David Lynch: revered film-maker, avant-garde visionary, artist. But pop star? The suggestion is not as far-fetched as it may seem, as the legendary American director tomorrow makes an unexpected departure from his previous work and launches himself on an alternative career path as a writer and singer.
The creator of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive is releasing two debut singles, Good Day Today and I Know, through a British independent label. After a film career spanning more than four decades, Lynch told the Guardian that music has become a powerful inspiration in his life.
"I've always loved sounds and so I built a studio where I can experiment with sound, and gradually I started experimenting with music. I'm not a musician, but I love to experiment and try to make music," he said, speaking from his home in LA.
It is 20 years since Twin Peaks hit the small screen, a fact celebrated by the first UK Twin Peaks festival yesterday, but these days the 64-year-old likes to spend a part of every day in his custom-built studio. His first solo single, Good Day Today – a dreamlike electronic soundscape with a surprisingly poppy chorus, which features the director's vocals – came to him unprompted.
"I was just sitting and these notes came and then I went down and started working with Dean [Hurley, his engineer] and then these few notes, 'I want to have a good day, today' came and the song was built around that," he said. Unlike his famously ambiguous and non-linear films, the song is accessible and, he readily admits, has a catchy "feel-good chorus", with undertones of angsty electro-popsters Crystal Castles or veteran dance act Underworld. Why did he turn to electro for his first solo single? "Well, I love electricity so it sort of stands to reason that I would like electronics," he said.
Music is one of the director's longest standing passions. He worked for many years with his regular soundtrack partner Angelo Badalamenti, who he credits with "introducing me to the world of music", most notably on the album Floating Into The Night for singer Julee Cruise. It featured the Grammy-award-winning, and instantly recognisable theme tune to Twin Peaks, Falling. More recently he collaborated with the band Sparklehorse and producer Danger Mouse, providing photography and vocals for two tracks on the album Dark Night of the Soul, which was released in July, four months after Sparklehorse's frontman, Mark Linkous, tragically took his own life.
But will Lynch's foray into the music industry spell the end of his film-making career? "I'm not leaving film," Lynch said. "Music is a big part of film. Film has led me to so many different mediums, and film came out of painting. It's just that these days I've been more involved in music." His response to those who may say he is not a musician, and should stick to making films, is pragmatic. "Well, I should concentrate on films and I'm not a musician, so there is plenty of room for criticism," he deadpanned.
Although music may be his preferred medium of the moment, it has not replaced the other art forms in his life – films, photography, painting – nor does he feel it is more powerful. "[Music is] its own thing," he said. "A still photo can be mighty powerful, a film can be mighty powerful. The world you can make in a film is incredible. Music is something that goes inside a person and it does something and it can really thrill the soul. It's another magical medium."
Lynch's last film, Inland Empire, was made without a script, with actors handed new dialogue each day. Lynch described using a similar method for his music. "It's intuitive. Intuition is the number one tool. You act and react, you see and hear, you use that thing of intuition to go to the next step … it kind of goes like that," he said.
Lynch is releasing the two tracks, available from tomorrow on iTunes, with British independent label Sunday Best, founded 15 years ago by the Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank. The track had made it into the hands of co-director Ben Turner via influential west coast KCRW radio DJ Jason Bentley when the pair were in Ibiza, said Turner. "My initial reaction was – are you joking? But immediately you can hear it is his voice and he just shines through the music," he said. "It's a massive statement that someone this visionary has chosen electronic music to express himself."
Sunday Best snapped up the worldwide rights and CD packages, featuring art work from respected designer Vaughan Oliver, producer of sleeves for the Pixies and Cocteau Twins.
Lynch is modest in his desires for the single. Not everyone will like it, but he hopes that those that do will like it a lot, he said. "The music is the number one thing. Musicians in a room playing, they are as one. They are like children, they are so happy. It's great if it's a success but what's so great is the world of music."
Still, does he think it may yet shoot to the top of the charts? "Absolutely," he said. "With a bullet."
Hear Alexandra Topping's full interview with David Lynch here
Hollywood rocks
David Lynch is far from being the first Hollywood name to explore his inner rock star. Actor and director Tim Robbins released his debut album this year. The son of an American folk singer, he has been playing and writing songs for most of his life, but only released an album aged 51.
Everyone's favourite action hero Bruce Willis released his debut album, The Return of Bruno, an album of soul and R&B covers, in 1987. Critical acclaim may not have been forthcoming, but the record nonetheless managed to reach number 14 in the Billboard 200 album chart.
Juliette Lewis, star of Natural Born Killers and Cape Fear, launched a new career at the age of 35 as the front woman of Juliette and the Licks and later the New Romantiques. "Acting doesn't challenge me in the way that writing songs, leading a band, and designing things for our next record do," she said.
And who can forget William Shatner from Star Trek's contribution? His experimental spoken word version of the Beatles' Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds emerged in 1968.
George Clooney later included the track in his Desert Island Discs, explaining: "If you listen to this song, you will want to hollow out your own leg and make a canoe out of it to get off the island."