Always enchanted with small town characters and settings, David Lynch’s latest project perfectly employs the modus operandi of most lasting, compelling non-fiction: let people tell their own stories.
The original 2010 Webby Award winning project took place over 70 days, during which Austin Lynch and David S. collected footage for 121 episodes that were released one at a time every three days for a year. Currently the team is filming and releasing installments to the Interview Project in Germany, which follows the same strategy.
Austin Lynch is David Lynch‘s son, producing and providing the introduction to each episode. The interview is nearly always shot where the interviewee was found by the crew, which lends to the authenticity.
There is an ethereal quality to the body of work, which often encapsulates the ambience of the scene – passing cars, rustling trees, falling leaves – without missing a beat in the interview.
According to an interview with the interviewers, most participants were found on the side of the road while the team traveled through America and Germany.
More than anything, it allows people to speak their minds and share their voices. Judging purely based on appearance (which can, no doubt, be problematic) most of these people probably have little to no idea who David Lynch is. ”Eraserhead” probably isn’t their favorite black and white, nor is “Twin Peaks” their choice television series.
Many of the interviewees have never left their small town, and have that strange, warped sense of their surroundings that only comes with such a miniscule milieu.
They are, however, unwittingly part of a long line of excellent work by the producer/director/writer/actor.
Interviews are an art-form—just ask any journalist. It’s difficult to get beyond the rigamarole of what someone wants you to hear and to have them discover something about themselves during the process.
The Interview Project doesn’t always succeed in doing this, but sometimes it does, and that transcendence is rare enough to merit praise.
Whether you’re a writer looking for stories from authentic voices, or a curious person who likes to hear other people schmooze about life in a genuine manner, check out the Interview Project.
Even if you just like David Lynch (after all, the guy’s a heartthrob), check out the Interview Project, especially the newer episodes in Germany.
From the original series, Clinton, who loves Stevie Nix:
