Happy 20th Birthday, Twin Peaks
by Robert Quigley | 4:46 pm, April 8th, 2010
20 years ago to this day, ABC put a fish in America’s collective percolator by unleashing David Lynch‘s weird and wonderful Twin Peaks upon us. The show was ostensibly centered around a murder mystery, but it involved a backward-talking hallucinatory midget, an awkward lingering camera and surreal dialogue, and an obsession with pies and chainsaws — and that was in its relatively grounded first season.
Despite its overwhelming weirdness, Twin Peaks somehow managed to become a massive pop cultural phenomenon, at least for a while (shades of LOST?), until it got too weird and lost viewers with an increasingly unhinged plot.
Writing for NPR, John Powers fondly reflects on the show — and argues that it’s still a relevant force today:
Twin Peaks smuggled avant-garde into prime time, brimming with a surrealism you just didn’t encounter back then. Remember that weird room with the dwarf who talked backwards? It took cultural stereotypes — the straight-arrow FBI agent, the teen hottie, the wannabe James Dean, the corrupt small-town businessman — and pushed them until they exploded. The result was an often-hilarious show bursting with raw emotion.
Be sure to check out Powers’ full essay, in which he argues for Twin Peaks‘ influence over the likes of Buffy and The X-Files — even Twilight.
Eric Limer 
Max 
James Plafke 
Rollin Bishop 
Philosoraptor’s 50 Wisest Musings
There is a Beer That Tastes Like Bacon and Maple Syrup
The 65 Best Planking Pictures From Around the World
Did You Know Gaming? Website Provides Awesome Gaming Trivia
Here’s How to Play the Fully Functional Moog Synthesizer Google Doodle and Four Track Recorder
RSS