The Man from up North

Elephant man demanded the world’s attention. The movie was in heavy rotation on HBO back in the day and probably helped David Lynch. Eraserhead was the film that he’s known for where his unique style was first crafted. He finished the project in 1977 but it took him 5 years to make due to limited funding and numerous problems with production.

Theories have it – Eraserhead was about the birth of his daughter, and living in the rough city of Philadelphia. Lynch described his life in Philly as troubling, and he saw things he couldn’t unsee. He had to deal with crime, violence, and pollution. All the perfect recipes to form a genius. Lynch will go on later to debunk that sentiment. He took up the Transcendental Meditation movement, but we can discuss that later.

The movie itself was about a single father raising a deformed baby in an industrial area. It’s a mind-bender that cannot be duplicated. It opened to obscurity and dismal. It was not until a Canadian man fell under the director’s spell and wrote a piece about the film four years later that Lynch earned his flowers.

George Godwin took up the cause to research and document the making of Eraserhead. In 1982 published this work reflecting the film naming the book David Lynch and the Making of Eraserhead, reviving interest in the infamous director. This gained Lynch a cult following, which translated into international success.

The literary piece gave David Lynch another shot gambling everything Hollywood and independent. Yet, the initial idea for Eraserhead came straight from the streets of Philly. Who would have known? Cheesesteaks, Eagles, and Eraserhead! They all seem to fit together so fine!