1990 was a good year: I had just been born, the Pistons won the NBA Finals, The Hubble Telescope was put into orbit, and a little show called Twin Peaks premiered on ABC to a rapt American audience.
Being the barely post-fetal sack of limbs that I was back then, there was no way I could have appreciated David Lynch’s surreal cult-classic in real time. But as an unemployed 20-something with a BA in Netflix, I no longer have any excuse.
So ever since I finished Twin Peaks, I have had a lot of downtime –no doubt due to the temporary blindness induced by my marathon viewing of the series – to consider what made it absolutely incredible. For one, Kyle MacLachlan as Special Agent Dale Cooper.  But what really captivated me – as I’m sure it did its original audience – was the confluence of the visual and aural elements of the show (comparable, perhaps, only to the taste sensation when maple syrup collides with ham). I felt totally immersed in each scene’s idiosyncrasies, from the Tibetan folklore to the loungey jazz that announced certain characters.
The music nerd that I am, I conducted some extensive research on YouTube to gauge the ongoing cultural impact of the Twin Peaks soundtrack. What I found rocked my world. Check out all the different remixes and samples that have found their way into the cultural canon since that April evening in 1990.
The original:
MC Chris is in the running for nerdiest MC of all time. Only Hesh could rap about the entire plot of Twin Peaks in three-and-a- half minutes
Jazzercise and Twin Peaks have probably never been thought of in the same breath. Until now:
And listen for the sample of Laura Palmer’s Theme in Moby’s “Go”:
(Editor’s Note from Perry: We played the theme from Twin Peaks at my wedding. I don’t know what message that sent, but we’re still married, so that’s good…)
FANTOMAS, A Mike Patton project, does Fire Walk with Me. check it out. http://youtu.be/JgWGys_b3xM
My era’s Lost
I just posted a vintage ad for Dale’s Quest, the Twin Peaks adventure game that never existed: http://welcometotwinpeaks.com/inspiration/dales-quest-twin-peaks-game/
The original theme song sounds like it’s right out of Final Fantasy 7. I guess it would be the other way around, but you get the point.
Twin Peaks is probably my favourite show ever. I went to the Twin Peaks Festival in Washington last summer. Met a bunch of the actors including Sherilyn Fenn and Kimmy Robertson. It was fantastic! Met some great new friends too (and had some delicious cherry pie and coffee!).
These re-mixes are a great reminder.
Agent Cooper buttons. http://www.etsy.com/listing/55700098/twin-peaks-buttons-agent-cooper
Agent Cooper buttons.
This is one of my favorite show themes, which is why I loved when Psych incorporated the theme into their own during an episode that reunited the Twin Peaks cast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyIxUWl0U3M
I just finished re-watching the series about a month and a half ago. Most important lesson learned: do _not_ watch David Lynch right before going to bed.
P.S., GREAT find on the Fringe reference. Thanks, Carrie!
I was 13 when the series first aired and loved it. My parents bought me the soundtrack for season 1 and I listened to it constantly. It was the perfect puberty series and music.
Now I feel old. I graduated high school and started college in 1990.
Wrapped in Plastic off of Marilyn Manson’s Portrait of an American Family album has lots of Twin Peaks references and samples.
I need to watch Twin Peaks…It has some of my favorite actors, Kyle MacLachlan and Everrett McGill.
I LOVED Twin Peaks! Did you happen to catch this awesome reference to Twin Peaks on Fringe?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR_La4d8Ysc