David Lynch Releases Long-Awaited Thought Gang Album/Music Video As A Reports Of A New Film Surface

Thought Gang is a band that was created back in the early ‘90s when filmmaker David Lynch and his “Blue Velvet”/”Twin Peaks” composer Angelo Badalamenti decided to work together on a new musical venture. They worked with a variety of musicians and attempted to create something special. Lynch even filmed a music video for one of the tracks, “A Real Indication.” And now, 26 years after the album was recorded, Lynch has finally released the Thought Gang album and the video he directed.

“It was a grand experiment,” says David Lynch in an interview with The Guardian. “But I really don’t know who will appreciate it.”

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Thought Gang began as a project with Badalamenti and Lynch wanting to create some non-film music. But they were far from a real band. Thought Gang didn’t even have a singer. Things started to come together with Badalamenti doing the additional duty of singing. And even though Lynch was skeptical of Badalamenti’s chops, he was quickly won over when he heard the musician’s voice. “It thrilled me,” says Lynch. “I started laughing so hard I felt a lightbulb explode in my stomach. I gave myself a hernia. That moment was pain and joy mixed together, a perfect balance.”

When recording began, Lynch encouraged his musicians to take chances and forget the rules of traditional jazz playing. Bassist Reggie Hamilton remembers Lynch saying, “Imagine you’re a chicken with your head cut off running around with 1,000 bennies shoved down your throat.” Obviously, “bennies” meant Benzedrine, an amphetamine.

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Lynch also explains the perfect scenario for listening to this new record, “Play this record loud on big speakers – and crank it so that you can feel it. You gotta feel that thump in your chest.”

Also of Lynchian note, a new Vulture piece claims that the filmmaker is attempting to raise funds for a new film based on the book “Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson.” Lynch has said previously he’d like to direct the film, which also drew interest at one point from Martin Scorsese. However, we haven’t heard anything concrete about the project in quite some time. So take this news with a modest grain of salt.

The new album from Thought Gang is out now. The video can be seen below: