Twin Peaks in ‘Roadshow’ Magazine from Japan, June 1992

When Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was released in Japan on May 16, 1992, it became a runaway success. Japanese audiences couldn’t get enough of the story about the last seven days of Laura Palmer. Stars from the film were the subject of countless articles including this issue of Roadshow magazine from June 1992. Wearing denim on denim, Kyle MacLachlan graced the cover of this issue which contained a few publicity photos from the film and an interview with Sheryl Lee.

ROADSHOW MAGAZINE FROM JAPAN | JUNE 1992 | COVER

Launched in 1972, Roadshow magazine was published by Shueisha, the largest publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Today, the company’s publications encompass a wide range of subjects and genres, from magazines, literature, art, children’s, and reference books, to manga (comics/graphic novels).

The Japanese movie magazine Roadshow focuses on films, actors and pop culture, often featuring stunning covers and content about Hollywood and Japanese cinema.

Kyle MacLachlan, dressed in denim for days, graced the cover of the June 1992 issue of Roadhshow. It was Vol. 21, No.6, Issue No. 247 and edited by Hanami Mantaro.  Klio Lee & Yuki Nakajima served as Hollywood correspondents for the magazine. The cover photo was taken by Tomoaki Sakata

This issue was most likely available at the end of April 1992 in advance of the Japanese release of Lynch’s 1992 film in mid-May.

There is a mention about Twin Peaks on the cover (second blurb down from the top right): “Laura Palmer coming to Japan?! Come see Twin Peaks at the movies!”

ROADSHOW MAGAZINE FROM JAPAN | JUNE 1, 1992 | PAGE 272 – CONTENTS

The table of contents is found on page 272 with a photo of Kyle MacLachlan from The Hidden.

The paragraphs next to the image read:

He was 25 years old when he made his debut in David Lynch’s sci-fi film “Dune.” He dyed his eyes blue and created an elusive, futuristic image. After that, he appeared in films such as “Blue Velvet,” but his career stagnated for several years. However, he became extremely popular with his role as Cooper in Lynch’s TV series “Twin Peaks.” He exuded a bright yet mysterious personality.

He exudes a unique aura, delighting his hidden fans who have followed him since his debut. He can be said to be an actor who has risen to stardom, nurtured by the unique director Lynch. The film version of “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” is due to be released soon. He also has a plethora of new projects, including “The Trial,” which is currently in the works. Now 33 years old, he is set to become even bigger with his stage-trained acting skills and his unique personality.

ROADSHOW MAGAZINE FROM JAPAN | JUNE 1, 1992 | TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME

There are two pages with publicity photos from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. The first features Agents Sam Stanley and Chester Desmond performing an autopsy on Teresa Banks at the Deer Meadow Morgue along with an image of the Little Man From Another Place and Special Agent Dale Cooper in the Red Room.

Here is a translated image via Google Translate.

New color version of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

What are some notable scenes not depicted in the TV series “Twin Peaks”?

Teresa Banks murder case

“Twin Peaks: The Last Seven Days” focuses on the murder of Teresa Banks and her life. The photo above shows Agents Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland) and Chet Desmond (Chris Isaak) examining Teresa Banks. She was a waitress at Hap’s, and like Laura, she had a daytime and nighttime personality. During their investigation, Stanley and Desmond discover a photograph of her wearing a ring in her trailer. However, the ring was missing when she died.

Just as the investigation reaches a critical juncture, Desmond goes missing, and Dale Cooper is dispatched to investigate. A piece of paper with the letter “T” typed on it is discovered under the nail of the finger where the ring once was. Where is the ring? Who owns it? Next, we look at Laura Palmer’s life.

The film follows the events of the seven days immediately preceding Teresa Banks’ murder, day by day. Laura has a sweet boyfriend, James. But James alone is not enough for her. She is also a kind-hearted girl who warns her best friend against becoming as promiscuous as she is, but she is also a high school student who is addicted to cocaine and has a destructive mindset, with a night life. This is clearly portrayed in the film (all the photos on the left page). She has already come into contact with BOB, who is not a resident of the real world, and is an innocent girl who challenges an opponent with no chance of winning…

Five additional publicity photos appeared on the next page. The caption read “Laura Palmer before her death.”

ROADSHOW MAGAZINE FROM JAPAN | JUNE 1992 | SHERYL LEE

Later in the magazine, a stunning portrait of Sheryl Lee taken by Tomoaki Sakata awaits readers. The image includes a printed version of her autograph. The caption reads: “Laura Palmer’s Japan visit special photoshoot – Sheryl Lee. I’m into meditation yoga and meditate every morning!”

The second image features Lee sitting in a chair next to a lamp. Her make up was done by Hiromi Kajiwara.

I ran the article through Google Translate to get the following below. It’s exciting to see as it details Sheryl Lee’s itinerary for her visit in March 1992, something I had not seen before today!

Laura Palmer and Sheryl Lee came to Japan on March 15th [1992]. She was loved by “Twin Peaks” fans as the most beautiful corpse in the world, but in reality, she was even more beautiful when she was alive. This was their first visit to Japan for the campaign “Twin Peaks: The Last Seven Days of Laura Palmer.” Surprisingly, when she arrived in Japan, she suddenly spoke to the staff.

Yoh asks, “Do you have a radio cassette player?” She tells me that she actually does yoga and meditates by playing a tape every morning. That’s why she sat cross-legged on a chair during the interview.

With the popularity of “Twin Peaks” building up, she had done a lot of interviews, but after the press conference on [March] 18th, she headed to Kyoto in the evening. On [March] 19th, she visited Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Sanjūsangen-dō Temple, and, at her own request, Nanzen-ji Temple. It seems she really wanted to go, as she stayed there the longest. As she is interested in Eastern thought, she also spoke with a monk. That night, she returned to Tokyo.

She said, “I wanted to know more about Kyoto. I wanted to go to Kyoto again.”

“Just working with director David Lynch was amazing.” She says it was a great experience, but the film is about Laura Palmer.

It seems that there had been talk of a movie about it since around spring last year, and Lynch’s sister, Jennifer, [ed. note – Jennifer Lynch is David’s daughter] also participated in the discussion.

She used Lynch’s “The Diary of Laura” as a starting point for her character development, but hit a wall.

I’ve read it over and over again. The only scenes we see of Laura alive on TV are the picnic video scene and the Black Lodge scene, so I’m sure we’ll enjoy it to the fullest in the movie. I participated in the recording of a new Fuji TV program on [March] 20th, and returned to Japan on the [March] 21st.

ROADSHOW MAGAZINE FROM JAPAN | JUNE 1992 | TWIN PEAKS MUSIC

The final Twin Peaks-related item in Roadshow magazine is an advertisement for music including the official television soundtrack, Julee Cruise’s “Floating Into The Night” and “Industrial Symphony No. 1.” The translated headline on the ad read, “The Twin Peaks phenomena reaches its peak.”

I was also happy to see the music was paired with the soundtrack to another favorite film, Wim Wenders’ Until the End of World. I had that soundtrack in high school and since 2020 when Criterion released the four-hour cut on Blu-ray, I can’t get enough of Wenders’ ultimate roadtrip from 1991.

Glad to have this Japanese fully documented and now a part of the ever growing Twin Peaks archive. You can download high-resolution images from this magazine on my Flickr account – https://www.flickr.com/photos/aloha75/albums/72177720331054958.