“‘Eraserhead’ was born in Philadelphia,” David Lynch has said, and anyone who’s seen the film knows it wasn’t an easy birth. The director’s first onscreen nightmare was hatched in our fair city, but while Sylvester Stallone’s bronze totem stands next to the Art Museum, there’s never been any formal acknowledgment of Jack Nance and his towering coiffure.
That changes now, with the unveiling of a mural on the exterior of PhilaMOCA gallery in honor of the “Eraserhood.” Sure, you could call the area Callowhill or West Poplar, but unlike the surreal film, neither of them have a radiator lady or little man-made chickens.
“This is a city that proudly flaunts our history with ‘Rocky,’ but neither ‘Eraserhead’ nor David Lynch himself ever get any attention,” says Eric Bresler, PhilaMOCA’s art director. “This is PhilaMOCA’s way of preserving the Eraserhood name, which serves as a reminder of Lynch’s presence in the neighborhood.”
The celebration will begin with a Lynch-themed art show featuring over 40 local and national artists. The evening’s entertainment includes “Twin Peaks”-inspired burlesque, two sketch comedy groups riffing on all things Lynch and music by Void Vision and Full Blown Cherry. “This is a celebration, so I wanted to be upbeat and fun and embrace all of Lynch’s qualities,” Bresler says. “Underneath the darkness and disturbing nature of his films, there’s always a layer of comedy, whether people realize it or not.”
If you go
Eraserhood Forever
Friday, 6:30 p.m.
PhilaMOCA
531 N. 12th St.
$10, 267-519-9651
