Izzy Writes

For film lovers around the world, the year began with a heavy loss when legendary cult filmmaker David Lynch passed away in January at the age of 78. The mind behind films such as Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, and Blue Velvet, he was known for his visually stunning and macabre work. He became beloved not only by film lovers but also by the queer community.

Inspired by his legacy and the impact his art has had on the queer community, local drag artist Mink Hole hosted a David Lynch tribute drag show at Bryant Lake Bowl in Uptown on August 22. While it sounds niche, the show proved to be a hit, selling out tickets.

“I first got the idea to do the show after seeing the outpouring of tributes to David Lynch and his work following his passing,” Hole said. “There’s a lot of media that isn’t necessarily “queer” but is still beloved and very canonical among the queer community, and I think David Lynch is a great example of an artist like that.”

Mink Hole pitched this event in May and finally got the green light to start planning and casting the show in June.

“Bryant Lake Bowl has been an incredible venue to work with, and getting to incorporate their theater and space into the themes and nature of the show has been so cool,” Hole said.

From starting off the show with an Eraserhead number to the sound of Mitski’s “I Bet on Losing Dogs” to Laura’s angel from Twin Peaks singing out “Just Call Me Angel in the Morning,” the show was definitely something Lynch would have enjoyed.

“I thought this show would be the perfect opportunity to challenge myself and also do something I know I’m good at. Second, I love making disgustingly nasty props. What’s grosser than the Eraserhead baby? Not much!” Drag performer WYRMWOOD said about his Eraserhead performance.

While the aesthetic and absurdity of David Lynch’s work, such as Eraserhead, may cause outsiders to judge his work as mere abstract art fodder, WYRMWOOD suggests that the themes throughout the movie are those that audience members can connect to all too well.

“The main themes are the anxiety surrounding parenthood and the fear of responsibility. Many of us have the distinct anxiety that we are running out of time,” WYRMWOOD said. “I think David Lynch tapped into a persistent sense of unease, both with the abstract form of the movie and the themes he intertwines with the story, to create a film that transcends time and touches, perhaps subconsciously, on the human psyche.”

The show was sold out, and the audience was a mix of die-hard David Lynch fans and those who had never seen his work, but were frequent attendees of drag shows. During intermission, a costume contest was held, allowing Lynch fans to dress up as their favorite characters. The winner received a gift card to Bryant Bowl.

“I originally was a fan of Twin Peaks, which was my first introduction to David Lynch. I fell in love with the content of the show, and I nerd out really hard,” JLo said, after she won the costume contest dressed as the body of Laura Palmer wrapped in plastic. According to her, the costume took three days to construct, saying making costumes is “not for the weak of heart.”

“[Lynch’s work] was supposed to be abstract. And it shows where our culture is in media, that we demand the ending and need certain comforts. [The show] was so cool, and it led me down the rabbit hole of David Lynch, and I liked the duality of Lauren Palmer.”

While the queer community is not new to dealing with the horrors of the world, in the past year, things have gotten even more bleak for many of us. Whether it be fighting to keep our right to gender affirming care, to continue performing in queer spaces, or simply the right to marry who we’d like, is being threatened; having a space to escape and experience the beauty and art the world has to offer is not only enjoyable, it’s essential.

“A lot of the art I’m most inspired by and reference a lot fits in that category: where it’s made by weirdos with weirdos in mind, and occupies this important place within alternative or subversive art, and not surprisingly, there’s a lot of gay and trans people that find themselves feeling really creative in those lanes as well,” Hole said.

“It seemed like the perfect pitch to bring a really creative, reverent, and homotrans tribute to one of the greatest directors and artistic portfolios of our lifetime, where some very talented drag performers and friends could flex their abilities and make an incredible show.”

As someone who has never watched a David Lynch project (I’m working on changing that), what I appreciated the most from the show was the way these artists found the beauty in the strange and at times morbid nature of his work, because that is what many in our community try to do while surviving in the current climate we are in.

AIDS activist Dan Savage famously said, “during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for.”

Sitting in a dark theatre while watching such weirdly beautiful art after a long week of doom scrolling and fighting put into perspective what exactly we were fighting for, and one of those is to keep having the privilege of seeing our community share their art on stage.

After the show’s success, Mink Hole has announced another show at Bryant Bowl just in time for Halloween, Peephole! Midnight Movie Madness, a “drag and burlesque tribute to all your favorite cult classics,” which will be on Oct. 25th, at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 online and range from $5-$15 at the door; however, if Lynch’s tribute show is any indication, I would hurry to get tickets while you can.