The Bicks Pod

The Equalizer is, well, not equal to the rest of the Mark Frost and David Lynch works we've discussed so far, but it's still worth noting! Bridging the gap between Hill Street Blues 70s aesthetic and Twin Peaks' early 90s look is a show so 80s the theme song was done by a member of The Police.

We break down the two episodes penned by Mark Frost, finding some points to criticize, and some to praise. But we now know one thing for certain: whenever we're facing long odds, we're looking to the newspaper ads first!

Starring: Edward Woodward, Laurie Metcalf

David Lynch's Dune. The mere mention of it conjures feelings in most people that run the board from excitement to vitriol. Few films can lay claim to such a legacy. A financial flop at the box office, confusing in its sprawl and artistic choices, and famously denounced by its director, it stands as one of the most controversial films of all time. But why? And is it really as bad as we all remember it to be?

**Spoiler: yes, one of us thinks it absolutely is as bad as we remember...**

In our podcast ep today, we tackle the beautiful 1983 disaster that is Lynch's Dune. We talk about the history of this book's adaptation, dating back to the early 1970s and the most famous aborted film in history, Jodorowsky's Dune. We talk about the choices that led to a 500-page behemoth being condensed to two hours of whispered voiceovers. We talk about the changing film industry and what a Dune production today might look like. And we took in some listener responses to the film from social media.

Oh, and we danced a little to Toto. Who wouldn't?

Watch out for worm sign! The Bicks are doing Dune!

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Francesca Annis

Notes:

• Jodorowsky's Dune: http://www.jodorowskysdune.com/

Hill Street Blues was one of the most decorated TV series of all time, and just happened to be where Mark Frost got his first taste of running a major network TV show.

Join us and our special guest Stacy as we take a quick survey of the show, analyzing it for its historical impact and context, as well as the major threads that connect it to Twin Peaks. We also took quite a few dives into vaguely connected topics including the joy of 80s sweeps weeks, the Reagan administration, "The Great Imposter" Barry Bremen, and David Mamet, for good measure. Does this once-lauded show hold up today? What was Mark Frost's impact on it? And what does it reveal about Twin Peaks? Join the Bicks to find out!

Notes:

• Emmy Theft on YouTube: 

From Victorian social mores to [intense mechanical whooshing], The Elephant Man has it all!

Join us as we take a walk through the back alleys of East London and into the hearts of John (Joseph) Merrick and Dr. Frederick Treves in David Lynch's 1980 film. While not a conventional Lynch film in the sense that most people like to think of it, THE ELEPHANT MAN deals with much of the same subject matter that would captivate Lynch as his career continued. Differently-abled bodies, violence (sexual and otherwise), the eternal struggles of man against his nature and against the world around him, and deep dreamscapes -- whether nightmares or lofty aspirations or indicated by billowing coal smoke from the chimneys of an industrializing city. Grab your Kleenex. We're cranking Barber's Adagio and heading to the London Hospital... THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980)

Starring: John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller 

Sex, parenthood, and the anxieties of both. That's what we took away from David Lynch's first feature length film, 1977's Eraserhead. Join us as we journey through the sweeping industrial landscapes and dream worlds that make up Henry Spencer's existence and listen to the sounds as we explore what it means to raise a baby that the doctors aren't even sure is a baby... What are your thoughts about this film? Do you love it? Do you hate it? How frightening IS the "Eraserhead baby"? Let us know!

Starring: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart 

Notes:

• J.A. Fairhurst's "The Key to Eraserhead" is a fascinating alternate exploration of the themes in this film. We highly encourage you to check it out at https://key2eraserhead.com/

Aidan and Lindsay tiptoe into the shallow end of the recently released Twin Peaks: Limited Series Event boxset. Mostly, it's a discussion of the special features, which include nearly 8 hours* of treats like the original Showtime promos, the Rancho Rosa title cards, and a series of incredible documentaries from Richard Beymer, Charles de Lauzirika, and frequent Lynch documentarian Jason S., which give us unprecedented and unfettered access to the set and the working processes behind the scenes. This is a box set made with the fans in mind, and these two fans give it their most heartfelt Cooper-esque thumbs up in thanks!

*6 hours are available on the DVD and Blu-ray, with an additional 80 minutes exclusive to the Blu-ray.

"Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology."

Join us for a wild romp through the world of 1970s sci-fi action/adventure television with a look back at Mark Frost's first professional writing credits and two Season 2 episodes of "The Six Million Dollar Man"! We work our way through 2x15 ("Return of the Robot Maker") and 2x22 ("Steve Austin, Fugitive") and explore the early special effects, slow-motion action scenes, and rad sound effects. Plus, it's just a fun time.

"Return of the Robot Maker"

Notes:

• Synopses for the episodes can be found here: Return of the Robot Maker / Steve Austin, Fugitive

We start our dive into the deep cuts of Mark Frost's & David Lynch's careers with the early short films of David Lynch. We marvel at just how complete an aesthetic and feel Lynch was able to create seemingly right from the get-go. The music, visuals, and themes that will typify his later work were all present in their haunting fullness, right out of the gate. We also discuss his ties to the art world and the larger social ethos of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, as presented in these early films, and naturally draw some comparisons with Twin Peaks and The Return as well.

All of the works mentioned here are available on YouTube:

Six Figures (Men) Getting Sick

Watch along with us and enjoy!

***SPOILER ALERT for The Final Dossier***

With The Final Dossier already a week old, we waded out into the deep end to start picking at some of the lingering questions left by the end of the novel. We're no closer to having the answers, but it's going to be a lot of fun to try and figure out how this dessert course relates back to the meat and potatoes of the original series, the original novels, and The Return.

Welcome to our final podcast episode for Twin Peaks: The Return. We’ve taken two weeks to parse the episode and our own feelings toward it, and we’ve managed to distill 14 days of late-night conversations and heated debate into 3 hours (!) for your listening pleasure -- hopefully, anyway.

We tackle the pros and cons of some of the biggest theories, discuss the things that resonated deeply with us, and get a little wistful and philosophical as we come to the end of this 11 month-long journey through Twin Peaks with you. (We also let you in on what’s next for The Bicks -- hint: we're not going anywhere!)

Thank you all for listening! We’d love to hear your thoughts and comments -- follow us on Twitter (@thebickspod) or Facebook (facebook.com/bickeringpeaks), leave us a comment on our Podbean page, or give us a star-filled review on iTunes!

• David Auerbach, Waggish.org: https://www.waggish.org/2017/twin-peaks-finale/