Twin Peaks Fan Spotlight – Interview with Bruce Phillips

When I think of being a Twin Peaks fan in the 1990s, three things come to mind – the Log Lady introductions on Bravo TV, John Thorne and Craig Miller’s outstanding magazine “Wrapped in Plastic,” and mail order catalogs from Bruce Phillips. The latter were filled with wonderful and strange listings of treasures I only dreamed of owning. Thanks to an introduction by Ben Durant and Bryon Kozaczka, authors of the exceptional “Twin Peaks Unwrapped,” I recently spoke with Bruce Phillips about his decades-long interest in Twin Peaks collectibles.

Ben and Bryon spoke with Bruce while working on their recent book. They graciously connected us and, through a series of exchanges via email, I’m delighted to shine the spotlight on this long-time fan. I’ll admit that I was totally geeked out by our correspondence (something I expressed to Bruce multiple times during our exchanges). He is a legend in the Twin Peaks community, one of the first true archivists of the show.

I strongly suggest you also check out Andy Hageman’s interview with Bruce on 25YL Site as it’s a phenomenal read (way better than anything I could ever pen).

COLLECTING PEAKS

Steven Miller:  How did you get into collecting Twin Peaks items?

Bruce Phillips:  When I saw the television trailers for the original broadcast of Twin Peaks back in 1990, it looked very interesting. My wife and I started watching from the original broadcast, and we were instantly hooked. We made sure to adjust our schedules so that we could watch every episode when it aired. From the inviting music, to the suspense and quirkiness, it was totally new and addicting. 

I had been a collector of various cult-type things for many years before this, so it was just natural for me to then start collecting Twin Peaks items. I enjoy collecting; it’s like a scavenger hunt to me and always interesting when doing research on the things I’m collecting.

SM: Twin Peaks quickly became a worldwide phenomenal when it aired in countries outside the United States. The show was particularly popular in Japan. How did you find products from the international marketplace?

BP: As the series aired world-wide, each country had their own merchandise, promotional items, and point-of-purchase incentives. These are specific promotional items retailers, like myself at the time, would receive based on the quantity of videos purchased. I would start chasing things down as soon as I learned about them. Remember, there was no eBay or online store presence at that time. 

The same occurred with the worldwide distribution of the video releases. I already had some contacts with individuals from other countries from my previous collecting and reached out to everyone possible, even traveled internationally personally, to obtain things. Once I obtained various items from other countries, I would then contact those distributors and manufacturers directly which enabled me to obtain even more.

I worked with both Bravo USA and Bravo Twyman House Timewarp Television UK. Because of my previous association with them, when Bravo UK was finished with their promotion, I was able to purchase all their promo items.

SM: It’s strange to think there was a time without instant access to thousands of shopping websites. When I first accessed the world wide web in spring 1995, there were only a handful of websites available. How did Twin Peaks fans and collectors find you?

BP: As I was obtaining items from around the world, I began placing advertisements in various magazines offering to trade various Twin Peaks items for things I didn’t have. When Wrapped in Plastic (WIP) began their publication, I ran advertisements there as well.

Again, because there was no internet, everything was done by mail or phone. Many times I found other collectors preferred to trade for items as opposed to selling from their collections. This helped them obtain pieces they were personally looking for just like I was doing. I would contact those I was dealing with here in the United States by mail or fax. 

SM: How did you get started selling collectibles and creating a mail order catalog for Twin Peaks fans?

BP: If you started adding up my costs from making large purchases to get promo incentives; purchasing promotional items and cast and crew memorabilia; traveling internationally to get things; purchasing remaining items that various manufacturers and distributors were liquidating; obtaining the necessary video and DVD equipment; etc. I had to try to do something to recoup my expenses as well as give me a cushion to purchase more. I was young at the time, just starting a family, running a business, and finding it was getting very expensive – literally thousands of dollars.

Since I already had ads running in various magazines and Wrapped in Plastic to obtain things, I decided to create a mail order catalog and include this with my ads which really was the only way to reach out to Twin Peaks fans again, no internet; everything had to be done by mail.

However, the catalog took a lot of time as it was cut and paste – didn’t have desktop publishing software either. I had to go through boxes and boxes of things I’d purchased, categorize them, and determine a price to sell them at based on my costs.

Thank goodness for technology and the internet as I now sell strictly on eBay (follow his auctions at Brucew412). I even get requests for items I have but haven’t had time to list on eBay yet or there being a personal favorite. Even today I’m still buying and trading and getting new items weekly. It is amazing, however, it is getting increasingly hard to get many items.

With the return of Twin Peaks by Showtime, I also started a new service. Showtime and other licensees do not ship internationally, so I purchase items on fans’ behalf and ship them myself internationally.

VIDEO PEAKS

SM: Speaking of analog technology like snail mail, you offered some pretty extensive collections of broadcast clips featuring Twin Peaks. Today it’s incredibly easy to find video clips on sites like YouTube. In the 1990s, this was no easy feat.  How did you amass such a collection?

BP: At the same time I was collecting, I started recording any broadcast that just might happen to have something about Twin Peaks or any of its cast members. I had my VCR programmed to record Entertainment Tonight; late-night shows like, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, David Letterman and others. It took MANY hours to watch these broadcasts and then compile pertinent information.

I also began reaching out worldwide for international broadcasts. Again, as I did a lot of trading around the world with fellow fans not looking to sell but wanting to trade, I established a network to get broadcasts and merchandise from their countries.

However, the videos I received from other countries would not play on the U.S. equipment; so I had to purchase a worldwide player/recorder only available to purchase outside of the U.S. I then purchased a video/DVD burner to convert these recordings to trade or sell. I remember being shocked at having to spend over $1,000 for the worldwide player and an additional $1,000 for the VHS/DVD recorder. 

SM: Can you talk about the Twin Peaks outtake videos that have never been shown on DVD or Blu-ray?

BP: As I was amassing my video collection, more and more people became aware of it and began contributing what they had that I didn’t worldwide. I ended up with over 50, 2-hour video tapes which included TV broadcasts, interviews, personal footage other fans had recorded, etc.

I also have footage from the International Pilot which is different from that aired in the United States. This is because they would not circulate the US pilot video for Twin Peaks as they weren’t confident enough about distributing the entire series questioning its appeal. Television executives wanted some type of closure to the pilot. As a result, Lynch Frost Productions / ABC / World Vision put additional footage on the International Pilot, making this version different from the one broadcast on April 8, 1990.

DELETED SCENES

SM: The Season 3 behind-the-scenes footage on the recent Twin Peaks – From Z to A collection offers a fascinating look at how the show was created. In the 1990s, this sort of footage wasn’t readily available. Thanks to you, we have a look at deleted scenes, outtakes and more from the original series. How did you obtain these treasures?

BP: Part of the Deleted Scenes video that I collected came from fans who found out the shooting schedules, which listed the locations, day, time, cast members, and props for certain scenes, and then they went to those specific locations to record them. Fans weren’t allowed on site, so cameras were hidden.

I was also approached by individuals who discretely wanted to share scraped footage. They were probably crew members who worked in or around the editing room. When I asked where the footage came from, I was told that it was fished out of a dumpster. Just for fun, I complied that footage to make my Deleted Scenes Collection.

Fans found out about this and wanted to see them, so I shared them, but indicated they were for their own viewing and not for reproduction, public viewing, and with no rights implied. Glad I did this because later some of this footage was used in commercial video releases as special features.

When we decided to move into a new home, we suddenly found ourselves madly packing due to a fast sale. Things were put in boxes with little rhyme or reason to all my collections. I am still opening boxes and finding Twin Peaks things. In fact, I just recently uncovered the raw footage from one of the boxes. These are repeated duplicate takes of various scenes of which I included only one or two of each in the compiled Deleted Scenes.

The raw footage is very interesting because you can hear more of the various cast members’ comments on the way a particular scene was being shot, making suggestions, and directors’ comments on different re-shootings of scenes. It’s also fun hearing the cast and directors joking around during the daily shoots. There are also behind-the-scenes recordings, clip board showings, count downs for the editing room to put things in proper place, and digital numbering to determine what gets cut and what stays.

Fans that I have shared my compiled and raw footage with have told me that I have some material that has not been included in the official deleted scenes and specials on the various releases of the series or movie on video and DVD.

There have been so many releases of the series and the movie from VHS tape to Laser Disc to DVD to High Definition and Blu-rays – each with its own box artwork and different specials inside, e.g. trading cards, pamphlets, etc. All this was done worldwide, so it wouldn’t surprise me if there were hundreds of releases which makes it difficult to know what is on each release and compare with my deleted and raw footage.

SM: Angelo Badalamenti’s music was the gateway to Twin Peaks for me. I heard you found some music while digging through boxes.

BP: When I found the raw footage, I also found with it six music CDs which had various renditions of Badalamenti’s introduction music, probably  determining which to use – Laura Palmer’s theme, Julee Cruise, and the fans’ arrangement of “Give Peaks a Chance.” 

The latter was recorded to try to convince ABC Television Network not to cancel the series and used in cooperation with C.O.O.P. (Citizens Opposing the Offing of Peaks) and Operation Pine Weasel in their attempt to encourage fans to contact the network. Because of the efforts of these two organizations, ABC received over 300,000 faxes and letters in 1991.

I also have on CD various artists throughout the world, such as Moby, who did remixes of the various Twin Peaks music (e.g. the Red Room dance music), which I still have not had time to review and share with fans.

PROPPING PEAKS

SM: One of my favorite photos of you is found in Patricia Shook’s “A Pictorial of Twin Peaks Stars” that I picked up at the 1996 Twin Peaks Fan Festival. You’re sporting a Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department uniform while standing behind Windom Earle’s chess board.

BP: After the series was cancelled, I was contacted by crew members through my advertisements in various magazines to see if I wanted to purchase items they had, e.g. scripts, crew gifts, documents, props, etc,  Of course, they weren’t looking to trade; they just wanted to sell whatever they had, and I bought everything I could get my hands on.

In addition, as I met cast members and developed good relationships, I offered to purchase and sell whatever items they might have. Even today I am purchasing complete collections from individuals wanting to sell everything and not each piece individually which takes a lot of time.

SM: What are your favorite items you’ve collected?

BP: As I mentioned, I was always on the lookout for items that weren’t retail merchandise and not available to the general public such as props; crew and cast member things; production material; promotional items; point of purchase items; limited edition products; and items that were only licensed for distribution in various countries and not sold in the US.

Many of these items ended up in my private collection as I may have had only one. It wasn’t until years later I decided to sell some of my private collection that fans became aware these items even existed.

In the prop category, I mostly obtained items from cast and crew members where these were given to them as gifts, and some were purchased from the wardrobe department. I also reached out to various prop stores that actually leased props to tv shows and bought known Twin Peaks items from them.

There was also a large prop sale by Lynch Frost in Los Angeles in 1991. I was also contacted by other individuals who had purchased props from there which I eventually purchased.

My favorites here would have to be Laura’s Secret Diary with the key inside; Agent Cooper’s FBI badge and Sheriff Truman’s sheriff badge; the One-Eyed Jacks poker chip, and one of the Best Friends necklaces.

I was also a key reference for magazines and TV shows. One time I was contacted by a representative from the Frank Skinner Show of Avalon Television in England. They were doing a special with a surprise guest, Kyle MacLachlan, which I had to keep secret. I sent them the various items they requested and answered their various questions. In return, I asked for Kyle’s autograph on the “Autobiography of Agent Cooper“ which he so kindly did.

The autograph is interesting –  “Best wishes and damn fine coffee Yours truly, The FBI, Kyle MacLachlan, Special Agent Dale Cooper” and then a drawn picture of a steaming cup of coffee. That book is still a special part of my private collection.

SM: There are so many props I wish I had such as Agent Sam Stanley’s Whiteman Machine or the original Guardian Angel picture from Laura Palmer’s bedroom. Is there a prop or item you wish you had in  your collection?

BP: There is one prop that I actually purchased but the crew member lost it before shipping it to me. It was Special Agent Denise Bryson’s DEA wallet identification. I was heart broken that this special prop was lost. I was later fortunate to meet David Duchovny on the set of X-Files in Vancouver, British Columbia and to be able to purchase one of his FBI ID tags from a Fox charity auction. I’ve attached a copy of the original photo copy of what the crew member had for me showing the DEA wallet and several other props that I was able to purchase.

SM: As we wrap up, I have three questions I enjoy asking fellow fans. Do you call it the “Bang Bang Bar” or “The Roadhouse?”

BP: I refer to it both ways as did the series. I do remember during one of my visits to North Bend, Washington having a drink with Michael Anderson (Man From The Other Place) and Catherine Coulson (The Log Lady), but I don’t recall her having a drink.  I also recorded the outside as part of the video tapes of filming locations.

SM: Which Donna Hayward – Lara Flynn Boyle or Moira Kelly?

BP: Donna, in my mind, will always be Lara Flynn Boyle from the original series. She once sent me a post card thanking me for my Twin Peaks efforts. I did meet Moira Kelly and had a great conversation with her. She had left her prescription eyeglasses at one of the events I attended, and I picked them up and returned them to her later in the day when I saw her. She was great and I also really liked her in The Cutting Edge.

SM: Which Twin Peaks character do you most identify with?

BP: I think I can most identify with Agent Cooper because he was law enforcement. I have degrees in law enforcement and public administration. I also have FBI and Presidential clearance.

In my government positions, I was the lead contact person for the community for the FBI, Military Police, and the Secret Service with Presidential visits. I also identify with him because of his analytical insight as well as his quirkiness which I’ve been told I tend to have.

As I say in my eBay listings a quote from Agent Cooper:

“Every day, once a day give yourself a present. Don’t plan it. Don’t wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be something from my buddy’s Bruce Phillips’ collection.”

SM: Thank you for sharing your time and treasures with me. This has truly been a treat, especially for someone who has loved the show for more than 27 years. Any final thoughts?

BP: From my simple beginnings of collecting the rare and unusual items from Twin Peaks, to amassing the world’s largest collection by purchasing and selling worldwide; and dealing with fans, distributors, merchandisers from all over to cast members and producers, I guess you can say I became the hub for collecting and selling items thus becoming known as “The Twin Peaks Guy.”