Gadgets and Symbols in Twin Peaks (and our lives) • group discussion on objects & much more w/ the "Twin Peaks Grammar" Artists Love Twin Peaks podcast (+ guests Colin, Alison Ivy, Heather Jones, Tommy Jones, Steven Miller & Josh Minton)

Sometimes Anthony, the host of the "Twin Peaks Grammar" YouTube channel, provides an ornate, intense structure for our discussions and sometimes he takes a looser approach to see what bubbles up. This conversation heads in the latter direction - providing some visual reminders of various objects through three seasons and a film but letting the conversation flow where we want to go: not just toward analysis of tokens like the Owl Cave ring but also the process of tracking down props, the ways in which the show's iconography brings fans together, theories of who dreams this narrative, and how this may or may not relate to Carl Jung. Following quickly on the heels of the last group chat just a few weeks ago, this recording includes several of the same participants - Alison, Tommy, myself - along with some new or returning guests. Twin Peaks Blog author and location/prop hunter extraordinaire Steven offers insight into the real-life objects of the show and Dreamer's Diary podcast host Tommy is joined by his wife and co-host Heather. Colin returns to rep the Creamed Corn and the Universe podcast, where I've had several exchanges with him alongside appearances on this channel and my own podcast; likewise Josh and I have spoken across a couple different podcasts. Like last time, I joined late but on this occasion I stuck around until the end for some more deep dives down various rabbit holes with both Anthony and Tommy. (At which point I reference my montage integrating Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern in Blue Velvet and The Return, as well as the film/book A Dangerous Method - here's my review of that one.)

In addition to that video, Anthony also posted this episode in audio form on the Artists Love Twin Peaks feed.

Update 2026: The audio-only version is not currently available on Apple Podcasts, though it may be on other platforms.

What happened in Room 315? • group discussion on the opening of Twin Peaks season 2 premiere w/ the "Twin Peaks Grammar" Artists Love Twin Peaks podcast (+ guests John Bernardy, Andrew Cook, Alison Ivy, Tommy Jones, Patrick Mahan & afterwards Brian Liddicoat)

The slow waiter, the giant (or fireman?), the missing ring, the owls who aren't what they seem...the first scene of Twin Peaks' second season in 1990 is full of mysteries and in this group discussion led by Anthony of the "Twin Peaks Grammar" YouTube channel, we dig into many of them. My time was limited, but I was able to join for an hour of the sprawling two and a half hour episode. The previous conversation, on the end of Part 18, followed a rigorous structure; this one by contrast is more freewheeling, dipping into the media personae of the actors onscreen, the question of whether this scene is a dream (and if so, whose?), and what relationship this slice of mythology bears to others in the larger Twin Peaks saga. This was my first time speaking with Dreamer's Diary podcast host Tommy, while Alison and Talking Backwards podcast host Patrick had participated in previous group chats (another guest, Brian, joined after I left). In addition to these collective discussions, I spoke to John about his podcast Blue Rose Task Force several years ago, and I've had many exchanges with Andrew. Together we wander and wonder in this Lynchian/Frostian terrain; to paraphrase the guiding spirit of this scene: where have we gone?

In addition to that video, Anthony is also posting this episode in audio form on the Artists Love Twin Peaks feed.

Update 2026: The audio-only version is not currently available on Apple Podcasts, though it may be on other platforms.

Appreciating the Ending of Twin Peaks • group discussion w/ the "Twin Peaks Grammar" Artists Love Twin Peaks podcast (w/ guests Andrew Cook, Alison Ivy, Patrick Mahan, Courtenay Stallings & John Thorne)

Following up on his last group discussion three and a half months ago - in which four guests offered formal analysis of four David Lynch scenes - Anthony of the "Twin Peaks Grammar" YouTube channel has both narrowed our focus and expanded our range. I joined him as one of six guests this time, focusing on a single scene: the conclusion of Part 18 in The Return. I particularly honed in on sound, while others addressed other aspects of the filmmaking, and together we all explored the larger context of this passage (especially in comparison to Part 17's climax). This was my first time speaking with Talking Backwards podcast host Patrick, while Alison had participated in the previous group chat. I spoke to Courtenay about her book Laura's Ghost several years ago, and I've had many exchanges with John (before and after season three) and Andrew. Together we pondered what significance this scene has for both Cooper and Laura/Carrie, considered what Lynch and Mark Frost brought to its creation, remembered how we first encountered the visit to the Palmer (or rather Tremond) house in 2017 and wondered "...what year is this?"

In addition to that video, Anthony has also posted this episode in audio form on the Artists Love Twin Peaks feed.

Update 2026: The audio-only version is not currently available on Apple Podcasts, though it may be on other platforms.

Four Great Scenes to Enjoy • group discussion w/ the "Twin Peaks Grammar" Artists Love Twin Peaks podcast (w/ guests Colin, Andrew Cook & John Thorne)

A couple weeks ago, Anthony - the host of the "Twin Peaks Grammar" YouTube channel - suggested a "scene analysis idea". What if a group of commentators got together, each picking a different scene, and each focusing on a particular formal element (editing, cinematography, performance, and so on). The idea stuck with me after I listened and I encouraged Anthony to pursue the concept. And so he did, as a birthday present to himself, featuring not just both of us - for the fourth time after his guest appearance, mine, and another group discussion - but also Wrapped in Plastic publisher (and my own frequent guest) John Thorne, Creamed Corn and the Universe podcast host Colin (with whom I've previously discussed Sarah Palmer and Ronette's angel, in addition to his project more broadly), and film/TV commentator Andrew Cook (with whom I've previously discussed Eyes Wide Shut and Southland Tales).

With links to the discussion timecodes (the clips themselves can be watched here and here), John selected the Winkie's diner exchange and trip out back from Mulholland Drive, Andrew the Tremond's Meals on Wheels scene from the original series of Twin Peaks, myself the Mike in traffic/Teresa flashback sequence from the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and Anthony the nighttime Cooper/statue passage from Twin Peaks: The Return (Colin joined last-minute and took part in the commentary without picking a scene himself). Before each clip, we'd choose our focus and begin with observations on that before expanding to a broader back and forth. This was a great conversation, and hopefully a format that will be pursued in the future with other guests, scenes, and even concepts (I'd love to see this applied to non-Peaks work as well, even to scenes from films the guests aren't familiar with and are watching for the first time).

In addition to this YouTube video, Anthony has also posted this episode in audio form on the Artists Love Twin Peaks feed.

Update 2026: The audio-only version is not currently available on Apple Podcasts, though it may be on other platforms.

On a side note (mentioned at the end of the episode), this week I've been conducting a poll on Patreon for the $5/month tier to determine what film I'll cover for this month's reward. Based on suggestions from patrons, so far The Red Shoes is in the lead but others include Brick, City of Pirates, May December, Punch Drunk Love, Ruthless, and Trenque Lauquen. Make sure to jump in if you're interested, as the poll closes at noon on Friday.

Catching Big Fish in Twin Peaks • group discussion w/ the "Twin Peaks Grammar" Artists Love Twin Peaks podcast (w/ guests Colin, Alison Ivy, Josh Minton, John Thorne)

Four months after my last guest appearance on the YouTube channel "Twin Peaks Grammar", host Anthony invited me back - this time for a lively, three-hour group chat. Most of the participants I'd spoken with before (either on their shows or others) but never in this particular configuration, and the result was a wide-ranging consideration of topics including Cooper's experiences in the Red Room; the Fireman's role in this universe; the confused identities of Phillip Gerard, Mike, the Arm, and the Evolution of the Arm; and of course, that perpetual inquiry: "What year is it?" These questions are just a small sample (I'll list the full line-up below) but the answers, non-answers, and further questions were all fun to consider.

500 Questions for Me • discussion w/ the "Twin Peaks Grammar" Artists Love Twin Peaks podcast

The YouTube video will be published and cross-posted here soon, probably later today...

(See below for audio podcast presentation)

In February I invited Anthony of the "Twin Peaks Grammar" YouTube and Twitter accounts onto my Twin Peaks Conversations podcast for a lively back-and-forth. He recently decided to return the favor. The result is a sprawling three-hour discussion which begins by focusing on my own approach to online commentary and concludes with a flurry of Twin Peaks topics - including several lightning round questions. In between we touch on the video essay format, questions of online identity, different eras of Twin Peaks fandom, and broad spiritual concepts as they do and don't apply to Peaks. It's telling that while I presume Anthony's title "500 Questions for Joel Bocko" is tongue-in-cheek hyperbole, I was not entirely sure about that initially. Although my laptop has trouble with video (I provided a logo to juxtapose with Anthony's livestream and the occasional video/image insert - update: although the video ended up being audio-only), there is a YouTube upload being made available on the "Twin Peaks Grammar" channel this weekend. Until then, or if you prefer to listen via an audio podcast app, the episode has already been published on various platforms as part of the "Twin Peaks Grammar"-affiliated Artists Love Twin Peaks:

Update 2026: The audio-only version is not currently available on Apple Podcasts, though it may be on other platforms.

TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS #19 w/ "Twin Peaks Grammar" (YouTube & extended PATREON)

A new presence in the Twin Peaks community both as a commentator and a viewer (he only discovered the series, all at once, in 2020), Anthony has adopted the account name "Twin Peaks Grammar" across Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram (on podcast platforms, he hosts audio versions of his videos with the name Artists Love Twin Peaks). He diagrams sentences - from Peaks itself as well as texts by its analysts - to explore what the words refer to, and he takes a similar approach to his conversations with authors and filmmakers. Describing himself as a point guard (I've also compared him to a conductor), Anthony is modest about his own observations, but his inquisitive, dialectical nature yields many insights. Accordingly, after a more conventional start in which I explore his background and interests, much of this podcast - one of my longest episodes, with nearly two hours reserved for patrons - consists of Anthony asking me questions. This takes the form of both a lightning round (I timed myself with a stopwatch to keep under a minute) and a much more open-ended approach in which my answers turned into monologues on topics like the state of cinema, the evolution of an obsession, and why I became so absorbed in Peaks at the particular moment of 2014. We also maintain a back-and-forth on perennial subjects like Diane, tulpas, and what Mr. C means for Cooper. First, though, how did Anthony immerse himself in the series and what led him to his particular lens? Here is the public kickoff to our discussion, already over an hour...

PART 1 on YouTube

For the $5/month tier, the Patreon back "half" is actually another hour and fifty minutes. This is where the approach gets more experimental and wide-ranging, starting with the quick rundown of questions about the series, turning back into an inquiry of Anthony with some conversational flow between us, and then ending as I ponder the bigger shape of my engagement with Twin Peaks.

Listen to...

PART 2 on Patreon

Listen to his podcast Artists Love Twin Peaks

TP Grammar on YouTube

...interviewing Robert Kersz (Frame Into Focus), Cameron Cloutier (Queen of Hearts) (w/ follow-up), Jeremiah Beaver (Take the Ring), John Thorne (Ominous Whoosh) & John Bernardy (Blue Rose Task Force) w/ John Thorne (videos)

Follow him on Twitter & Instagram

My video essay Take This Baby and Deliver It to Death

My first review of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me