tards?

[@fandude7]

Good interviewer. Lynch shouldn't be afraid of tough questions. Some answers were rather evasive. This is what is frustrating when listening to Lynch, perhaps he doesn't know the answers. His movies are honest though and project a sense of reality, evwn when dreaming.

[@zetetick395]

The Straight Story is a superb movie, must've seen it ten times! Incredible soundtrack too!

[@alexerba3546]

Yes indeed à great and deep movie about forgiveness between brothers and road movie with soundtracks also

[@tryharder75]

Best Lynch interview. Mark Cousins made The Story of Film so he's fine.

[@christinetran551]

Great interview. Cousins has such an innocent way of asking prying questions, a bit like Louis Theroux, but obviously with so much knowledge to back himself up. Lynch is the most at ease I've ever seen him in an interview.

[@RenePeraza]

I was pleasantly surprised that David wasn't put off by the questions. I can hear the same questions asked by others might get a cranky response, such as the 'eye of the duck' ones, putting David on-the-spot!

[@AussoOnePlus]

You cannot go SCENE BY SCENE with David Lynch !!

[@firewalkwithme2539]

Sissy was incredible in The Straight Story. Should have won an Oscar.

[@glassjaw2007]

I understood and learned more from this interview than the Masterclass course that i thought was very superficial and lacking and in the same vein as every interview he does where he mumbles about "Trascendental Meditation and ideas are like fish and you fall in love with them..." More than an interview it was more of a an amicable talking, you can see the face David puts when he is shown his own films that expression was new. The questions were on point and very enlighting.

[@deviljam4]

I'm glad they had the voice over the credits, it would have been unbearable if it ended on Lynch being insulted by the Serge Daney quote.

[@danteslasher]

The way the interviewer talks reminds me of Werner Herzog

[@hippyjodorowsky8102]

Everyone hates this interviewer, I don't think anyone realises he made a fifteen hour documentary on the history of film. He's a great filmmaker and critic. And he's Northern Irish so he's got that unusual accent.

[@bjrnnielsen7552]

Watched some of that documentary once, it was great!

[@LordMarlle]

@@bjrnnielsen7552 He did a beautiful letter in movie form to late Orson Welles. His voice and pacing really worked for me

[@jamesadams1584]

Hippy Jodorowsky limey shithead. Fuck him.

[@LosBerkos]

@@jamesadams1584 pppFFFTHAAAAHAAHCHah "limey"?? You win the stupid prize for now, friend.

[@edwardmulholland7912]

Mark is great, as for his accent - I’m from Belfast myself and have no problem with it.

[@samd.1891]

incredible. thank you for this.

[@47suitsfrequency72]

Lynch is genius.

[@davidsabethai2633]

best lynch interview

[@hugosophy]

Interviewer asks good questions. He really drills him!!

[@zetetick395]

I think, maybe subconsciously, David's hair has become more and more like Henry Spencer's over the years!

[@jonasbrunstein1404]

such a good guy

[@koyot_inozemez]

in case anyone wonders, the song at the beginning - Lamb - B.Line

[@arielzajac]

best interview

[@xandergraph4012]

Cousins: "What was that thump?" Lynch: "You'll have to wait and find out" Cousins: "I can say" Lynch: "Okay (by the way thanks for ruining it for everyone, and why ask 'what happened' if you're only going to tell everyone anyway?)" Watch his interview with Roman Polanski and how he argues with Polanski, telling him how Polanski interpreted a book that Polanski grew up with. Polanski fucking loses it with him!

[@Sobreversivo]

Beautiful.

[@kylehammitt566]

*spoilers for elephant man, twin peaks, and blue velvet included. would've been nice knowing that going in

[@JohnSmith-so8ld]

+Kyle Hammitt You should always assume spoilers to be on the safe side.

[@joshg.4448]

...and some mild spoilers for "Lost Highway".

[@travisbest9041]

That's ridiculous. 😂

[@fred2992jackson]

that shit was all over 25 years ago. Spoilers don't count.

[@ToneSherpa]

hahahahahahaahaha

[@brandonmatuja6498]

Inspiring to see what I perceived as great patience and tolerance from Lynch in the face of some pretty annoying and bad questions. True, I don't know the interviewer, but he asks some pretty silly questions that must've pained Lynch to try to answer. I felt I could sense some of that pain, but there's also evidence that the Transcendental Meditation has been working good for Lynch because he kept up a pretty good humor with his honesty.

[@jamesadams1584]

Brandon Matuja I’ve followed Lynch since Elephant Man was released. This interviewer attempted to put words in Lynch’s mouth. His questions were sophomore and his limey accent was borderline intolerable. Fuck him.

[@tonygourley4896]

He only smoked 3 cigarettes in 49 min., but there were some cut-edits. The taplng of this was probably an hour and a half or two hours, so lets say he smoked 7 to 9 cigarettes . So what ? ,he's David Lynch , man, it's what he does, he makes great films and he smokes while doing so. I'll bet some of his best stuff was thought of, written, played out , and filmed, while he was smoking . Let the man have his pleasures, it obviously works. Bob.G

[@akikolehmainen88]

While still defending film in this interview, Lynch would later fall in love with digital to the extent that he said going back to film would simply kill him.

[@ToneSherpa]

Yeah, Lynch is the kind of guy who probably hates waiting for lights to be adjusted, etc.. He wants to capture a feeling more than anything. And shooting on film is just one more impedance. Being able to just shoot and shoot and shoot and never have to change the reels is probably the biggest thing for him.

[@marmite400]

Wish they'd do this with Mulholland Drive.

[@aminag6641]

I love David Lynch ❤️ Once you understand Transcendental Meditation,you will understand the mind of David Lynch .

[@karldeltoid31]

What a bullshit idea. I've practiced transcendental meditation for almost 40 years and while it puts you in a specific frame of mind, it has little to zero to do with Lynch's movies. Please take your half baked ideas of the world and fuck off.

[@aelreddown4294]

That's not what he says. He credits his movies, ideas and cinematic vision to the practice in countless interview. Maybe read up a little before you trash other people's comments.

[@mattgilbert7347]

He may find the practice useful in that he claims that it "energizes" his imagination. I read "Catching the Big Fish"; I don't think TM is for me, but if it has helped to give us Lynch, great. As soon as someone who isn't a theoretical physicist mentions "Quantum" I know one thing: there are not talking about QM/QED etc. They may be talking about something - something subjectively important and transformative - but it isn't theoretical physics.

[@AndreasDevig]

You transcendentally meditate, huh?

[@mike79p]

It's so crazy to me that Lynch would agree to do this. My impression was that he never would watch clips of his films and talk about them. He doesn't even like chapter stops on his dvds.

[@larahamilton2273]

Notice the sharks swimming behind David. Must be intensional and not to be missed!

[@gehtdichnichtsan9323]

"I have no idea what ronald reagan would say"

[@Sikthkid]

This guys voice is fucking killing me!

[@promoted738]

Now I want a doughnut.

[@roy_for_real2674]

I don't like this interview. I don't care about what his stuff means. I agree with him on that you know. His philosophy doesn't get much respect at all and he does answer. It's fun to look at something and think of what it might mean or find meaning you see in it. Otherwise it seems quite boring. And I also think a lot of personal things he tells do not matter.

[@basti_marr]

It is almost imposible to me to watch a Lynch interview withouth lighting a cigarette

[@DanielMartinez-hm8pu]

Ikr lol

[@Blindastronomer]

I feel that the interviewer started off wanting to be quite confronting of David, but you can visibly see him warm to David completely over the duration of the interview.

[@johnrayker6245]

or maybe he admired his work all along. makes much more sense imo.

[@losttango]

Other way round I think.

[@phoebe4567]

amazing interview, i'm amazed lynch didn't get mad.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Watch that right hand. It talks.

[@LandersWorkshop]

He talks about all his movies except Dune.

[@robertmccauley754]

He talks more about Dune than Wild At Heart.

[@LandersWorkshop]

That's not saying much though.

[@Johnconno]

'Not one bit.'

[@kevincallaghan3212]

Whats the number for 911???

[@basehead617]

Scene By Scene also got a show with Woody Allen. How did he get the two most difficult director interviews? Was he hugely respected or something?

[@yohei72]

Yep, Mark Cousins is a hugely respected critic and film historian and documentary filmmaker.

[@LosBerkos]

@@yohei72 And still he was quite young and according to some angry commenters somewhat abrasive here. All the more impressive then, IMO.

[@yohei72]

@@LosBerkos No accounting for taste. I've rarely seen an interview clip on KZbin that didn't have at least a few people in the comments complaining that the interviewer is a moron or something similar. It comes with the territory.

[@KidMillions]

If the BBC calls you don't refuse, at least in those days. They weren't there for Mark Cousins.

[@ModernPlague]

Haha, look at the annoyed sigh & expression on Lynch's face around @32:12 when he's trying to explain the dynamics of 'fast' vs. 'slow' and the guy's not getting it. I've seen him react that same sort of way in other interviews--- you can tell that even though he's a sweet, sensitive guy, he can be very irritable! Imagine how cranky he'd be without meditating twice a day!

[@FetaCheese222]

I don't think Cousins doesn't get it - he's just fishing for a less abstract answer and trying to get Lynch to talk about how it might manifest in a scene, which he eventually does.

[@powertuber3.047]

They must hate lynch in Philly.

[@zetetick395]

Quack quack!

[@dimitrikorsakov2570]

Quack is right

[@ineuron]

What the F..K!!! Last question was the most meaningless sentence I have ever heard!!!!!?

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

Smokes like a chimney.

[@TomerBenDavid]

:)

[@kshitijnikam]

Did he just fuckin say Ether? 6:03

[@waltdistel716]

aether

[@ravishingravi]

kshitijnikam yes. Why surprised ?

[@waltdistel716]

I think the OP is thinking of the chemical compound (C4H10O) instead of the medium (aether/ether)

[@dimitrikorsakov2570]

Why does he think that that part of the scene is extraordinary, I don't get it?

[@LosBerkos]

Ask Ozu.

[@Scot-Tube]

Poor David

[@jmpsthrufyre]

That opening tho I want to stop watching Should I? By the way, I did

[@Misanola]

The interviewer is aggressive and annoying.

[@jerrygu5316]

might be difficult not to seem aggressive and annoying relative to such a tacit man.

[@zetetick395]

Good people the word is taciturn (as in 'doesn't speak too much about himself) - 'Tacit' means a unspoken thing, as in 'a tacit agreement' - just FYI for your future selves. :)

[@VisualFeast7557]

What a smug :-/

[@fylgia8567]

The interviewer is horrible and tries to take points on Lynchs cost when he questions his belief in angels (40:20-41:40). Like a person who needs to make others look bad in order to feel a little better about himself.

[@camdude6670]

interviewers voice is more than annoying.

[@asaneryoga]

The interviewer is so damaging, absolutely unbelievable. How can he talk this way with Lynch... and his voice and accent is just awful - ähhhhh

[@omgsolikevalleygirl]

With "Inland Empire" and "The Return" as well as his TM-antics, Lynch has definitely shown that he has completely lost it.

[@Lalo-dh8xq]

Lost it in what way?

[@omgsolikevalleygirl]

Lost where the "unified field of consciousness" turns out to be complete gobbledigok. Lost Highway still had sense of enormous clarity to it, and Mulholland Drive definitely still had the magic, but after that I just seem to keep on getting questions and random absurdities that don't appear to point to anything really interesting. The subtle difference between random and deep.

[@Lalo-dh8xq]

omgsolikevalleygirl - I suppose that's the reason Inland Empire's reactions were somewhat polarized: It seemed absurd without a meaning. For me at least, the movie is about it's broken structure, a "fragmented reality". Laura Dern's character becomes "trapped" in multiple identities (herself, the character she's playing in the movie, even Laura Dern herself), breaking the barrier between film and reality, as well as the film and the observer, showing how us the audience see ourselves in a character. That's my personal take on it. I haven't finished watching The Return yet, but it's clear Lynch is trying to expand the mythology and philosophy of the Twin Peaks universe. Last part I saw was 8 and it was incredible, not only for it's great surreal imagery, but for it's symbolisms too. Lynch is the type of surreal artist who isn't weird for the sake of being weird. He's a serious artist and always treats the audience with respect, ever since his very first films, and that's what I love about him.

[@zakhriskin1602]

@@Lalo-dh8xq Hope you have finished the Return by now! 😁

[@Lalo-dh8xq]

Zak Laine I have! Simply gorgeous, thought-provoking and powerful ❤

[@Im9002glorious]

What an awful interviewer

[@TeaDrinker3000]

Maxa Yoshiko I don't think he's that bad.

[@Im9002glorious]

Yeah but you're noided so

[@zuzkarory]

the problem is with the interviewer. he is a dense and overly rational person and doesn't seem qualified to be in the position he is in.

[@gogol1211]

Very few people in the world are more qualified than Mark Cousins to talk about film just with anybody. His style might not be appealing to you (he is Scottish, not an American who tries to appear 'glossy' and too comforting). Read his book 'History of film' or at least watch the series - available on KZbin too. He is certainly very smart, informed and passionate about the medium. I guess his little provocative and candid style went over your head...

[@lewiscranston881]

He's Northern Irish, mate.

[@MACEASY2]

Born there, lives in Scotland. So both.

[@lewiscranston881]

No he's Northern Irish. Sit down.

[@jamesadams1584]

Limey asshole couldn’t find his ass with both hands. Fuck him and his attempt to put words in Lynch’s mouth. Watch your stupid fucking butler movies.

[@dimitrikorsakov2570]

The duck bit is as bullshitty as his films. Sounds really high minded, but is completely meaningless and incoherent.

[@jamesadams1584]

Dimitri Korsakov you have a tiny mind.

[@dimitrikorsakov2570]

@DJ BLACKWHOLE Ok, if you understand it, explain it

[@LosBerkos]

@@dimitrikorsakov2570 Why don't you do us the favor of informing is of how somebody else's personal creative philosophy is so insulting to you?