On 'Meeting' David Lynch

So tonight Mr. Lynch appeared at the Emeryville Barnes & Noble in order to read from, sign, and promote his new book. I was a little annoyed because the 'no memorabilia' rule was changed at the last minute, and I hadn't brought a DVD with me. Eraserhead is one of the most original films I've ever seen, and I had wanted to get it signed.

There was about two hundred or two hundred and fifty people there - personally, I had expected more, but I'm glad I was wrong. The reading was held upstairs, so most of the audience had to stand in a ring around the opening to the lower floor. Not very comfortable, and it was hard to tell how a signing line was going to form out of that crowd.

Mr. Lynch was prompt, did a brief reading from his book, and answered a few questions. The Q & A was fair, though there was a fun moment when one audience member wanted to learn what the filmmaker's mantra was. As the questioner picked about for clues, it was pretty clear the Mr. Lynch had no intention of revealing it.

His reedy voice and gosh-and-golly expressions came across like a cheerful citizen of a small town in the fifties. At first, I thought he would find film questions annoying, as I thought the book was focused on his thirty-year interest in Trancendental Meditation. As it turned out, he spoke equally of creativity, filmmaking and meditation, echoing the proportions of the book (I hadn't looked at it earlier, but I did have an opportunity to read while waiting for the event to begin). Like his films, he was funny and cryptic in equal measure.

Soon, the signing began. It was very firmly controlled, which I suppose makes sense considering the size of the crowd. No pictures with Mr. Lynch (though you could snap him signing your book), no personalizations, the book would be signed on one specific page (marked with a Post-It), one piece of memorabilia (if you had bought the book), and so forth. It was such an assembly line, he couldn't look up from his books. Still, he was cheerful and friendly, and responded with a bright, "way cool!" when I invited him to visit the studio. Hopefully, he'll take me up on it!