David Lynch, a multifaceted artist known for his surreal films, has consistently explored the dark underbelly of the human psyche and the deceptive nature of appearances. Throughout his filmography, certain motifs and character archetypes recur, weaving a complex web of interconnected themes. One such enigmatic element is the character of Judy, a figure shrouded in mystery and open to various interpretations. This article delves into the potential origins and evolution of Judy, drawing connections between seemingly disparate characters and themes within Lynch's works, including the evolution of David Lynch's hairstyle, and the recurring motif of the blonde wig, to reveal the deeper meanings behind this elusive figure.
Judy is an enigmatic character, a point of extreme interest for some die-hard Twin Peaks fans. Researchers have managed to uncover her original identity as Josie Packard’s sister and Phillip Jeffries’ informant. But is Judy more than just a character cut out of Fire Walk With Me for time? There are still many unanswered questions about her: For one, why does the monkey whisper her name? And how does she know about the existence of the Black Lodge?
One theory suggests that Judy is not merely a character but a symbol, a representation of the dark side of Hollywood and the tragic fate of those who chase fame and fortune. This theory posits that we have actually seen Judy much more than we originally thought.
The story of Nico, a woman who has fallen into prostitution and drug addiction, offers a disturbing parallel to the potential symbolism of Judy. Nico’s friend describes her as wearing a blonde wig that makes her look "just like a movie star." Despite her beauty, both inside and out, Nico is suffering from a severe health issue and faces a grim future.
Right off the bat, we can say that Judy and Nico have two things in common: 1) We know very little about them, but 2) we know they are both associated with monkeys, for whatever reason.
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The similarities between Nico and the potential symbolism of Judy become even more striking when considering the recurring motif of the blonde wig in Lynch's works.
In Mulholland Drive, the character of Rita, played by Laura Harring, embodies the allure and mystery of Hollywood. Rita looks just like movie star Rita Hayworth, and wears a blonde wig. Even women have been known to fall in love with Rita when she’s looking so good in her blonde star wig.
Rita may also be associated with the character of Diane Selwyn; a would-be movie starlet who had to resort to prostitution and maybe even drugs when her career fails.
The blonde wig serves as a disguise, a mask that conceals Rita's true identity and the dark secrets she holds. This motif reinforces the idea that appearances can be deceiving and that the glamorous facade of Hollywood often hides a world of pain and exploitation.
Many fans have debated about the film, its meaning, and the story behind its characters, and there are too many theories to recount in one place, but there is one I’d like to bring up at this point, and that is the theory that Camilla Rhodes was inspired by Lynch’s former girlfriend, actress Isabella Rossellini. Both Rossellini and Camilla are “exotic” actresses with dark hair, and they both dated well-known directors (Adam Kesher, played by Justin Theroux in Mulholland Drive, seems almost like a self-written parody of Lynch).
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Before Josie Packard was played by Joan Chen, Lynch had written the part, originally named Giovanna, for Rossellini. She was, of course, Italian-American as opposed to Asian-American. But when Rossellini backed out of the project, Lynch re-worked the part and cast Chen instead.
Rossellini's presence in Lynch's life and work further solidifies the connection between the character of Judy and the themes of Hollywood tragedy and the exploitation of actresses.
Lynch’s fascination for the story of The Wizard of Oz is well-known among his fans, and it has been made evident again and again in his works. The motif of a girl traveling to a strange world, full of both magic and horror, is one that Lynch emulates in almost every one of his films. Sometimes the symbolism is even more blatant, such as having a character named Dorothy wear red shoes (Blue Velvet), or having Major Garland Briggs mention Judy Garland’s name in relation to his own (Twin Peaks).
Garland is, in many ways, the perfect symbol of the wonder and tragedy of Hollywood, a subject that Lynch is passionate about: Born Frances Ethel Gumm, “Judy” was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when she was only thirteen, and played the famous role of Dorothy Gale three years later. She was originally supposed to wear a blond wig for the part, but ultimately the producers decided against it.
Her many years in show business were plagued with woe: She suffered various heartbreaks, including a time when MGM forced her into a divorce, and potentially pressured her into having an abortion for the sake of her career. She eventually married director Vincente Minelli, with whom she had her daughter, Liza Minelli. The stress of living always in the public eye ate away at Garland, driving her to multiple suicide attempts, stays at mental wards, and addiction to morphine, alcohol and barbiturates.
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This dark, tragic life, full of turmoil and a sense of hopelessness, is such a jarring juxtaposition to the roles she was most famous for: Happy, bright young girls, always singing and dancing and full of cheer.
Garland's story serves as a cautionary tale about the dark side of Hollywood and the price of fame. Her struggles with addiction, mental health, and exploitation resonate with the themes explored in Lynch's films, suggesting that Judy may be a composite of Garland's tragic persona.
Let’s look at the evolution of the character: Lynch, inspired by the story of Judy Garland, creates the character Dorothy Vallens, played by Isabella Rossellini, who notably wears red shoes. He writes the role of Italian-American “Giovanna” for Rossellini, but she decides to pass up the role. The role is rewritten as Chinese-American “Josie” and goes to Joan Chen. When Rossellini is cast in Wild At Heart, a movie filled with Wizard of Oz references, Lynch consciously or subconsciously dresses her in a blonde wig, a reference to the early wardrobe plans for Garland’s Dorothy.
The early drafts of Fire Walk With Me are written, featuring a character named Judy; Josie’s sister, who seems to know the secrets of other worlds, and may even know how to get into them. After multiple drafts, Judy is mostly cut from the script, but in the film we still see the blue-lit face of a monkey whispering “Judy.”
After a period of tempestuous reinvention, Mulholland Drive is released as a feature film, with Laura Elena Harring playing the exotic and seductive actress Camilla Rhodes, whose alter-ego “Rita” disguises her Hayworth-esque appearance with a short blonde wig. She is so beautiful, she both men and women fall head-over-heels in love with her. Naomi Watts plays Diane Selwyn, a failed actress who resorts to prostitution and possibly drugs just to survive in Hollywood.
Years later, Inland Empire tells the story of Nikki Grace, a Hollywood actress, apparently past her prime and hoping for a comeback. She eventually slips into another world, where we meet her alter-ego Sue, who is a prostitute in Hollywood, and at one time opines “All I can see from here is blue tomorrows,” a possible reference to the Judy Garland quote. She is stabbed on the corner of Hollywood and Vine, where she staggers past a partially-obscured star on the Walk of Fame: Only the name “Dorothy” is visible.
From Dorothy to Josie to Rita to Nikki, the character of Judy has evolved and taken on different forms throughout Lynch's filmography, each iteration reflecting a different aspect of the dark side of Hollywood.
While the character of Judy and the blonde wig motif offer insights into Lynch's thematic concerns, it's also interesting to consider David Lynch's hairstyle evolution as a reflection of his creative transformation.
Rain Phoenix: It's so nice to see you. My god, you get more handsome every time I see you-you shaved! Although I loved the beard, it's so nice to see your whole face.
David Lynch: I grew the beard because-why did I grow the beard? I guess I got tired of shaving and it just gathered up and, you know, I couldn't get a haircut because of the pandemic.
His decision to grow a beard during the pandemic may have been a practical one, but it also coincided with a period of introspection and creative exploration. Similarly, his decision to shave the beard could be seen as a symbolic shedding of the old and an embrace of the new.
After initially being inspired by the story of Judy Garland, who was born Ethel, became Dorothy on the screen, and was Judy to the public, Lynch carried the character of “Judy” with him, and, as with any character that is destined to be, she took on a life of her own: Showing the dark, seedy truth covered up by the glamor of Hollywood and its promise of fame and fortune. It is a place where magic and beauty can be made, but it is at the expense of millions who try and fail to become a part of it, and often fall into the underground world of drugs and prostitution, and those who do make it have taken hold of a double-edged sword. It is a stark balance between light and dark, horror and beauty, power and poverty, fame and obscurity, painful truths and attractive lies.
Los Angeles, the city where Lynch has resided for the last half-century, serves as the perfect backdrop for his exploration of these themes. The city's allure and its dark underbelly provide a fertile ground for his surrealist works, such as Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive.
Rain Phoenix: Having lived here 50-plus years I imagine you’ve seen a lot of change in LA?
David: It used to be that in different parts of America, they went for this kind of music here, or they went for this kind here, or they dress a certain way and over here in California, they dress in a completely different way. And over the years it's become more homogenous. So all these things that were supposedly unique to this place, all the places sort of began to look the same. And it's a bit depressing in a way. These differences are just gone, and very few people remember the way things used to be. Los Angeles had many places that you could say, “I'm in the ’30s.” I never lived in the ’30s, but I had a feeling that this could be like the ’30s, Depression era, the Little Rascals comedies-there were lumber mills right in the middle of the city. There were old fantastic hardware stores that had tons of things-you don't find anything like it at any hardware store anymore. And now all the places are kind of the same, and everything is way more expensive. Yet there's still places where…if you go at night, and you go at a certain time in the late spring, and you smell the night blooming jasmine in a certain part of LA, your memory or imagined Golden Age of Hollywood will come back. Clark Gable will be out there. Marilyn Monroe will be walking, and all these people will be here and floating with you. All these things are still here.
Lynch's observations about the changing landscape of Los Angeles reflect his deep connection to the city and his fascination with its past.
In contrast to the darkness and chaos often depicted in his films, Lynch is a fervent advocate for Transcendental Meditation (TM).
David: It's very important that we're talking, Rain, because I just feel I've got a responsibility to talk about this business of consciousness and how important it is that people begin to appreciate what’s going on in this world in terms of consciousness-and what’s going on to make this world a much, much better place, a peaceful, happy, beautiful place. I just think people have got to know about this.
“The physical is born out of consciousness, not the other way around. This cup of coffee is consciousness. FLOOD Magazine is consciousness, Rain is consciousness, David is consciousness, and everything is consciousness.”
Not so long ago, people thought the world was flat, and it took a long time for people to come around to the fact that the earth is round and it's not the center of the universe. Similarly, scientists and philosophers have thought that consciousness is born out of the physical. But now we have to get ready for another big switcheroo. The truth is, consciousness alone is… The physical is born out of consciousness, not the other way around. This cup of coffee is consciousness. FLOOD Magazine is consciousness, Rain is consciousness, David is consciousness, and everything is consciousness. This is the beginning of the thinking of the way that things are. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from the Vedic tradition of masters, he brought the technologies of Transcendental Meditation to allow a human being to transcend, he brought out this knowledge to enliven this field and bring unity and peace to the collective consciousness to the world. Huge, gigantic, life-changing technologies.
He believes that TM can help individuals access a deeper level of consciousness and find inner peace, even amidst the chaos of the world.
David: No, I'm more like a loner. I've almost been meditating with Transcendental Meditation for 50 years. If I make it to 2023, it'll be 50 years. So that has made me like people way more than I used to. And, um, actually, I almost love people-not quite, but almost love people. I just think I almost love the whole show, the whole world.
Lynch's commitment to TM suggests that even in his exploration of the darkest aspects of human existence, he maintains a sense of hope and a belief in the power of the human spirit.
Filmmaker, painter, visual artist, musician-David Lynch is all of these things.
Beyond his film work, Lynch is also an accomplished painter, sculptor, and photographer. His fine art pieces often reflect the same surreal and unsettling themes found in his films.
David: I design it and I do the woodwork and resin parts. Alfredo does the metal work.
David: It's a red Christmas tree bulb at the top, and this red light is…I equated it with a light that is conducive to love making. Because it's a little light, too, it's dark enough and the right color of darkness to theoretically get lost in a dream.
His embrace of different mediums allows him to express his creative vision in a variety of ways, further enriching his artistic legacy.
Lynch's willingness to experiment with new technologies, such as Photoshop and NFTs, demonstrates his openness to innovation and his desire to connect with audiences in new ways.
David: There is a book called 1000 Nudes. Most of them were anonymous. And this book was put together by a German man [Uwe Scheid]. And first of all, it took me quite a while to get going on a computer. My friends one time took me to a place and set me in front of a computer and opened up Photoshop. Then they said, “Click on this tool here.” So I clicked on this clone tool, and I started clicking and moving. I just…whoever the people are that designed and made Photoshop, I am forever thankful to them. This is a miracle. And I only know the tip of the iceberg-I would like to know way more, but what you can do with just the tip of the iceberg is just so phenomenal and beautiful. And the first thing I did with Photoshop was the distorted nudes. And I would scan those nude photos from the book and then go to work on them with Photoshop. I had the greatest time. Then I wrote to the German man and asked permission and he said fine.
David: I did one with the group Interpol, but I still don't know… A lot of people got upset with me for, you know, doing an NFT. Here's the thing: it does take some kind of energy to do it. There’s ways that it doesn’t do that, but I'm looking into it. If I do more NFTs, I’m looking into ways that it doesn't hurt anybody. The jury is still out on what an NFT is and if there’s even anything to them. We'll see.
His exploration of NFTs, despite the controversy surrounding them, highlights his commitment to pushing boundaries and exploring the potential of new artistic mediums.
David: If we had several hours, I couldn't say enough good things about wood. It's unbelievable how this wood is. All different types of wood, how they're all different, but when you think about it-the way that we use the wood and how you can drive a nail into it, or you can cut it with a saw, and the smell…
Lynch's passion for woodworking reveals a deep appreciation for the tangible and the tactile. His connection to wood, a natural and organic material, provides a grounding counterpoint to the often-surreal and unsettling themes of his films.
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