If you met him in person, David Lynch came across as a Midwestern pastor, all gee-whiz and aw-shucks. He was one of the few people who seemed wholly incapable of irony and, hearing him talk, you’d think the man must have enjoyed a pretty darn nice Montana childhood.

David Lynch, Hollywood's most prominent surrealist filmmaker, died this week, leaving a void in our world that probably won't be filled any time soon. Lynch was simply too singular of a personaltiy — making extremely bizarre stuff that most people can't parse at all is not usually a path to stardom,