Book Launch: “A Dream Come True”
My most recent book is out from Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury has published “A Dream Come True - The Collaboration of David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti”, my most recent book. I couldn’t be happier with how this turned out. Five years after I started writing this work, it can finally be purchased.
Yes, it is available in bookstores, particularly in those in the United States and in the United Kingdom, but you can also order it online. Visit Bloomsbury’s homepage for more information.
Moreover, I'll be at the Garden Cinema in London for a screening of David Lynch’s classic “Blue Velvet” and a talk with composer Gary Yershon. Keep an eye on the cinema's homepage if you are interested in joining!
If this tickles your fancy, I'll be delighted. It would be lovely to see as many of you as possible, say hello (or 'Howdy'), and hug you.
The book analyses David Lynch the filmmaker through the lens of Angelo Badalamenti's music via extensive creative biographies of both, in-depth investigations into how the individual music pieces and scores came to be, how they were altered and changed during the editing process, and what clues both music and sound design can give to unlock the mysteries of individual works. It includes several of their collaborations, including “Blue Velvet”, “Twin Peaks”, “Lost Highway”, “The Straight Story”, and “Mulholland Drive,” among others. The result is an insightful collage of exclusive interviews with many of Lynch's and Badalamenti's colleagues and friends, transcribed music examples, direct quotes, previously unpublished photographs, dialogue taken from the films, and a careful examination of secondary - sometimes contradictory - sources.
Photograph by Grant Delin
David Lynch passed away in January of 2025, after I had submitted my manuscript to Bloomsbury. Fittingly, I had a dream the night before he died: my friends Gary, Matthew, and I were attending an Oscar ceremony with David. We were early, and the auditorium was nearly empty. I took the opportunity to excuse myself. When I returned from the bathroom, David’s seat was empty. Gary, who had been sitting next to him, looked at me and held out his hand. “David left, but he asked me to give this to you.” Gary handed me a handcrafted bracelet, a skull made out of bones attached to a row of beads. I searched the room. David was gone. I closed my hands around his gift and woke up.
Thank you Katie Gallof-Houck and Stephanie Grace-Petinos from Bloomsbury, for accepting my book proposal and guiding me through the process warmly and professionally. I always felt I was in the best hands, and I couldn’t be happier that we finally had the chance to work together. Katie, do you remember I sent you the proposal for my first book seven years ago, and you rejected it? I’m glad you did. I wasn’t ready then. I’ll let the reader judge if I’m ready now.