David Lynch's Twin Peaks Had An Unexpected Influence On Kevin Smith's Career

Kevin Smith movies are known for their slacker humor, heartwarming sentimentality, and occasional gross-out elements (the donkey show in "Clerks II," anyone?). He has dabbled in horror with "Red State" and "Tusk," but even then, his brand of scare fare is a far cry from the surrealist nightmare that is David Lynch and Mark Frost's "Twin Peaks." However, the mind-bending horror soap opera inspired Smith while he was making "Clerks" and looking for a name for his own View Askewniverse character, Silent Bob. As he told Rotten Tomatoes:

"I went with the name Silent Bob because I was a big fan of 'Twin Peaks' and Bob was one of the characters."

The comparisons between "Clerks" and "Twin Peaks" end there. Silent Bob is a lovable stoner who spends his days hanging outside a convenience store in Smith's directorial debut. "Twin Peaks'" Bob (Frank Silva), meanwhile, is a vicious supernatural entity who commits all kinds of atrocities and feeds on his victims' suffering. "Twin Peaks" contains its fair share of humor, mind you, but Bob is associated with the show's darkest moments (and when "Twin Peaks" gets dark, it gets really dark).

Still, it's interesting to learn that Smith finds inspiration from unexpected places, and he is a massive fan of Lynch's work as a whole. With that in mind, let's find out what he's had to say about the filmmaker.

Kevin Smith grew up watching David Lynch's movies and TV shows. Speaking to Blueprint Review, he revealed that "Wild at Heart" is his favorite as he relates to the characters and enjoys its coming-of-age elements. But he's also a big fan of "Blue Velvet" and thought "Eraserhead" was terrifying when he first watched it. He even likes "Dune," which isn't regarded as Lynch's finest hour. That said, Smith has a special fondness for "Twin Peaks," claiming that it was prestige TV before the term was cool.

"He's an absolutely wonderful filmmaker, and 'Twin Peaks,' that was my jam when it was on TV, the first run. When it revolutionised television. David Lynch was doing the kind of TV that they're now doing on streaming, on HBO and network f***in' TV... Lynch and Frost make 'Twin Peaks,' and it makes such a f***ing impact that 30 years later, we're still seeing 'Twin Peaks'-like programming. He helped to teach people that with the one-hour format, you can do so many things."

Smith's assessment of "Twin Peaks'" impact on television is one that many Lynch fans undoubtedly agree with. However, the show also boasts the distinction of inspiring Smith's beloved View Askewniverse character, Silent Bob, and that's awesome in its own right.