Chris Isaak: “David Lynch was a friend when I needed one.”

January 25, 2025

Singer, songwriter, and actor Chris Isaak who played Chet Desmond in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me on X:

I just heard the news that #DavidLynch has died. I knew he was sick but I hoped he might make a comeback.

I feel lucky for all the time I got to spend with him, he was one of a kind. He was so smart, so creative, and he had a way of being very honest and direct that reminded me of how kids say things…innocent without doubletalk or bumpers. He was able to take an actor, and with a few simple directions, make him better.

It was David who made the first video for my song “Wicked Game.” I couldn’t get the money to make a video and David stepped in, directed, and got the ball rolling. He was a friend when I needed one. I always had fun working with David. Sometimes it was just us in the recording studio, other times on set filming. I remember he had just finished filming on “Fire Walk With Me” and I brought David a gift, a paintball gun. He took a few practice shots and somebody bet him he couldn’t hit a wall clock at the far end of the set. He suddenly got very serious, focused, and BAM! Bullseye. I kind of carry that picture of him focused and hitting a bullseye.

He was an amazing guy. I really liked him a lot. I think I’m gonna always miss him.

Nobody like him.

And from the L.A. Times piece titled “From Chris Isaak to Karen O, David Lynch’s musical collaborators recount his strange, sonic mysticism”:

I sure got lucky for how the stars aligned, that I got to work with him and hang with him and get to know him a little. I must have somebody up there looking over me because what a treat.

─Chris Isaak

Wicked Game by Chris Isaak – Video directed by David Lynch

The original “Wicked Game” music video, directed by none other than David Lynch and with clips from his cult classic “Wild at Heart” (1990) which featured the song. The track comes from Chris Isaak’s “Heart Shaped World” (1989) album, but it didn’t truly ignite until 1990 when Lee Chestnut, a DJ in Atlanta with an undying passion for Lynch’s films, heard it in “Wild at Heart” and gave it heavy rotation. This exposure turned the track into an overnight sensation. Fast forward to 1991, and the iconic Herb Ritts directs the music video with supermodel Helena Christensen, capturing the sultry allure that would make “Wicked Game” unforgettable.

Chris Isaak

@ChrisIsaak

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I just heard the news that #DavidLynch has died. I knew he was sick but I hoped he might make a comeback. I feel lucky for all the time I got to spend with him, he was one of a kind. He was so smart, so creative, and he had a way of being very honest and direct that reminded me…