Brushes with greatness
My friend Paul is convinced that David Lynch was sitting a few rows ahead of us at Westgate Cinema tonight during a screening of “Swimming Pool” with Charlotte Rampling (review to follow). Paul maintains that Lynch’s wife is from Madison and Lynch has been known to spend time here.
During the furtive glances I allowed myself, it certainly looked like him: the wacky upswept salt-and-pepper hair, the starched white shirt, khakis and loafers. But my brain finds it hard to reconcile that David Lynch would be catching a movie at Westgate Mall in Madison, Wisconsin. I felt sort of like one of those robots on the original “Star Trek” that were driven to self-destruct by Capt. Kirk’s illogical utterances.
My father (see below) would have thought nothing of going up to Mr. Maybe Lynch and finding out firsthand, and probably engaging him in an amiable 10-minute conversation in the process. Sadly, that part of my dad’s DNA wasn’t passed on to me.
Sitting in the movie theater, I did think of a lot of funny lines I could have used on him:
-“What’s Naomi Watts really like?”
-“I loved ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ Mr. Demme.”
-“You’re that guy! You know, that guy!”
-“Was that Sci-Fi Channel ‘Dune’ a piece of crap, or what?”
Then when we left the theater, Could Possibly Be Lynch and his group were crossing from the mall to the parking lot just as we pulled past in my car. I stopped and waved them on.
I might confirm that He has been known to maintain a residence in Shorewood Hills, and his sometimes romantic- but certainly artistic partner (editor, co-writer) Mary Sweeney is unquestionably from the Four Lakes region.
Whether you and Paul had a close encounter, I cannot say. The likelihood of catching an idiosyncratic artist in Madison at a François Ozon film is indeed high.
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I go now.
I heard he lives in Maple Bluff, but even the Maple Bluff resident who told me that can’t confirm it. Elusive indeed.
Yep, Lynch has the Madison connection. Apparently my son has been to a pool party where Lynch was in attendence. This according to his name-dropping grandparents. It is very strange to think of it. Is he tall?
I heard she was in Shorewood.
When I attended a free pre-screening of Mulholland Dr. at Westgate, there were murmurs that he was afoot in the lobby briefly.
Murmurs.
I recently was told a completely ludicrous urban legend about him and artistic chicken slaughter, in dead seriousness. People like to talk about him.
The chicken slaughter stories come to mind immediately after viewing his paintings. Violently strewn paint does that.
Stalkers report: there are four properties in Dane County (am I correct about the county?) owned by people named David Lynch. It’s unlikely he’d put property in his name – probably a corporation or trust instead. None of the addresses said Shorewood Hills or Maple Bluff.
Yes, it was David Lynch….He was “on holidays” with his wife who comes from MADISON…He will be back today or tomorrow in L.A….