From: dan@wombat.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Dan Parmenter)
Subject: Re: LMFAP and Mike
Followup-To: alt.tv.twin-peaks
Organization: /home/fsg/dan/.organization
	<1992Oct7.213623.16014@cheshire.oxy.edu>
	<DAN.92Oct8090022@wombat.gnu.ai.mit.edu> <ldbhs8INNgla@news.bbn.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 16:18:49 GMT

In article <ldbhs8INNgla@news.bbn.com> ingria@bbn.com (Bob Ingria) writes:

   I think is was James Blish who had one of his characters say: ``The
   laws of magic are not so much illogical as analogical.''  Think also
   of the magical principle of the law of correspondences; e.g. to invoke
   a particular spiritual force, you dress in the color particular to
   that being, eat the food favored by him/her, etc.  I think you're
   right on the money here.

Yes, I believe you're right.  It's a very intuitive way to look at
things and recognizes that certain underlying principles always apply.

[my theory about the dwarves and giants being modern day myth
creatures deleted]

   There are various analysts who say similar things about UFOs, etc.
   i.e. that they appear in the guise appropriate to the age in which
   they are found: imps in the medieval period, balloonists in the 19th
   century, extra-terrestrials in the 20th, etc.  Whether one buys that
   for ``the real world'', you're probably right about what's goin on in
   TP.

I recommend "Communion" by Whitley Strieber, regardless of whether you
believe his story (and I don't necessarily but that's another story).
He has a very nice account of this currently fashionable theory among
UFOlogists.  He also goes on at some length about the belief that the
"visitors" implant  memories of animals, particularly owls, as "cover"
memories within the minds of contactees to hide their activities.
It's easy to get skeptical about this sort of thing, but if you treat
it as a novel, it's really quite an entertaining and thought-provoking
read, and a real antidote to years of incredibly poor UFO books.
Whitley Strieber is far-removed from Erich VonDaniken and his ilk.
Incidentally, I'd also recommend the books "Mythago Wood", "Lavondyss"
and "The Bone Forest" by Robert Holdstock which also has some
intriguing parallels to Twin Peaks.  The story is about an ancient,
primal woodland and the mythological beings that emerge from it.  I
won't spoil some of the really cool stuff, but let it suffice to say
that TP fans will find much material to think about.

I'm also reminded of CS Lewis' idea that other worlds are populated by
the creatures of our mythology (Arthur C. Clarke used this idea as
well in "Childhood's End") which implies to me that conversely,
perhaps our world and its denizens form the basis of another world's
myths.  

   Wonderful post, by the way!  I truly enjoyed it.

Thank you.  It really pleases me that at some level, Lynch et al
decided to pursue some of these ideas.  I'm told that Mark Frost was
the one initially interested in pursuing some of the supernatural
angles but I think it's Lynch's approach of reducing these strange
beings and forces to very banal, almost mundane levels is what makes
it so fascinating.  

I'm also pretty much convinced that many of Lynch's films are further
examinations of these same ideas.  Wild at Heart in particular, is
full of images of fire, sinister Voodoo and other bits of business
that indicate that Lynch seems to be building an overall "world" that
his characters occupy.  Also remember Blue Velvet with "Frank" and his
mob and the weird dancing and singing that accompanied his activities.
Once again, a theme that runs through this stuff is that these evil
beings are frequently ordinary people who've somehow gotten caught up
in a bizarre form of destructive magic.  Obviously, the significance
of dreams is another theme.   There are less significant
(or at least on the surface) parallels as well, such as Lynch's
obsession with women crying hard and screwing up their faces in
sadness and horror and the less than pleasant theme that women who get
involved in kinky sex tend to suffer for it.  A less likely paralle,
though I'm not willing to toally dismiss it, is Frank's reliance on a
drug that while administered somewhat like Nitrous Oxide, is obviously
something else.  Could it be a gaseous form of haliperidol?  The role
of haliperidol in the TP world has never been adequately explained,
Gerard seems to use it to keep MIKE at bay, Windom Earle used it and
used it on Major Briggs (who promptly started to speak in riddles and
another language) and BOB gave it to Ronette Pulaski.  

I think that Laura and er, Dorothy (isn't that the name of Isabella
Rosselini's character?)  arevery similar.  We don't know how Dorothy
got involved, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was very much like
Laura and BOB, with Frank taking the BOB role.  Frank and BOB need
much more than to just do evil, they seem to draw strength from fear
and suffering, particularly that of women (though BOB obviously abused
Leland sexually and Frank humiliates Jeffrey with the lipstick as
well).  Frank also turns to Jeffrey at one point and says "You're
exactly like me", which is another strong parallel to TP in that it's
plainly obvious to all and sundry that Cooper obviously has the stuff
to be an evil entity - BOB doesn't simply possess people, he
insinuates himself into people's lives.  I think he plays up to the
aspects of his character that he recognizes in other people, hence BOB
saying, "Just like in Pittsburgh".  The parallel to Windom Earle here
goes without saying.

At this point, I hope that David Lynch makes at least one more TP
movie, but my stronger hope is that his subsequent movies (from what I
understand, Ronnie Rocket is next) continue to pursue thse ideas.
I've alwasy been mystified by the seeming lack of interest among TP
fans in Lynch's other movies.  I know hardcore TP fanatics who haven't
seen any other Lynch movies, and I really find that hard to believe,
given how many parallels there are.  

- Dan
--
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Dan Parmenter       |"I'm waiting for a time, when I can do without these  |
| dan@gnu.ai.mit.edu  | things that make me feel this way all of the time"   |
|                     |                            - Spiritualized           |
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From: kingsley@hpwrce.mayfield.hp.com (Kingsley Morse)
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 23:52:53 GMT
Subject: Please Help
Organization: HP Western Response Center