Jeff Warren Talks Punk Rock, Insurance and Welcome Signs in the Real Twin Peaks

Fans from around the world will descend from pure air to attend the Real Twin Peaks event in Snoqualmie Valley, Washington from February 19-22, 2026,. This celebration of the towns where David Lynch and Mark Frost filmed their wonderful and strange series will feature plenty of activities such as free panel discussion, screenings at the North Bend Theatre, unique shopping, damn fine dining and more. This year, long-time Valley resident and State Farm Agent Jeff Warren is sponsoring this beloved fan event championed by the North Bend Downtown Foundation and Historic Downtown Snoqualmie. I caught up with this punk-rocker-turned-insurance agent about living in Washington state, his love for David Lynch and a recently installed “Welcome to Twin Peaks” sign outside his downtown Snoqualmie office.

JEFF WARREN INVITES YOU TO ‘PICK ME FOR INSURANCE’

An insurance agent for nearly two decades, Jeff has lived in the valley since June 2007. After getting married in the early 1990s, his wife and he visited Washington state and quickly added it to their “adulting list of places to live.”

His State Farm Insurance office is located in  downtown Snoqualmie, Washington, where he offers top-notch service with a side of fun. With a focus on saving customers from devastation, Jeff and his team have a blast helping folks realize their insurance dreams. He’s been recognized for his efforts, being selected as the best Insurance Agency for Best of Snoqualmie Valley in 2025.

Steven Miller: What do you like most about living in Washington State?

Jeff Warren: Living in Snoqualmie and North Bend is like living in a National Park. Washington State has a diverse geology and climate. It is a place where you can experience every culture and type of expression. I have found it a place to be who you are, where you are. As Henry Rollins says, “Be here now.” Exist in the moment. Washington is a great place to do that.

SM: When did you first discover David Lynch’s work?

JW: I first discovered David Lynch in 1979 as a freshman BFA candidate attending Illinois Wesleyan University in Central Illinois. It certainly exposed me to the cognitive dissonance of his art. Coming from a world of 4/4 time music and and Wonder Bread, his film Eraserhead spoke to me as only ripping the top of your head off and making erasers can do. I love that itchy feeling when exposed to the arts, and I can’t predict the outcome or register a fight or flight feeling. To be challenged or confronted by art makes me feel alive.

At the same time, mysterious and ambiguous iconography allows the story to live with me, in my head. Like reading a favorite book over and over, more is revealed when you are ready to see it. Once again, I say, “Be here now.” Do this and you’ll be surprised at what you will find.

SM: What is your favorite David Lynch film?

JW: When I was younger, I loved Eraserhead, Wild at Heart, and Blue Velvet. Now I reflect on Dune, Mulholland Drive, and The Elephant Man.

As a young punk-rocker, those first set of movies represented the intensity, fleeting mania, and lustful and wild opportunity of booking the next gig or performance. Those times felt like eating life like an orange and spitting out all the seeds, or as I used to say, “When you’re a Punk, the world’s your ashtray.”

With his latter set of films, I now reflect on how David worked with major studios to present his vision. He had to fight to remain true to his vision with big money and a corporate structure ready to beat him down. The sacrifices he had to make and the compromises he reached to produce his art.

This year, your company is sponsoring the Real Twin Peaks event. Why should someone make the trek to Washington state for this celebration of the towns where Lynch and Frost filmed their series?

Living in this National Park-like setting, it is easy to see the grandiose sublime that David saw in the landscape – running colors bleeding from the seasonal sky down into the ground. The beauty reminds me of the Color field painters of the 1940s through the 60s like Rothko, Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, and Jules Olitski – the tone is set for life in the Valley of the Moon. Once you are here, things are “truly are not what the seem.”

SM: The “Welcome to Twin Peaks” sign is a wonderful addition outside your Snoqualmie office. Why did you add the sign and do you mind folks stopping by to take photos?

JW: I put the sign up because it is something I would want to see it if I was visiting the Real Twin Peaks. In the past, other recreated signs were stolen at the original location on Reinig Road. The time, effort and value of the original scene artist painting was too risky to use any longer.

I took photos of the original sign and had a sign printing company make it. I then had local Twin Peaks carpenters install it in front of my office. Oh, by the way, you are supposed to get a building permit and get the sign approved through zoning. Like most things in this Lynchian world, we eventually worked through the process speaking in reverse [laughs].

SM: I understand you also play guitar. How long have you been playing?

JW: I have been playing guitar since 1976. My first guitar was a 1961 Gibson Les Paul Jr. that I bought from my high school girlfriend’s older sister for a princely sum of $35.00 in 1977. This year, the guitar and me are celebrating 65 years! I’m not the best player, but I am passionate and never give up! So… I got that going for me.

I’ve been in punk rock band Nameless Dread, a rock band named Rob Bob & Throb, performance art acid Jazz bands IT and my latest band is The Mysterious Fatmen. We suck, but we have great posters.

SM: Music is such an important part of Twin Peaks. Do you have a favorite song from the show or feature film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

JW: My favorite songs include ”Falling” from Angelo Badalamenti’s original score, and Nine Inch Nails’ “She’s Gone Away” from Twin Peaks: The Return.

The Bass player in The Mysterious Fatmen is Kyle Twede, who owned the restaurant during filming of the third season in 2015. Kyle and David [Lynch] had too much on their plates during filming to consider my constant refrain of adding the best band in the world for this reboot. I told you I was passionate about playing. You got throw stuff out there when you get the chance.

SM: Washington state experienced some major flooding at the end of 2025. How are you holding up? How are folks in the area recovering?

JW: Insurance is for a catastrophic financial loss; it is for devastation not aggravation. This event has been catastrophic, devastating and certainly aggravating. But the Valley of the Moon pulls together. Morgan Henley of Morgan Henley Presents, Carnation Farms and singer, song writer “Austin Jenckes” recently put together a fundraiser for victims of the floods that raised at least $20,000 and counting.

SM: Insurance is a part of the world of Twin Peaks. In the first season, Mr. Neff visits Catherine Martell to discuss a life insurance policy. In Twin Peaks: The Return, much of the action centers around Lucky 7 Insurance. There is even an insurance agent who visits the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department early in the third season. Why is insurance important and what should folks consider when looking for coverage?

JW: I do sculpture and painting and have a shop full of tools and guitars. Insurance is a tool. I don’t buy my tools at Harbor Freight. When I reach for a tool from the tool box, it has to work! If it doesn’t work the day you need it, you paid too much for it.

I am the only logical choice for insurance in the Valley. I told Kyle MacLachlan this when I handed him a guitar pick during filming of The Return in fall 2015. David Lynch and he were sitting in the alley next to Volition Brewery waiting for the scene to be set. David was smoking a cigarette and I tossed a guitar pick to Kyle. I told him to ‘pick me for insurance.’ He grabbed it out of the air, looked at it slowly, raised his head and said, “Indeed.” David laughed.

Insurance is for a catastrophic financial loss; it is for devastation, not aggravation. I don’t give a shit about your car. They make new cars every day. I care about you. I cannot replace you. Remember, you’re going to be more successful than you ever imagined. So, I help folks with “Adulting 101” about insurance. If you’re going to file a claim or use your insurance, it is going to be aggravating! As an Agent, I educate folks about how all this works. If you take my advice, I will make sure it’s not devastating. Go Hawks!

THANK YOU, JEFF WARREN!

Thank you to Jeff for his time and for supporting the Real Twin Peaks event this year. In previous years, he sponsored food trucks during the evening dance parties at Snoqualmie Valley Eagles. He cares about fellow Twin Peaks fans!

I hope you’ll stop by his office located at 8429 Falls Ave SE in Snoqualmie to take a photo with the welcome sign. Scan the QR code, leave them a “5 star” Google review and then post your photo on the page. Jeff also invites fans to stop inside his office for a cup of coffee as “black as a moonless night” and a complementary sticker! Learn more at PickMeForInsurance.com.