David Lynch’s year of oddball contributions continues apace. Following the unearthing of a 25-year-old, generally awesome album, Thought Gang, he’s debuted a new piece / short film / visualizer / what-have-you springing from that endeavor.
Titled Ant Head, it has been vividly described by the man as “a short video featuring my friends the ants along with cheese, etc.” That “etc.” includes, somewhat unsurprisingly, a still, black-and-white image of power lines and electric poles, while the cheese holds (I swear I’m not joking) some auteurist interest: this combination of ants and fromage recalls Julee Cruise’s Lynch-penned album The Voice of Love, whose cover image consisted of a chicken-and-cheese ball Lynch used to attract ants — which some would say led to the, I guess, head in his video for Nine Inch Nails’ “Came Back Haunted,” which definitely led to the new Arm in Twin Peaks.
I digress. Ant Head video combines “Frank 2000” and “Woodcutters from Fiery Ships,” the latter of which features some spoken-word jive from Thought Gang co-member Angelo Badalamenti, creating an impression abstract enough that it’s easy to call this for-completists-only. But that would be to discount a tactility, pace, soundscape, and discomfort level wholly Lynch’s own — and maybe you clicked this link for that very reason.
Watch below: