David Lynch Interview | Time Out

I had the pleasure of to the film director about the factory photographs in his forthcoming Photographers' Gallery exhibition as well as finding out about his love of coffee, curtains and Chinese food.

Cinematic surrealist David Lynch is more than a director, musician and coffee connoisseur: his debut photography exhibition opens in London this week at the Photographers Gallery. The rarely interviewed renaissance man tells us ten things you didn't know about his life and career.

He was a Londoner... but only for a year.

'I was working in London on "The Elephant Man" for a year almost to the day. My lasting memory is of Gun Wharf and the London docks. But within a year of finishing, they started tearing down so many places we had shot in. Urban renewal meant that all the old places - which had this tremendous mood - were just disappearing. It was a big, big sadness for me, but that's the way it goes.'

Crispy-fried seaweed floats his boat.
'During post-production of "The Elephant Man" I moved to Twickenham and I would go to the local Peking Chinese restaurants. I was in seventh heaven every time I had the crispy-fried seaweed: one bite of that and you leave your body.'

Everyone could wake up to a David Lynch coffee.
'The "David Lynch Signature Cup" blend of coffee is really good: that's what I drink all day. Whole Foods Market in the US has started stocking it, but only in 20 stores on a trial basis. So go to your Whole Foods store and say: "Listen, Jack, I want you to sell the David Lynch Signature Cup." That would be a real help.'

Read the interview on Time Out London