INTERVIEW: Lindsey Bowden @ Twin Peaks UK Festival

Lindsey Bowden is the founder and producer of the Twin Peaks UK Festival, we had the chance to catch up with Lindsey about what the festival has to offer and pick her brains about the seminal series.

How and why did you start the festival?

I started the festival in 2010 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Twin Peaks. My idea was to bring over some people from LA who were involved in the series, screen some episodes, have some performances going on and it turned into something a lot bigger than I expected it to.

The week after the festival ended we had over 50 emails from people who had either missed it or people saying that they had such an amazing time and asking if we were going to do it again.

So we decided to run the festival again and it proved to be very successful – a sell out as well – so we carried it on and it all seems to have gone a bit bonkers really.

This year is the 25th anniversary of Twin Peaks so what can fans expect from the festival this year?

This years festival is going to be insane; it is bigger, it is better, we have extended it to a weekend event and it is on the 3rd and 4th of October and is taking place at The Genesis Cinema on Mile End Road. We’ve hired the entire venue exclusively and we’re building sets from Twin Peaks including Glastonbury Grove and the train car where people can witness the murder of Laura Palmer. We also have more guests coming over than ever this year. We are building the Double R Diner, as well as The Road House and The Pink Room; it’s going to be one hell of a weekend.

What guests do you have coming over this year? Tell us about the musical performances?

Yes, we have Julee Cruise coming over to sing, the last time she was over was in 2010 at the very first festival. She’s going to be singing on the Saturday night and what’s wonderful is that supporting her is a singer/songwriter called Mina Tobias, who happens to be Madchen Amick’s daughter, who played Shelley Johnson in Twin Peaks.

Sheryl Lee, Laura Palmer herself, is also coming over, Dana Ashbrook who played Bobby Briggs, Kimmy Robertson who played Lucy Moran and Al Strobel who played the one armed man. So it’s more guests that ever and who knows who else will pop up in the wings.

We are going to be showing Blue Velvet and also a 35mm print of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Sheryl Lee is going to introduce the film by reading excerpts from Laura’s secret diary.

What makes you love the series of Twin Peaks?

Well, I was 14 when Twin Peaks came out (which is slightly showing my age) and I was enthralled with it from an early part. I remember I didn’t actually watch it from the beginning I watched it from about 3 or 4 episodes in and I had to catch up from my friends at school on what had happened.

Do you have a favourite character?

There is something about it that is so magical and it’s really hard for me to pick a favourite character. In a normal show you have your antagonists and protagonists, and you have the supporting actors but in Twin Peaks you want to know about every single character; they’re all a lead in their own way and that’s what I love about it.

I suppose one of my favourite characters is actually Bob, which is probably a bit sick and wrong, but it is. In the film, I love the character of Lil at the airport; it kind of seems to be the stranger characters that I’m a bit drawn to.

Do you have a favourite episode in the series?

I think my favourite episode without a doubt has to be the final episode and it is simply because you enter the world that you haven’t really seen before – she says trying not to do a spoiler – and its also classic Lynch stuff coming out as well.

It’s no secret that series 2 did dip a little bit, and then it came back up and I think for me, the climax of the final episode really says pow! Here’s Twin Peaks again. Unfortunately it was the last episode.

Part of the reason I think it has stayed around so much and in people’s minds is the way it ended because it has almost given it a romanticism in people’s minds as no one really knows what happens.

Why do you think the series has stood the test of time?

When Twin Peaks came out, there was nothing else like it on TV; it really was groundbreaking and I think it gave writers the confidence to push their ideas further. You get things like Six Feet Under, Lost, and Eerie Indiana, which came out pretty soon after Twin Peaks and, even right up to the present day, a lot of writers will say that they are inspired by Twin Peaks because it did throw open so many doors that you’d never seen on TV before; it dared to go places. I think that it why it has stuck in people’s heads as well.

They’ve announced that there will be a third series next year, do you have insights you can tell us?

My lips are sealed!

Will any of the guests at the festival be revealing anything?

Officially Kyle MacLachlan has been announced, we know that. Last year at the festival, Sheryl Lee and Dana Ashbrook both revealed that they would be going back to it as well. I can tell you that there are other cast members going back to it but at this time I cannot tell you who they are. It is possible that some of them may give an exclusive at the festival!

For information about the festival and tickets go to click HERE 

Niki Alexandrou

@nikialexandrou

Niki Alexandrou

Niki Alexandrou

Niki Alexandrou

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