The Full Blossom of the Evening: A Podcast about David Lynch and Twin Peaks

David Lynch said, “There is not a day that goes by when I don’t think of the Wizard of Oz.” Exploring the story through its origins in defining cultural movements of the early twentieth century, Indigo and Hilary discuss the meaning of this American fairy tale and how it echoes in Lynch’s life and work.

Mark Frost's inspiration for naming Horne's Department Store in Twin Peaks came from a Pittsburgh institution he encountered during his time at Carnegie Mellon University. Indigo and Hilary spend their Frost-awarded "bonus points" sharing details from the history of the real-life Horne's, as well as some personal memories of the store. 

Names like Jacoby and Lydecker come to Twin Peaks straight from Laura, the 1943 novel by Vera Caspary and 1944 film directed by Otto Preminger. Indigo and Hilary discuss thematic parallels between the stories of Laura Hunt and Laura Palmer.

Called "Anime's David Lynch", Satoshi Kon cited Lynch as an influence, but some of his work seems to predict rather than reflect the themes of Lynch's films and Twin Peaks: The Return. Longtime Kon fan Indigo and neophyte Hilary discuss Kon's work through a Lynchian lens.

Laura Palmer interacts with two identifiable texts in Fire Walk with Me: William Thackeray's The Rose and the Ring and William Saroyan's The Human Comedy. Indigo and Hilary discuss the thematic resonances of both stories in the film and Twin Peaks.

Thanks to Twin Peaks Blog for the investigations that led to this episode! https://twinpeaksblog.com/2025/01/02/twin-peaks-prop-laura-palmers-home-university-bookshelf-volume-5/

Mark Frost cited Dion Fortune's occult classic Psychic Self-Defense as a source for terms and concepts woven into the Twin Peaks mythology. Indigo and Hilary are joined by John Bernardy of The Blue Rose Task Force Podcast to discuss everything from the creation of Artificial Elementals to the defensive capabilities of coffee and cherry pie.

Jacques Tati created worlds and films that allowed David Lynch to dream. Indigo and Hilary discuss what made these artists, in Lynch’s words, “kindred souls”. 

Sadgati praptirastu, David Lynch, with blue skies and golden sunshine all along the way.

Indigo and Hilary fare forward into the remaining three poems of T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets and discuss the poems'  resonances within The Return.

Read Four Quartets here: https://www.lettersjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/fourquartets.pdf

Called "the most influential subcultural movie of all time," the 1953 film The Wild One echoes in all three seasons of Twin Peaks, especially in the character of Wally Brando. Indigo and Hilary discuss the incredible impact of the film and its star, Marlon Brando, on American culture and then explore the significance of both in Twin Peaks. 

Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There share uncanny resonances with the worlds of Twin Peaks, Inland Empire, and other David Lynch Films. Indigo and Hilary discuss why they think the Lynchian universe has a deeper kinship with Wonderland than it does with Oz.

Called “a children’s book that permanently lodged itself in David’s mind”, Good Times on Our Street clearly influenced works like Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, as well as Lynch’s general approach to ‘the art life’. Indigo and Hilary discuss the tangible resonances of the imagery, themes, and dual purposes of this American basal reader in David Lynch’s world.

Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and Twin Peaks share some uncanny resonances. Indigo and Hilary discuss these, as well as how both texts reflect shifts in American culture since the 1960s.

Discussing the 1974 novel by Laird Koenig and 1976 film it inspired, Indigo and Hilary explore thematic connections between these texts and Twin Peaks. "Is it the story of the little girl who lived down the lane? Is it?" Yes, Audrey, we think it is.

Stanley Kubrick's film Lolita has discernible fingerprints on Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, and other films by David Lynch. Indigo and Hilary discuss these, as well as the parallels between Laura Palmer and Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita.

Meet your hosts as they share their vision for this new podcast.