The Record That Changed My Life: David Lynch on Big Brother & The Holding Company (1967)
Up to a certain point, art is the satisfaction of personal vanity. That is part of its nature. Nevertheless, as I get older I find that simplicity is the most complicated and at the same time most worthwhile thing for me as an artist. In cinema, but especially in music. Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding and Janis Joplin – it is the great classics of rock-music that inspire me. Who long ago made me want to create something of value, like they themselves did, with imagination and a sense for timelessness. There is a reason for why these artists are loved by everybody: they hit a certain spot within us, their music is so powerful and uncorrupted.
As a kid I wanted to be like Elvis Presley, primarily concerning his looks and style- I only discovered the genius of his music much later. In this respect, Janis Joplin was more of an awakening experience. I was almost 20 when I watched her legendary performance with Big Brother & The Holding Company at the Monterey Jazz Festival on TV. The energy of this performance and Janis’ vocal power electrified me. Really, it was like lightning flashing through my body. Since then, I have always searched for music that triggered something like that inside of me. Mostly in vain. What comes closest is actually the first album by Big Brother & The Holding Company, one of the two that they recorded with Janis. A furios record although its over 50 years old. A monolith of passion, the essence of rock’n’roll. I keep it like a treasure.
by David Lynch
(Read about other artists’ album choices and reviews here)
David Lynch!! This is awesome. Congratulations, Saliha
Wild at Heart 💘. Not my favorite, but it’s a great movie, full of classic Lynchean murder, sexual passion, and weird characters immersed in a world of fantasies. This is a strange connection, Janis and Lynch 🤔 very interesting!
Not my favorite either, just makes for the best slogan. Although I would say that we are an inland empire 😉
It seems like he’s liking the opposite of the music he does😖
Exactly my thoughts! Crazy Clown Time!!
That title is so wild…
I could really relate to the idea that simple songs go from kind of dull to what your ear craves over time. It’s only as I got older I could really appreciate how amazingly good a very basic early rock song could be. That these songs could be as endlessly fascinating as a more complicated and complex song. Sometimes “pushing the envelope” comes in mysterious packages. In any case, I love this series and look forward to more insights into the tastes of artists I admire.
Amazingly conservative and boring taste!
Interesting choice. And not what I was expecting. It certainly makes sense even Lynch’s times. I had always thought it was a mistake for Janis to abandon Big Brother as a band. Something about the raw freshness of the playing was so much more exciting than the musicians she used later in her career. The comparison to Elvis is great. Janis Joplin was an electrifying performer. And one of the few artists from this era that I can actively seek out.
Had to listen to Janis after getting this and I thought that it’s good music to age to. Such an incredible voice / force, and the only hippie I liked. Btw, Lynch’s attractiveness is completely underrated… just saying.
David Lynch!! I absolutely love this series!