11 Reasons Why 2011 Was A Damn Fine Year For Twin Peaks Fans

2011 has been, excuse me, a damn fine year for Twin Peaks fans. Do I need to remind you why? Sure, happy to oblige. Distilled from many more, here are 11 facts to prove my statement.

11. Early 2011, both seasons of Twin Peaks were added to the web’s most popular instant video streaming service, Netflix, introducing the show to a whole new generation of fans in the U.S., Canada, and many other countries. Plenty of people agree that the ’90s show has withstood the test of time.

10. Laura Palmer’s secret diary, “as seen by” Jennifer Lynch, was re-released and two decades later, it’s still a thrilling read. The good news: David Lynch and Mark Frost added a foreword. The bad news: the torn out pages are still missing.

9. Thanks to the many stories revived due to the 25th anniversary of Blue Velvet, we learned that the ear from Blue Velvet appeared in Twin Peaks and that it had some of David Lynch’s own hair on it! Without a doubt, the best Twin Peaks trivia uncovered in 2011.

8. Talking about the man’s hairdo, 2011 brought us the visual confirmation of the age old theory that David Lynch’s hair is pure art. Will Lynch’s hairdresser please stand up?

7. A wonderful set of photos taken by Richard “Ben Horne” Beymer behind the final scenes in the Black Lodge have been made available for our enjoyment and purchase. If only we could afford them all.

6. Not only was the Twin Peaks soundtrack chosen by NME, a popular music publication from the United Kingdom, as the best soundtrack ever made, but Angelo Badalamenti was also rewarded with ASCAP’s Henry Mancini Award 2011! Go, go, Angelo! And I’m really hoping to see you play live sometime in 2012.

5. The In The Trees: Twin Peaks 20th Anniversary Art Exhibition produced brand new, officially licensed Twin Peaks merchandise such as Double R coffee mugs, The Great Northern stationary and a map of Twin Peaks painted by David Lynch.

4. One day you’re dreaming of an 8-bit pixel action or adventure game based on Twin Peaks, the next day some rockstar coder cooks up a freeware game called Black Lodge 2600 for Mac and PC. And fans are loving it!

3. Over the course of 2011, over one hundred previously unreleased songs from the series and the movie were made available for purchase through davidlynch.com’s Twin Peaks Archive. Every time a new track or bundle was released, it felt like Christmas.

2. Making paintings and sculptures, directing a Duran Duran concert, an Interpol music video, a Dom Pérignon ad, a short movie and a trailer, fixing up over 50 minutes of Blue Velvet deleted scenes, doing photography, designing and curating a nightclub called Silencio, releasing a debut album and producing one… Most people retire at 65. David Lynch? Not so much!

1. What absolutely made 2011 were all the Twin Peaks events around the world, “keeping the log burning” 20+ years after the show first aired: screenings, parties, exhibitions, burlesque nights and, of course, both Twin Peaks festivals in the US (with Ray Wise doing the Leland shuffle) and the UK. Lots of love to all organizers and attendees!

Sadly, the beloved actress Frances Bay passed away in September 2011. May you rest in piece forever, Mrs. Tremond.

So, what’s in store for 2012? The 20th anniversary of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, that’s for sure! Will we finally get to see the movie’s many deleted scenes? Either way, it’s going to be another exciting year for us. Stay tuned!