The celebratory festival of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, The Great Southern, is returning to Richmond this June due to the continual labor of love from its founder, Andrew Blossom.
Blossom and his cohorts at the Richmond Movie Club have planned an even larger affair with additional venues, more bands and the introduction of new types of events to honor the cult classic TV drama of the early 90s.
“We basically have more of everything,” said Blossom. “There’s more bands local and out of towners such as the Philadelphia group Silencio whose music pays homage to the works of David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti. “What’s also new this year is a panel of writers, bloggers and podcasters who have specialized in writing about Twin Peaks.”
The panel includes a bunch of people who have all built their lives around Lynch’s show such as Reflections (the aural history of Twin Peaks) author Brad Dukes, Pieter Dom, who heads the Welcome to Twin Peaks blog, and founder of the original “Twin Peaks” fanzine “Wrapped in Plastic.”
“Having this brain trust of people who care about and analyze the show is a unique thing to have all in one place,” Blossom said.
Another exclusive must-see event for fans will be the autobiography book reading of “Twin Peaks’ Charlotte Stewart who played Betty Briggs on the show. It will be one of the first if not the first official live recitation of a portion of the book by the author/actress since the work (called Little House in the Hills) is not set to be released until June 1. Following the reading there will be a meet/greet and book signing with Stewart.
Other events include the screening of Lynch’s Blue Velvet and ERASERHEAD, costume contests with celebrity judges as well as a Twin Peaks-themed art show.
All of these delicious Lynchian fandom events would not be possible without the dedication and passion of the festival’s creator whose ambition for the festival exceeds past just a function for Twin Peaks fans with the hope to highlight Richmond’s artistic side.
“We wanted to do a celebration of the show because so many people around here love it, but it’s also a celebration of the energy of Richmond and the creativity that thrives here,” Blossom said.
Blossom, though of course, is an incredibly huge fan of Lynch’s series.
“When I first saw it was on TV… I was a young enough person to where my parents would not actually let me watch it,” said Blossom. “I was a video store kid so in my subsequent teens I discovered it again and from the time I saw it I was just fascinated and every time that I revisited it throughout my life I’ve felt as if I am at home in a piece of art that really makes sense to me.”
“There’s always new things in it to be rediscovered,” he said about his love for the show. “It’s just something that I can endlessly think about.”
Blossom’s love for Twin Peaks led him to creating The Great Southern, one of three festivals of its kind in the world.
“This kind of event only happens in three parts of the world: Washington state, London and Richmond,” said Blossom. “We’re the only ones on the east coast.”
This unique four-day event kicks off on June 9th; check out at the calendar below for event listings.
Calendar:
SUNDAY, JUNE 5: PREVIEW
7:00 PM. GREAT SOUTHERN PREVIEW SHOW. Strange Matter. Featuring BLUE VELVET, 1986, David Lynch. Presented by Movie Club Richmond. Plus! Live music from CHRISTI + LADY GOD.
THURSDAY, JUNE 9
4 PM – 7 PM. HAPPY GENERATIONS HAPPY HOUR. Ipanema Cafe. Featuring DJs SISTER GOLDEN HAZE & GREG DARDEN. Plus! Happy hour specials.
7 PM – 9 PM. ART OPENING: SEASON TWO. Mojo’s Philadeli. Original artwork inspired by TWIN PEAKS.
8:30 PM. CONCERT FOR AGENT JEFFRIES. Gallery Five. In honor of David Bowie. Featuring live music from LIFE ON MARS + GULL. Prizes for best Agent Jeffries costumes.
FRIDAY, JUNE 10
1 PM – 3 PM. TWIN PEAKS LISTENING PARTY. Steady Sounds + Blue Bones Vintage. Music in the air. Plus! Free coffee and doughnuts.
4 PM – 6 PM. SHORT FILM PROGRAM. The Byrd Theatre.
Short films in the spirit of TWIN PEAKS, featuring:
– Cathedral Park: Angie • 2016, Travis Blue
– A Voyage to Twin Peaks • 2016, Scott Ryan
– Flappy: Behind the Music in the Air • 2010, Matt Levinthal & Chris Mathews
– Mark of the Damned, Pt. 1 • 2004, Eric Miller
– Moon Over Crozet • 2004, Adam Wayland
6:30 PM. CHARLOTTE STEWART READING. Chop Suey Books. Charlotte Stewart reads & signs her new memoir, LITTLE HOUSE IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS.
Plus! PANEL DISCUSSION: “WRITING ABOUT TWIN PEAKS,” with
– Charlotte Stewart, author, Little House in the Hollywood Hills
– Brad Dukes, author, Reflections: An Oral History of Twin Peaks
– David Bushman & Arthur Smith, authors, Twin Peaks FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About a Place Both Wonderful & Strange
– Scott Ryan, host, The Red Room Podcast; author, “Yeah, But the Monkey Says, Judy,” from Fan Phemomena: Twin Peaks
– John Thorne, creator, Wrapped in Plastic; author, The Essential Wrapped in Plastic: Pathways to Twin Peaks
9:00 PM. SILENCIO. Balliceaux. Live music from SILENCIO, Pittsburgh’s stunning Lynch & Badalamenti-inspired instrumental group.
SATURDAY, JUNE 11
11 AM – 2:30 PM. DAMN FINE (PIZZA) PIE BRUNCH. Dinamo. Seriously, a damn fine brunch. At menu prices.
ADDED: “The Mythology of Twin Peaks” and will take place at Hardywood on Saturday, June 11 at 2:00 pm, which is the same time the Craft Farm starts. Panelists will include the writers from the Friday panel, and the moderator will be Scott Ryan of the Red Room Podcast.
2 PM – 7 PM. BIG ED’S CRAFT FARM. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Art & Craft Fair organized & presented by Curio Market. Plus! Hardywood’s TWIN PEAKS-inspired craft beers.
8:00 PM. Outdoor Screening. Yesterday’s Heroes Vintage. LAURA, 1944, Otto Preminger. Presented by Movie Club Richmond 10 PM – 2 AM. LATE NIGHT PEAKS. Don’t Look Back. With food & drink specials. At menu prices. Plus! TWIN PEAKS Tarot
SUNDAY, JUNE 12
2 PM – 6 PM. AN AFTERNOON BOTH WONDERFUL & STRANGE. Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.
Featuring live music from BIG NO + LODRO + LITTLE BLACK RAIN CLOUDS w/ KIMMY ROBERTSON.
Plus! TWIN PEAKS Costume Contest, judged by celebrity guests.
TWIN PEAKS Trivia Contest. Celebrity signings. And Hardywood’s TWIN PEAKS-inspired craft beers
