Lynch’s television work wasn’t limited to dramatic shows. He also helmed a number of advertisements in the ’80s and ’90s that hawked products ranging from perfumes to video games. Here’s a small sampling of some of his distinctive commercial work.
Obsession: Ernest Hemingway
Lynch made his ad world debut with a trio of spots for the Calvin Klein scent, each of which took inspiration from an early 20th-century author—including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and D.H. Lawrence. For this particular commercial, the director used a passage from Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” on top of striking black-and-white imagery.
Georgia Coffee
That’s damn fine global synergy. At the height of Twin Peaks’ popularity, Lynch put Kyle MacLachlan’s coffee-drinking, cherry pie-loving Dale Cooper at the center of a series of ads spotlighting a Japanese canned coffee brand. We’ll leave it up to the Black Lodge faithful to decide whether or not these count as canon.
Giorgio Armani’s Gio
Legend has it that Lynch was at the top of Giorgio Armani’s call sheet when the luxury fashion guru launched his latest scent. The director created a short-form cinematic poem that marries Fellini-esque flourishes with distinctly Lynch-ian flair.
Sun Moon Stars
Daryl Hannah sadly never got her own Lynch star vehicle, but the ’80s icon can boast of securing her own Lynch-helmed ad. The duo teamed up to advertise a Karl Lagerfeld scent in appropriately out-of-this-world fashion.
Playstation 2: The Third Place
David Lynch… professional gamer? A year before Mulholland Dr. blew moviegoers’ minds, Lynch helmed a minute-long spot teasing the arrival of Sony’s blockbuster Playstation 2 console. Forgive the oh-so-early 2000s computer graphics and just vibe on its button-mashing Eraserhead feel.