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…to impeach Trump would render a “Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal.” Hyperbole is Trump’s native tongue, but, even by that standard, it was a wildly grandiose claim to argue that not only would his impeachment echo throughout the nation a hundred and fifty-four years from now but also that American politics would continue to grapple with the implications of who stood on which side of the question, and museums and entire fields of scholarship would be devoted to helping the country understand the roots of such a catastrophe. The entire narcissistic arc of the President’s public life can be understood as a quest to force the world to reckon with Trump as a man of consequence, even if he is, in fact, a man bereft of ideas and original thought.

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Ghosts of the future

I think of the United Nations scientists who declared last year that we had just over a decade to get climate change under control, and the officials meeting in Madrid this month who have fallen far short of the commitments needed to make that happen.

Life on Earth has been evolving for nearly 4 billion years. Yet only now, as the geological clock strikes midnight, is there a creature capable of looking back at that history and appreciating it. Only now, as our own actions imperil this extraordinary and singular planet, do humans have a chance to comprehend all that is about to be lost.

What a profound responsibility that is. What a beautiful gift.

[thepeakmoment]

Martin Scorsese responding to his Marvel is not cinema opinion in NYTimes.

“Some say that Hitchcock’s pictures had a sameness to them, and perhaps that’s true — Hitchcock himself wondered about it. But the sameness of today’s franchise pictures is something else again. Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes.

They are sequels in name but they are remakes in spirit, and everything in them is officially sanctioned because it can’t really be any other way. That’s the nature of modern film franchises: market-researched, audience-tested, vetted, modified, revetted and remodified until they’re ready for consumption.”

To me, this gets right to the heart of the argument.

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Some of the top journalists covering misinformation today look less like reporters and more like cyber investigators, combining new technologies with old-school journalism principles to outsmart the trolls working to undermine them ahead of the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The troll playbook has shifted since the last election, when fringe internet actors sought to sow discord by spreading divisive messages. Today, their main focus is to discredit the news media, often by uncovering potentially harmful information about journalists or by tricking them into reporting false information.

https://www.axios.com/reporters-trolls-news-media-misinformation-ae4a6e2a-1266-49bd-838e-d519588c66cf.html

[thepeakmoment]

No revelations of The Return mystery, but always great to see a new Peaks article.

[thepeakmoment]

The Clock Is Ticking on Apple Buying a Content Company

Tim Goodman writing in The Hollywood Reporter about Apple beefing up video-on-demand content:

Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO (whether via cable subscription or HBO Now) are the absolute essentials for TV watchers. You can add in whatever else you might want — Acorn, BritBox, CBS All Access, FilmStruck, Sundance Now, the new streaming options from AMC and FX, etc. So many options in what is unarguably the future of TV.

Great overview and current VOD streaming as the emerging new mainstream of content viewing. Absolute essentials for me are services that are continuously subscribed. Adding whatever else you might want for me takes the form of alternating subscriptions so only 4 or 5 services are subbed at a time. Thus, watching HBO for a couple of months, then replacing with Showtime — get all caught up on that before rotating to another service. Such a scenario moves us closer to an a-la-carte option for consuming TV fare. We may be paying the same as cable/satellite each month when all said and done, but now we can watch only what we want. Finally!

Disney and Apple are poised to be the next new essentials, but they need to be commercial-free to be genuinely considered as essential viewing. Why subscribe to any service unless it is entirely without commercial interruption? I think people overlook this component of Peak TV viewing, it's possible to rid all commercials in this VOD environment, even if paying a few extra dollars each month for commercial-free delivery. (Sports is another matter, I’m more toleratant of being interrupted for live unscripted fare.)

I don’t know if YouTube Premium could become essential viewing with current series and productions by big-name YouTubers. There is an infinite amount of video content that is already free, it’ll be difficult to match the build up of legitimate A-list talent — even B-list talent — and integrate with exclusive/original content. Google can afford it but then they would need to invest in a new division within Alphabet, and the know-how of operating it effectively.

[thepeakmoment]

Twin Peaks - Return Sounds 013 (55:54)

Download | PDF Tracklist

This is a deep dive into the world of David Lynch's sound design in The Return engineered by Dean Hurley. I started this mix right after Dean Hurley released Anthology Resource Vol. 1 — showcasing his original ambient music contributions featured in TR — and wanted to pair it with their earlier 2007 collaboration, The Air is on Fire, where Slow 30's Room in Part 8 originated from. I added other Peaks influenced music in the mix as well as more Johnny Jewel. There have been several classic segments of Badalamenti's original score in TR mix, so I conjured some of the Slow Speed and similar tracks from TP and sprinkled throughout, evoking a sonic identity drawn from both classic and Return elements.

David Lynch loves factories, or rather, he loves what factories are made of: “I love smoke. I love fire. I love metal. I love glass. I love plaster. I love bricks.” —theparisreview.org/blog/2014/04/30

--- Peak moment: Unease in the Woods Coffee blend: Angelo | David | Dean

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TWIN PEAKS: STREET ART TIME LAPSE

Fans gathered in the streets of Portland, OR as artist Nate Baranowski created a 3D anamorphic version of the Twin Peaks Red Room

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I think there’s a David Bowie quote that says, “The happiest I’ve been is when I’m not thinking about my audience.” Something like that. He has no rules when he’s making this stuff, and it’s refreshing. And it can be a lot of cartwheels in the process of trying to figure things out, because it’s hard to anticipate what he’s thinking, but overall the no-rules thing is incredibly liberating.

Dean Hurley interview on Rhino

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Part of Lynch’s evolution as a filmmaker and music fan means that he’s recontextualizing jazz and electronic music in the new iteration of Twin Peaks, too, although the way that he worked with composer Angelo Badalamenti was largely the same. “When there was a script, that’s when David first started wanting to work with Angelo,” Hurley says. “And like they’d always done: work on music before they shot anything proper.” The two sussed out a contemporary way of doing that, by setting up a connection between Lynch’s Los Angeles studio and Badalamenti’s studio in New Jersey, coupled with a simultaneous Skype feed. “Whatever Angelo played in his studio would come through our mains as if he was here, so that was really really cool,” Hurley says. “They work together in a really fast and productive way. So it was just starting to build a library: You have all these new themes and ideas about where the story’s going to go and David would have a hot sheet of these one-word descriptors, these building blocks he was wanting to get, and throwing out all these descriptions to Angelo and walking him through things to try to get that material.

Paula Mejia | Vulture

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(artbythor)

[thepeakmoment]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-YD-ITSs6s)

Inspiration for the Red Room, The Box Room, White Lodge.

[thepeakmoment]

Video Essay: Short-Circuit: A "Twin Peaks" System

An audiovisual essay and text dedicated to the system of light and communication in "Twin Peaks".

[thepeakmoment]

Gooch: You could be honest with me here Thor, so what do you really think of the Diane character? Not Laura Dern or anything about that, but the character?

I don't know why she's so angry. At first I thought she's a victim of sexual assault by Mr C. But now I don't know after getting that text from him. Also, why is she decked in silk oriental style? What was her title when receiving tapes from Dale?

I don't think she ever had a title But then again I didn't know she was texting with Mr. C. I am just not catching anything in these episodes ha ha I guess I should be making stronger coffee for these viewings

Mr C texted "at the dinner table the conversation is lively" on his burner phone before Tim Roth shot it. Later while Tammy is interviewing Hastings, Diane reads that text on her phone. According to Dom, he said the two texts are slightly different, namely Cooper's text is all caps and Diane's received text is upper/lowercase.

That was Tim Roth? Lol. I give up....

You are too funny… Any correspondence with Dom? I have not heard from him for nearly 20 days now

Yea. Was texting with him yesterday Re: the spiderman movie.

Have you seen Arrival? I'm really looking forward to seeing that, I hear it is a really great intelligent movie. And I believe it has a killer soundtrack. … The same guy who is doing the new Blade Runner [Jóhann Jóhannsson].

I tried to watch it a couple times. Fell asleep. Seems that is my biggest problem with watching TV now, everything puts me to sleep. Maybe that's why I have been going to the theater more. I do remember you were talking about the composer but I don't recall the music. Seems I am just an old stuck in the mud now.

Well, good I'm glad you're getting out some. I cannot seem to justify the price of movie tickets in our days, and I'm sure it's a good five dollars more where you live [in LA]. I only go to a few select films each year, mostly Star Wars — or I should say only Star Wars — and now that I'm living in New Hampshire I want to go see that in IMAX. Viewing "Game of Thrones" might get you back into being more alert and attentive while viewing TV. That is such a magnificent series, I envy the time when you finally get to it with virgin eyes. Will be interesting to see how The Return is packaged for DVD release. I guess they just announced FWWM to be released in the Criterion Collection.

I honestly have not one drop of interest in Game of Thrones You don't have to tell Domi that. Lol. But that's just me. I don't seem to like the big huge popular shows. I couldn't stand "the Sopranos" I don't think they announced it but the Internet has drawn conclusions from some evidence out there that it might be a criterion release at some point. So they must have a big plan to roll out probably a huge box set of the entire series in the movie And yeah I noticed that all of the Twin Peaks episodes expire September 26

Hmmm, curious. Lynch has said it is a long 18-hour movie. I guess that qualifies as a cinematic film release, thus Criterion eligible.

Breaking bad was pretty good for the first two seasons but it got convoluted and turned into just a series of character monologues and was kind of boring kind of picked up at the end Yeah I can see Dom reacting like I do sometimes And that is not to say that I didn't try to watch Game of Thrones or the Sopranos or curb your enthusiasm or homeland. I at least try them out. I just didn't like them.…

I thought BB was better with each progression season. I thought season two was a masterpiece season, and felt each season there after got more intense just like Walter getting more "breaking bad." Very rich character studies all the way around. And Saul is even better than BB. Perhaps it's because it's the only surviving series, but I see it as more mature than Bad.

There is a trend that a lot of shows follow building their main character as an antihero and often for me they go too far. I ended up [hating] Walter White. And I guess that's what they wanted me to do but honestly it made me not like the show That's what they're doing with Diane They have struck the perfect balance with the two Cooper's maybe because there are two of them ha ha Walter White/Diane have absolutely no redeeming qualities that make them a character I am invested in and want to care about

Yeah, there is so much prime TV now that it's perfectly justifiable to not watch every single A+ rated series. There is no harm or foul in not viewing everything. It is enough to find a series that we like and enjoy, and that's the end of it rather than making sure everyone else knows about it and designate as most view TV.

Again I'm an old fart, but I miss the days of three networks and HBO and that was it ha ha You know what makes the Mona Lisa an incredible painting? Because there is only one. Now every network has five hit shows that you must see. Whatever... i'll wait for the next Mona Lisa And this summer is Mona Lisa… Baby Driver. Now that's a reason to see movies in the theater, going to be the best soundtrack since the peak soundtracks came out ha ha

Yes, I read a little blurb recently how baby driver soundtrack is re-creating the soundtrack, Or somesuch. I remember the word remix in the headline.… I also hear the new planet of the apes is very good, how there's a moment that transcends cinema, I think it was some scene where humans are victorious over something while all the apes were watching and stunned at violent human nature. Something like that… It's too bad the movies are relying on tent pole franchise action hero comic book fare. None of that stuff really interests me, case in point: why are they rebooting Spiderman for the fourth time? And now another "The Batman"…. That is the chief reason why I am home bound watching many TV series, mostly dramas, because all the movie talent is going over to TV to tell longer, richer, more in depth and interesting stories than what can be told in a 90–120 minute feature. And cinematic production value has carried over into TV because that's where movie A listers have migrated.

Yeah four out of 10 movies I've seen this summer or comic book based. And on the surface I agree that Spiderman is rebooting again, but now I think maybe we are using that term too much. We didn't say they rebooted James Bond when they changed from Sean Connery to Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton to Pierce Brosnan it was always just James Bond So there's a new Spiderman after but kind of still it's just Spiderman Bond didn't get the reboot moniker until they change the tone completely with the new guy Well we'll see if Tom Hanks finally returns to television ha ha But I ain't holding my breath. Lol More like C & B listers, The A-listers are not going to be on the little screen. Because TV can't afford a $20 million paycheck. Pit, Cruise, Roberts, Pacino, Clooney

Yes, A-list actors may not find their way into TV series as easy but that is definitely changing because there are many A-list people who have found – Spacey, Thornton, Hopkins, and many UK acting talent. Yes, and like comic book serials, new storylines are created after one ends. So a reboot is just another term for a new story being introduced. I would like to see more movie trilogies as a way to counter the glut of TV programming. Which is why I do like Star Wars, because it is a continuing storyline.

So you're saying as well that reboot is a misused term? We have a reboot, we have a remake, we have a sequel, we have a prequel. Twin Peaks was supposed to be a sequel but is really a reboot I found a discussion about all of these terms last year I wish I knew where it was. All four categories have very specific elements that make them what they are There are always exceptions to the rule of course, MASH the TV series was a sequel and a reboot Maybe that's more like what Twin Peaks is

Yes, "reboot" is much overused, if not wrongly used. I believe TR is a sequel, but the media brands it as a reboot. I guess both are correct but technically it is a sequal – it is 25 years later in a continuing storyline.

Now Battlestar Galactica, maybe the greatest fucking television show in the last 20 years, was a 100% reboot and 100% successful and should be the shining example of how to do a reboot well

I'm still working my way through the new Battlestar Galactica. It is very good… maybe we should compile our own list of enjoyable shows etc.

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Twin Peaks - Return Montage

In keeping with the previous Peaks influence mixes, this one features Johnny Jewel who perfectly exemplifies original soundscapes that play well to Angelo Badalamenti, whose music I have missed the most through the first 10 parts of The Return. Hearing "Windswept" at the ending of Part 4, I thought for sure that track was the first recognizable all-new Badalamenti composition in TR. I was surprised that it was Johnny Jewel, whom I hadn't heard of. I went to his Soundcloud page and played the feed continuously half the day — lots of great soundtrack fodder. There are many Peaks sounding arrangements well suited for a TP soundtrack, and his collaboration with Chromatics and Glass Candy are in the same Roadhouse as Julee Cruise. This mix evolved out of his recent work and working them into Return soundtrack elements posted on YouTube, wanting to tease out the sound from image to hear Lynch's superb sound design.

I wanted to isolate Lynch's industrial sounds rather than his remixes of "American Woman" or rework of Penderecki's "Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima," I figure those might appear in the forthcoming official soundtrack release. Lynch's exquisite soundscape of Cooper's free fall from the Lodge to The Box Room and into the Purple Room is beautiful noise to me — the sublte layers of sounds punctured with harsh dissonant textures.… Dean Hurley mentioned in the KEXP interview that Johnny Jewel gave Lynch some of his recent work to sample and use in TR in any way he saw fit with no obligation to use. So far, through the first 10 parts, there are (3) tracks Lynch has selected.

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Return moment : Mauve Zone Coffee blends : Angelo + Johnny

Download

01 - Johnny Jewel with Symmetry - Television Snow 02 - Johnny Jewel - Insomnia 03 - Search for the Zone (Website) - electrical_interference_1.wav 04 - Johnny Jewel - The Other Side of Midnight 05 - Twin Peaks - Mauve Zone | Cooper and The Eyeless Woman | The Box Scene (220) Cinescene 06 - Twin Peaks - Coopers Escape From Wet Paperbag | BOB and Evil Cooper in Jail 07 - Search for the Zone - electrical_interference_2.wav 08 - Angelo Badalamenti - Collision Scene (720) Cinescene 09 - Johnny Jewel - The Other Side of Midnight | Strobe Lights 10 - Twin Peaks - The Convenience Store 11 - David Lynch and Dean Hurley - VII. Interior | vortex 44100 2.wav 12 - Johnny Jewel - The Other Side of Midnight 13 - Twin Peaks - Ray Shot Evil Cooper | Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata Slowed Down 14 - Johnny Jewel - The Other Side of Midnight 15 - Johnny Jewel with Glass Candy - Motel 16 - Johnny Jewel - Slow Dreams > The Flame 17 - Angelo Badalamenti - The Chair Soundtrack Cinescene 18 - Johnny Jewel with Heaven - Heaven

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(KEXP)