Now It's Dark.

Advisory: This episode contains potentially upsetting discussions of child sexual abuse/violence as well as addiction and human trafficking.

Music Credit: Twin Peaks Theme (Cover) by Dehli Musikk

Correction: I said that Lynch married Rossellini. Actually they were just romantic partners and were never married.

In this one Richard and I cover David Lynch's pocket biography, Blue Velvet (1986) and Twin Peaks (1988) and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992).

Wishing DL an auspicious passage into the Bardo - see you, space cowboy.

Watchlinks:

Blue Velvet

Twin Peaks (TV Series)

Twin Peaks: The Return

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Lost Highway

Mulholland Drive

Interviews / Sources

Painter: Francis Bacon

Isabella Rossellini (Plays Dorothy Vallens in Blue Velvet)

1997 Charlie Rose Interview

"The Art Life" Interview with Artforum

Outstanding Essay by Auteur Cinema (YT) (Rosselini Interview Source)

Bad Canadian Interview for Blue Velvet

Braindead Siskel and Ebert Takes on BV

Lynch Interview about Roy Orbison and the BV Music

Patreon support:

patreon.com/c/hemlockpatreon

Podcast Sources (AI Generated, May Contain Errors):

• Ada Lovelace

  • Source: Wikipedia: Ada Lovelace

  • Summary: Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She is often regarded as the first to recognize the full potential of a "computing machine" and the first computer programmer. She was also the legitimate daughter of Lord Byron and Annabella Byron.

• The Jacquard Loom and Computers

  • Source: Britannica: Jacquard loom

  • Summary: The Jacquard loom, invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard, used a series of punch cards to automate the weaving of complex patterns. This mechanical loom is considered a precursor to modern computing, as its use of punch cards provided a model for storing and reading coded information, inspiring Charles Babbage's design for the Analytical Engine.

• Byron's Dramatic Poem Manfred

  • Source: Wikipedia: Manfred (poem)

  • Summary: Manfred is a dramatic poem written by Lord Byron in 1817, featuring a noble hero who is tormented by a mysterious guilt stemming from a forbidden love. The poem explores themes of transgression, isolation, and the conflict between human free will and supernatural forces.

• The Corsair by Byron

  • Source: Wikipedia: The Corsair (poem)

  • Summary: The Corsair is a long narrative poem by Lord Byron, published in 1814, that became an instant success. It tells the story of Conrad, a charismatic pirate whose life of adventure and rebellion is tragically intertwined with love and betrayal.

• Lawrence v. Texas (US Court Decision)

  • Source: Wikipedia: Lawrence v. Texas

  • Summary: Lawrence v. Texas was a landmark 2003 US Supreme Court decision that invalidated sodomy laws throughout the country, thereby making same-sex sexual activity legal in every state. The ruling overturned a prior decision and found that the laws violated the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

• The Marquis de Sade

  • Source: Wikipedia: Marquis de Sade

  • Summary: Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade, was an 18th-century French aristocrat and writer known for his libertine philosophy and explicit novels. His works, which gave rise to the term "sadism," explored themes of transgressive sexuality, cruelty, and the subversion of social and religious norms.

• The Percy Shelley Sailing Accident

  • Source: Wikipedia: Percy Bysshe Shelley

  • Summary: Percy Bysshe Shelley, a renowned English Romantic poet and a friend of Lord Byron, tragically drowned in a sailing accident off the coast of Italy in 1822. His body was cremated on the beach with Byron and other friends in attendance.

• Studio Ghibli's AI Creature Incident

  • Source: YouTube: Hayao Miyazaki's incredible reaction to horrific zombie-like AI animation

  • Summary: A documentary clip shows Hayao Miyazaki's visceral reaction to a presentation by Japanese artists who created a horrifying AI-generated zombie creature. Miyazaki called the animation an "insult to life itself" and refused to acknowledge the AI's role as a creative tool.

• Hayao Miyazaki's Reaction to Tales from Earthsea

  • Source: CBR: Hayao Miyazaki's Infamous Reaction to His Son's Film, Tales From Earthsea

  • Summary: Hayao Miyazaki famously walked out of the premiere screening of his son Goro Miyazaki's directorial debut, Tales from Earthsea. Miyazaki reportedly disliked the film, a moment that highlighted the creative tension and complex relationship between the father and son.

• David Lynch's George Lucas Pitch Story

  • Source: Entertainment Weekly: David Lynch's bizarre meeting with George Lucas about directing Return of the Jedi

  • Summary: In a classic interview, David Lynch recalls his eccentric meeting with George Lucas about potentially directing Return of the Jedi. Lynch recounts a strange conversation where Lucas pitched the film to him in a restaurant while a "little Wookiee" sat beside him, leading Lynch to ultimately decline the offer.

It's not easy being a gay brain-sex icon and a straight brain-sex icon at the same time but ya boi Byron did it. Part 1 of 2.

Support the show and get ad-free content on Patreon

Also, I decided Richard and I's biographical series is gonna be called "Bad Role Models" since that seems to be the theme... Also "Behind the Bastards" was already taken.

Citations:

Malcolm McDowell Movie "If...." (1968)

Byron: Life and Legend by Fiona MacCarthy

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by Anna Fedorova and the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie led by Yves Abel (Creative Commons)

IMHO the 1958 version with Van Cliburn and Fritz Reiner / Chicago Symphony is best.

Bhagwan Richard and I explore the life, mind, and times of a certain Raj Rajneesh, AKA Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh, AKA Osho, AKA FBI's most wanted guru.

Support the Show on Patreon!

References and Citations:

⁠Building Utopia by Russell King⁠

⁠The Golden Road - William Dalrymple⁠

The Eknath Easwaran / Nilgiri Press Trilogy:

⁠-Dhammapada⁠

⁠-Upanishads⁠

⁠-Bhagavad Gita⁠

⁠The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda⁠

⁠Wild Wild Country - Netflix Documentary⁠

⁠In Search of the Miraculous - PD Ouspensky (Gurdjieff)⁠

⁠Doppelganger - Naomi Klein (book about Steve Bannon and Naomi Wolf)⁠

⁠The Rajneesh Bible⁠

⁠Breath of Fire - HBO Max Documentary

Previously posted to the History of Philosophy Audio Archive.