7. He kept dead mice in his freezer
David Lynch was an artist above all, and a filmmaker second. Later, he would also become a photographer, songwriter, musician, furniture designer, and more. He created visual art throughout his life, but his most notorious works were his “kits” from the late 1970s and early 1980s. These featured parts of a real, dissected animal—first a fish, then a chicken—pinned to a board, complete with child-friendly instructions for reassembly and play.
Later, Lynch told an interviewer he was planning a mouse kit and had already bagged the necessary parts in his freezer. Though it never happened, he continued using unusual materials—from dead bees to cigarette ashes—in his art for decades.
He built props for his debut feature, Eraserhead (1976).
6. He adopted, befriended, and then ghosted five Woody Woodpeckers
In 1981, Lynch spotted five stuffed Woody Woodpecker dolls hanging in a gas station window on Sunset Boulevard. He made a sharp U-turn and bought them. Naming them Bob, Dan, Pete, Buster, and Chucko, he kept them in his office for comfort.
“They aren’t just goofballs,” he insisted. “They know there’s plenty of suffering in the world… but they tell me there’s a pervading happiness underneath everything, and the more time I spend with them, the more I believe it.” Sadly, the friendship didn’t last. When the dolls started showing “certain traits” that were “not so nice,” Lynch and his boys had to part ways.
5. He almost directed the third Star Wars movie
David Lynch had many unrealized projects, but the most famous might be Return of the Jedi. After The Elephant Man earned eight Oscar nominations, Lynch was in high demand, with offers from Star Wars creator George Lucas among others. Lynch always claimed he turned down the job immediately and even urged Lucas to direct it himself. However, writer Max Evry recently revealed that discussions continued for weeks, and Lynch remained Lucas’s top choice until contracts for Dune came through. It’s probably for the best—imagining Lynch unleashed in Jabba the Hutt’s palace is unsettling.
4. He gave himself a hernia laughing at Angelo Badalamenti trying to sing
During a recording session for the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me soundtrack, Lynch laughed so hard at his friend and composer Angelo Badalamenti that he ended up in the hospital with a severe hernia. Badalamenti was trying to speak-sing Lynch’s lyrics in a booming, exaggerated Midwestern accent for the track “A Real Indication,” and Lynch found it hysterical. The injury was worth it—the soundtrack is often ranked among the best ever.
3. He produced a whole album of 12th-century religious music
In the mid-1990s, despite his hernia, Lynch produced an album of music by the 12th-century nun Hildegard von Bingen.David Lynch became increasingly involved in writing, playing, and producing music. It wasn’t until 2011 that he released an album of his own songs under his name, but before that, he explored various musical projects. These included the electric blues band BlueBOB and collaborations with Texas-born singer Chrystabell. One of his most unusual projects was Lux Vivens (Living Light), an album made with Jocelyn Montgomery, formerly of the British goth madrigal group Miranda Sex Garden. Inspired by the music of the 12th-century German nun Hildegard von Bingen, Montgomery convinced Lynch to work with her on an album of von Bingen’s spiritual songs. The result was a collection of choral hymns accompanied by drones created from violin, guitar, and manipulated found sounds—including swords and bulls.
Later in life, Lynch developed a strong appreciation for television dramas, despite being skeptical of TV when he was younger (except for the legal drama Perry Mason, which he adored). Having reshaped the medium with Twin Peaks, he saw its influence in shows like The Sopranos, Lost, and Breaking Bad. His favorite, however, was Mad Men, set in the 1960s advertising world. He became so emotionally invested in the series that when he met actors Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss, he couldn’t call them by their real names—only as their characters, Don and Peggy. Moss later admitted they just went along with it, as Lynch didn’t really give them a choice.
Lynch was also a hands-on builder—of worlds, dreams, and even furniture. As a child, he worked on construction projects with his father, learning to use tools and repair fences. Later, he took jobs as a house builder, interior decorator, and plumber, finding deep satisfaction in tasks like directing water flow. He built many of the props for his early experimental films, including the mysterious mutant baby in Eraserhead, rumored to be made from materials like umbilical cords and rabbit fetuses. He also crafted his own furniture, sometimes for film sets (several pieces appear in Lost Highway) and sometimes for pleasure. He held strong opinions on design, famously criticizing most tables for being too large and too high, claiming they shrink rooms and cause “unpleasant mental activity.”
David Lynch: His Work, His World by Tom Huddleston is published by Quarto (£35) on September 11.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the weirdest David Lynch facts ordered from the most to the least weird
The Weirdest David Lynch Facts FAQs
1 Is it true David Lynch keeps a pet cobra
Yes For a time he kept a pet king cobra named Lucky in his office which he would feed live rats
2 Why does he drink a milkshake every day at the same time
He has a deeply ingrained daily routine Every day at 225 pm he goes to Bobs Big Boy and drinks a chocolate milkshake sometimes followed by several cups of coffee with lots of sugar
3 Whats the deal with his obsession with weather reports
He is a certified weather spotter for the National Weather Service and will often interrupt conversations to check the current weather radar on his phone
4 Did he really start his career by making a film about a rotting animal
Yes His first short film Six Figures Getting Sick was animated but his first liveaction film The Grandmother featured a scene where a boy grows a grandmother from a seed His following film Eraserhead was famously inspired by the fear and anxiety of becoming a father
5 Why does he always wear the same white shirt and black suit
He believes it simplifies his life eliminating the daily decision of what to wear so he can preserve his mental energy for creativity
6 Is it true he meditates for hours every day
Yes He is a devoted practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and has been for decades He credits it as the source of his creativity and even started a foundation to teach it in schools
7 Whats the story behind his love for the number 7
He considers it his lucky number This fascination appears subtly throughout his work from room numbers to other background details
8 Why does he use so much dream logic in his movies
He believes that ideas for his films come from a place like a fishing ground in his subconscious He doesnt intentionally use dream logic he just translates the ideas he catches directly onto the screen which naturally results in a dreamlike feel
9 Did he really turn down directing Return of the Jedi
Yes George Lucas offered him
