Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

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Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by TwinPeaksFanatic »

Just some thoughts on My Life, My Tapes. This was my first time reading it and I really enjoyed it.

http://twinpeaksfanatic.blogspot.com/20 ... f-fbi.html

:D
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Da

Post by sneakydave »

Makes me want to dust off my old paperback and read it again. :-)
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Da

Post by Jerry Horne »

I remember a few times laughing out loud. Will read it again right before the new series.
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Da

Post by LostInTheMovies »

I found this book fascinating and am really glad I read it. It was one of the last pieces of Twin Peaks I actually experienced, reading it only after I'd seen The Missing Pieces (but admittedly before the fluffy but fun Access Guide) and I was so surprised how much it adds to the mythos. I think it's also a really helpful look at how Frost saw Cooper (assuming he gave his brother tips & guidelines on what to address) and where the character might have gone in a new season. Harley Peyton has says that he and Frost came up with Coop seeing Bob in the mirror on the spur of the moment, but this book really makes it feel like that was the plan all along so I'd be interested to know when they had that talk. Martha Nochimson's take on the book in The Passion of David Lynch is very interesting; she sees it as really exhibiting the Frost vision of Twin Peaks vs. the Lynch vision (which is exhibited more by his daughter's book). That makes a certain amount of sense although it's interesting that in some ways Lynch (unintentionally??) builds off this book's lore as well.

I love all the mythos will Coop's mom & the ring too. It really feels related to FWWM & the Owl Cave Ring too - I think Cooper's mom, as a victim of otherworldly torment (and perhaps worldly torment too), was trying to communicate something to him with that ring and that's why it plays such an important role in the show vis a vis his understanding of Laura's situation - and indirectly in the film where another ring is presented to Laura and Coop tells her not to take it (wrongly as it turns out). I dug into this a bit in one of my FWWM videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST0V7d4sZsk

As for Chet Desmond, your suspicion is correct - Lynch changed the plan for FWWM (in which Cooper would have conducted the Deer Meadow investigation). The reason was purely practical: Kyle MacLachlan didn't want to participate in the film, and Chris Isaak was hired to replaced him at one point when it seemed like he wouldn't be in it at all. Later they coaxed him into what is essentially a cameo role but it does make the book seem non-canonical.

Unless...you buy John Thorne's theory that the Chet Desmond investigation is Cooper's dream (ala Mulholland Drive) and that he actually DID investigate Teresa's death himself! I certainly don't expect the new series to actively confirm this reading but it would be interesting if it leaves everything ambiguous enough for that to be a possibility. Of course I also have suspicions that Lynch will toy with the idea of alternate realities in 2016/17 so that may complicate things even further.

[Whoops wrote this, and just saw that you already addressed it in the comments! Oh well, hopefully anyone reading this thread who isn't familiar with the background will find this useful.]
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Da

Post by N. Needleman »

I adore the autobiography. I would love to know more about some of those cases.

I also wouldn't mind some kind of new spin-off tie-in today - if, let's say, the Bad Dale has been out and up to no good with none the wiser these last 25 years, he may have made Windom Earle's reign of terror look like a day at the fair. Could there be a trail of unanswered questions behind him?
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Da

Post by TwinPeaksFanatic »

Lost in the Movies, I also linked Cooper's Story from your video series in my post. You've done a fabulous job and I enjoyed watching your videos so much!

I agree that Lynch will likely play with alternate realities. I'm sure you're right about the casting issue with Kyle causing the difference in FWWM too, but since Agent Desmond, Philip Jeffries and Sam Stanley are part of the mythology now, I'd love to know more.

The missing pieces were so enjoyable for me. It seemed like Dale didn't trust Sam and was that a portal to the Black Lodge or the convenience store that Philip popped out of in Buenos Aires?

I also like the idea of "bad" Dale, as long as we eventually get our hero back.

For those who haven't read this book, it's worth it!

:)
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by crazyscottishguy »

I hope Lynch or Frost incorpoated this bit into the new TP feature:

December 18, 7 A.M.

Had asthma very bad last night. Mom was up most of the night with me, and now I feel very weak. Will not go to school today. Had a dream in the middle of the night that frightened me a great deal. A man who I have never seen was trying to break into my room. He kept calling my name and said that he wanted me. He then screamed, and after a moment it turned into a kind of roar as if he were some kind of animal. I told Mom about it and she said that she knew about "him," and that she has the same dream, and that I must never let the man into my room. I don't understand what it means. My chest hurts a great deal. I think I will go to sleep now. I am very tired.


January 20, 1969, 8 P.M.

Have been sick for some time and did not feel like talking much. An infection spread through my lungs and I felt very weak for a long time. Had the dream of the Man several more times, but did not let him in the door.
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by Agent Sam Stanley »

*cough cough* much better than Laura's Diary
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by Rudagger »

crazyscottishguy wrote:I hope Lynch or Frost incorpoated this bit into the new TP feature:

December 18, 7 A.M.

Had asthma very bad last night. Mom was up most of the night with me, and now I feel very weak. Will not go to school today. Had a dream in the middle of the night that frightened me a great deal. A man who I have never seen was trying to break into my room. He kept calling my name and said that he wanted me. He then screamed, and after a moment it turned into a kind of roar as if he were some kind of animal. I told Mom about it and she said that she knew about "him," and that she has the same dream, and that I must never let the man into my room. I don't understand what it means. My chest hurts a great deal. I think I will go to sleep now. I am very tired.


January 20, 1969, 8 P.M.

Have been sick for some time and did not feel like talking much. An infection spread through my lungs and I felt very weak for a long time. Had the dream of the Man several more times, but did not let him in the door.
Not sure how much I like the idea of Bob having always been trying to possess Coop (if that's implying it to be Bob), though, on a more metaphorical 'evil that men do' thing I'm fine with it. I just worry it retroactively makes the world of story even smaller. A bit like how the Star Wars prequels did the whole 'chosen one' thing with Anakin; can't a character just become important by the actions they take rather than turning it into destiny or fate?

Regardless though, I really gotta read this book at some point. It's long out of print though, no? I'll have to check Abebooks or something for it (that's where I managed to find two long out of print books about Aronofsky's The Fountain)
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by speedbeatz »

You can (legally) check out an e-book of it here: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3514171 ... ale_Cooper
Only one person can check it out at a time, though, so you might have to wait a few days.

It looks like the price for preowned copies has gone down quite a bit, though - Amazon now has multiple listings for ~$25, I remember when it was going for upwards of $80.
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by dkenny78 »

Rudagger wrote:
Not sure how much I like the idea of Bob having always been trying to possess Coop (if that's implying it to be Bob), though, on a more metaphorical 'evil that men do' thing I'm fine with it. I just worry it retroactively makes the world of story even smaller. A bit like how the Star Wars prequels did the whole 'chosen one' thing with Anakin; can't a character just become important by the actions they take rather than turning it into destiny or fate?
I'm with you 100%. It also makes BOB a lot less interesting/scary if it's implied he's some sort of patient, plotting mastermind who has been planting the seeds of Coop's corruption for decades in advance. I much prefer him as some sort of primal, preternatural evil force that simply takes advantage of the fact that Cooper wanders into the Lodge unaware of the danger it presents.
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by Gabriel »

dkenny78 wrote:I'm with you 100%. It also makes BOB a lot less interesting/scary if it's implied he's some sort of patient, plotting mastermind who has been planting the seeds of Coop's corruption for decades in advance. I much prefer him as some sort of primal, preternatural evil force that simply takes advantage of the fact that Cooper wanders into the Lodge unaware of the danger it presents.
Bearing in mind Heir to the Empire hadn't been written at this stage, I took it that BOB stalks many people, possibly through genetic lines... Also, given the aspects of the lodges existing outside of time and space, some of young Coop's visions could be tied in with his future incarceration. So, rather than Coop's incarceration being inevitable, events in the book happen because of it.

And the Dale Cooper (DC)/(CD) Chester Desmond angle could be taken in many ways: does Chester investigate in the timeline where Jefferies does or doesn't time travel? Is Chester Desmond Shadow Coop in a rewritten timeline?

Part of the fun of Twin Peaks is that even the contradictions can serve a narrative purpose.

For over 25 years, I've accepted most of Coop's autobiography as a sort of concurrent canon or, at least, deuterocanon.

I also absolutely love it: it's funny, scary and sad, it captures Coop's voice perfectly and feels much closer to the TV show than Laura's diary, which is closer to FWWM.
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by Agent Earle »

Gabriel wrote: Bearing in mind Heir to the Empire hadn't been written at this stage, I took it that BOB stalks many people, possibly through genetic lines... Also, given the aspects of the lodges existing outside of time and space, some of young Coop's visions could be tied in with his future incarceration. So, rather than Coop's incarceration being inevitable, events in the book happen because of it.

And the Dale Cooper (DC)/(CD) Chester Desmond angle could be taken in many ways: does Chester investigate in the timeline where Jefferies does or doesn't time travel? Is Chester Desmond Shadow Coop in a rewritten timeline?

Part of the fun of Twin Peaks is that even the contradictions can serve a narrative purpose.

For over 25 years, I've accepted most of Coop's autobiography as a sort of concurrent canon or, at least, deuterocanon.

I also absolutely love it: it's funny, scary and sad, it captures Coop's voice perfectly and feels much closer to the TV show than Laura's diary, which is closer to FWWM.
Love your thoughts about the possible meaning of the Bob reference (it resourcefully solves the rift between the casual chance/actions and the predestination/fate as the opposed motivators of the series' mythos that some fans have expressed having problems with) and I'm in perfect agreement about the merit of the book! Too bad My Life My Tapes doesn't enjoy any kind of attention from the original cast and crew, in any case it's far less referenced and known than Laura's Secret Diary is, almost to a point where one wonders if even all the cast members know it exists (I'm pretty sure Lynch doesn't :) )... I'm guessing that had/has something to do with the unfortunate timing of its release, namely it happened when the series was in its last gasps (whereas the Secret Diary came out when its public and critical reputation and demand for all things TP were at their absolute peak).

I'm curious as to what MacLachlan makes of it, or Mark Frost - since it was naturally he from the series' production team who had the biggest hand in helping his brother craft the book, it'd be lovely if we could get a detailed elaboration from him about the book's genesis, intentions and achievements. You know, something that could finally place the work into the pantheon of Twin Peaks where it fully belongs!
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by HagbardCeline »

I just re-read the book for the first time since it was published. One thing that struck me immediately is Cooper's reaction when he first has pie and coffee:

July 30h, 2:30pm
"...Have also had my very first cup of coffee, and my second. My feet seem to tingle and are very agitated."

Then in Episode 19 (26 overall) he comes into the Diner to get donuts after exploring Owl Cave and has this exchange with Annie:

COOPER
When I talk to you I get a tingling sensation in my toes and in my stomach.

ANNIE
It's interesting

COOPER
I don't think it has anything to do with coffee.


Anyway, I just thought that was a fun Easter Egg of sorts. Overall I enjoyed Cooper's autobiography. I wished that they had revised this book after FWWM. It's interesting how many of the Desmond scenes incorporate the stuff mentioned here.
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Re: Thoughts on 'The Autobiography of F.B.I Special Agent Dale C

Post by Gabriel »

HagbardCeline wrote:I just re-read the book for the first time since it was published. One thing that struck me immediately is Cooper's reaction when he first has pie and coffee:

July 30h, 2:30pm
"...Have also had my very first cup of coffee, and my second. My feet seem to tingle and are very agitated."

Then in Episode 19 (26 overall) he comes into the Diner to get donuts after exploring Owl Cave and has this exchange with Annie:

COOPER
When I talk to you I get a tingling sensation in my toes and in my stomach.

ANNIE
It's interesting

COOPER
I don't think it has anything to do with coffee.


Anyway, I just thought that was a fun Easter Egg of sorts. Overall I enjoyed Cooper's autobiography. I wished that they had revised this book after FWWM. It's interesting how many of the Desmond scenes incorporate the stuff mentioned here.
Yeah, and with the
Spoiler:
statue of Jimmy Stewart from FBI Story in the latest part and Coop's addictive penchant for coffee,
there are plenty more Easter eggs. I suspect there was a pretty decent backstory written for Coop long before Scott Frost wrote MLMT, which he worked from, so it should all be reasonably consistent. I view Cooper entering the Black Lodge as being like a stone dropping in a pond, sending ripples in all directions. Scenes from FWWM likely happened that way because of Episode 29, but, before Episode 29, they might have happened the way they were portrayed in the books.

I have to say, if this new show is the last TV/Film offering, I'd be happy to see some more Twin Peaks novels along the lines of MLMT AND TSDOLP.
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