Bries Blog-O-Rama: 20 år med Twin Peaks - dag 3: Brie på pilgrimsfærd

mandag den 12. april 2010

20 år med Twin Peaks - dag 3: Brie på pilgrimsfærd

"Diane. 11:30 AM, February 24th. Entering the town of Twin Peaks."

En vinterdag i februar 1989 standsede en hvid Buick ved krydset i den lille provinsby North Bend.

De to herrer i bilen kørte omkring i delstaten Washington for at finde locations til deres kommende tv-serie, "Northwest Passage", da en forståelig trang til kaffe og kage fik det lille rejseselskab til at bænke sig ved disken i Pat Cokewells ydmyge diner, Mar-T Cafe.

Og ifølge legenden blev seriens forfatter- og producerpar så himmelhenrykte over cafemutters hjemmegjorte kirsebærtærte, at de prompte skrev bagværket ind i deres manuskript som hovedpersonens yndlingsspise.

Mark Frost og David Lynch havde fundet deres Twin Peaks. Og Mar-T Cafe blev verdensberømt som stedet, "hvor tærterne finder hen, når de dør".

Naboflækkerne Snoqualmie og North Bend, der putter sig i skyggen af Mount Si-bjerget, ligger godt en halv times kørsel fra Seattle, 50 km mod øst ad Interstate 90.

Og skønt location-optagelserne fra området begrænser sig til 1) pilotafsnittet af "Twin Peaks", 2) den senere spillefilms-prequel "Twin Peaks - Laura Palmers sidste dage" og 3) seriens arkiv af faste establishing shots, viste det efterfølgende turistboom sig langt drøjere end den sorteste kande kaffe.

Selv gjorde jeg pilgrimsfærden til tvillingebyerne som 20-årig i 1996. For nylig fremkom dagbogen over mine fire jublende døgn i Twin Peaks-paradis, og at samtlige indtegnelser er nedfældet på formfuldendt engelsk, mens den snurrige, observerende tone fra Dale Coopers diktafonbeskeder er gengivet såre præcist, siger vist lidt om målet af indlevelse.

I 2006 returnerede jeg til åstedet blot for at konstatere, at tidernes vinde har udvisket de fleste af sporene efter Laura Palmer. Savværket er så godt som borte, skolen bygget om, og på dineren, der i 2000 brændte ned for at genopstå i nye klæder som Twede's Cafe, er Double-R-stemningen svær at genkende.

Men de bragende naturkræfter i det 81 meter høje Snoqualmie Falls vil altid stå som en hypnotisk og besættende oplevelse. Og tærten smagte stadig udmærket.

SNOQUALMIE & NORTH BEND

Excerpts from the Brie diaries, 1996

Friday May 17th, 1996

2:17 PM

Entering the town of North Bend. As W. C. Fields would say: "I'd rather be here than Philadelphia".

4:24 PM

Pat Cokewell's cherry pie at the Mar-T Cafe is especially good when served with a dollop of ice cream on the side. Did however not say anything about how "damn good" the pie was, although the waitress clearly expected me to. The visitors book is full of Swedish people.

10:00 PM

Am pretty knackered, but still I feel compelled to sum up today's events. Have seen a plethora of slugs, but no ducks. The weather is wildly inconsistent and constantly changing, producing the most sensational, crisply colored double rainbows. Somehow, I can not help thinking about Sweden. Maybe it has to do with the damp woodland scent that permeates the air. The Mar-T does not really look that much like the 'RR Diner', although a selection of TP articles are on display (there are also two clippings from Danish magazines). Oh, incidentally - 'Pseudotsuga Menziesii' is Latin for 'Douglas fir'.

Saturday 18th May, 1996

2:48 PM

This is it. I am here. TWIN PEAKS. I think I might just stay here forever.

Sunday 19th May, 1996

11:53 AM

Once again, the Mar-T. Nothing beats the taste sensation when maple syrup collides with ham ... For some strange reason, the door to the men's room locks from the outside.

3:49 PM

Struck up a conversation with a fellow named Doug (appropriately enough, considering the subject was Douglas firs). Doug works at the Weyerhaeuser Saw Mill, which has changed a lot too since the filming of the pilot. The Mt. Si High School, which I visited yesterday during the preparations for a big dance, was also renovated shortly after [the location shoot].

6:08 PM

The Salish Lodge. A tiny bonsai fountain gently plutters away beside me and fills my weary body with peace. The waltz muzak in the hotel lobby, however, will probably drive you insane if exposed to it long enough. While the place looks nothing like The Great Nothern, it does look extremely expensive.

9:00 PM

Eating marshmallows at Snoqualmie Falls. I am happy.

Monday 20th May, 1996

11:25 AM

Enjoying the cherry pie and the wonderful atmosphere at the Mar-T Cafe, alas for the last time (if I do not choose to return later this afternoon). The following is a list of my favorite entries from the visitors book.

"I cannot believe that I'm here." - Alesya Dudinskaya, Minsk
"A pine weasel bit me!" - Keith Weston, Melbourne
"[We're not with the Eddlestons]" - Aidan & Audrey Waine, Accrington, UK
"Good food even though I didn't order anything." - Kristine Murphy, Port Orchard, WA

"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Bring it back!!! Free Tibet!" - Rachel McKean, Redding, CA
"We're not with the Eddlestons either." - Keld Lundstrøm, Denmark
"SELF-DESTRUCTIVE" - Fredrik Johansson, Falkenberg
"Wow, BOB, wow ..." - [unintelligible], Illinois
"I'm lost" - D. B. Cooper

2:05 PM
Have just realized that I am capable of making uncannily accurate prophecies. Predicted that a timber truck would soon pass by the traffic lights in front of us. It did.

4:29 PM
Consuming a chocolate frosted donut as I leave the city of Snoqualmie, wondering if I will ever set foot here again (chances are slim at best). My last day here has provoked mixed feelings: a 1½ hour walk to the Weyerhaeuser office proved futile, as any visitors without a business appointment are only allowed into the (not very spacious) lobby. Photography is pRohiBiTed. As much as I understand the receptionist's complaints over having busloads of tourists pouring in to have a glance at the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department, I could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.

On a positive note, the timber trucks, until now conspicuous by their absence, are suddenly aplenty. And there were ducks in the river.
All in all, a very interesting experience.

Bonus-ekskursion: POULSBO

Sande Peaks-fans bliver også nødt til at opsøge den gamle skandinaviske enklave Poulsbo i Puget Sound, som man når ved at tage færgen fra Seattle til Bainbridge Island og fortsætte med bus mod nordvest.

Belønningen venter i form af konferencecentret Kiana Lodge, der lagde rustikt interiør til hotellet The Great Northern i seriens pilotepisode. Det var også her, ved den enorme træstamme på stenstranden, at Pete Martell fandt Laura Palmers lig indsvøbt i blå plastic.