A Short Film Collaboration With David Lynch

We approached Lynch in earnest late last year to try and realize some kind of collaboration. Lynch volunteered a little character that perhaps we'd find interesting. "I Touch A Red Button Man," was his name. He was literally just a sketch on a sheet of paper.
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We [Interpol] first had the opportunity of meeting Mr Lynch three years ago. It was a social call, really -- set up by our respective people -- in order to get us all acquainted.

Loose conversation, no real agenda -- just an ice breaker.

We met up in a kitchen near Mulholland. We drank coffee and shot the breeze for about an hour. (Lynch grows, roasts, packages, and sells his own coffee beans. It's called David Lynch Signature Cup Coffee and it's quality java.) We are all Lynch nuts in the band, and we spent a good amount of time invoking classic scenes from Twin Peaks that revolve around coffee.

Like in Fire Walk With Me -- when Keifer Sutherland and Chris Isaak enjoy a nice cup of good morning america with Harry Dean Stanton. "I already been places... I just wanna stay where I am..." Glorious.

Lynch is a calm and friendly guy, and not averse to flattery as some artists are. He seemed to relish that we knew and loved his work. It was brief and enjoyable. As we were preparing to leave, he picked up a phone and shouted, "Get the boys some beans! Some beans in bags!"

It wasn't until late last year that we approached him again in earnest to try and realize some kind of collaboration.

This year's Coachella festival was on the horizon, and we had already begun working with some visual artists on developing a unique stage show for the occasion -- and thought Lynch could be the perfect contributor.

Again, we met him in LA -- this time in a screening room. With all of us facing forward at a blank screen, there was much neck-craning. We told him our ideas and what we were up to, and he volunteered he had a little character that perhaps we'd find interesting. "I Touch A Red Button Man," was his name. He was literally just a sketch on a sheet of paper.

"Say no more!" was our prompt reply.

"What's say we send you a track -- you give it a listen-to, and maybe The Red Button Man can appear with us onstage somehow, and push his red button?"

We decided to send him our song "Lights" which we usually perform under red lights -- as it seemed a fitting match. And thus this short clip was born.

It's important to clarify that Mr. Lynch did not make a music video for our song. He made an animation of his character, and allowed us to show it. If you missed us at Coachella, then we're proud to share this with you now. The Red Button Man... doing his thing.

And a big thanks to the Great David Lynch.

Interpol

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