Abstract

The films of David Lynch are considered here in terms of their use of sound and the presence of sound technology within their narratives. Drawing on recent work in media theory, sound theory, Lynch criticism, and the philosophy of music, it is argued that approaching Lynch from the perspective of sound yields highly productive ways of understanding his work. It is demonstrated that Lynch's films illustrate an awareness of the development of sound technologies in the 20 th century and the effect these technologies have on human psychology. His obsession with phonograph turntables is a specific case in point. Lynch's films are also considered in terms of artistic traditions that have embraced the use of sound recording technology as instruments of music production, particularly late 20 th century sample-based art. The theoretical implications of sampling are considered in detail, and these implications are applied to detailed analyses of Lynch's works as a way of understanding his place in contemporary sampling culture. Finally, it is argued that Lynch's films explore the state of anxiety that has arisen around the technological separation of the senses of hearing and sight, both from each other and from their grounding in the human body. As such, his films explore the very birth of cinema itself, and how people have responded to a medium which takes the separation of the senses as its basic operating paradigm.