I recently discovered Ben Khan through a song called Youth that made it to the shortlist for Nighttime at the Roadhouse if only because of its Badalamenti-ish synth intro. So you can imagine my surprise when he released a music video for 1000 which basically takes places inside the Black Lodge. I reached out to the British musician to find out how the Twin Peaks inspired video came about.
I came to Yoni [Lappin] who directed this video with an idea of being at the mercy of a woman in my dreams. We both sent each other a picture of the Black Lodge at the same time, then watched the scene together and instantly connected over it. We liked the idea of taking an iconic setting for the mind and putting my subconscious into that room… Dream scenes in film are always so inspiring to me, this and a dream sequence from Rosemary’s Baby are two of my favorites.
—Ben Khan
Ben Khan – 1000
Don’t expect anything that sounds like Twin Peaks. Do expect a chevron floor pattern, red velvet curtains and a weird character snapping his fingers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgcQHfoxoag
It was very surreal to be in that set. I had strange dreams all week leading up to it, and past the shoot, all based in that room. So to be in there was weird, almost as if i had entered my own head, it was awkward and unsettling… I’m glad people recognize the source of inspiration for the video and understand the intention as I’ve been a fan of David Lynch since I saw Eraserhead.
—Ben Khan