Early in his youth, David Lynch found an interest in Chinese culture, something that has had lasting influence throughout his career.  

Lynch had an interest in the oriental that began with Bruce Lee and the art of Kung Fu. Continuing into his college years, Lynch attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Chinese. Lynch continued to pursue his education through an opportunity to study overseas in Taiwan, where he attended the National Cheng Chih University and earned his master’s degree in Chinese and Literature. 

After he graduated from the University in Taiwan, Lynch began his career at Lakeland University in 1991. However, it was in 2001 that he began his current role as an instructor of interdisciplinary studies and Chinese.  

During a lecture, David Lynch quoted the lyrics from a song by the famous hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Formed in New York City’s Staten Island, the group is a collective of rappers who named themselves after Kung Fu movies they watched growing up. In mid-sentence, a student shouted the next line of the song Lynch had quoted. It’s through these experiences that Lynch believes he connects with his students by letting them express their thoughts creatively. 

“If you wanted to torture me, you’d have to pull my access to music,” Lynch stated. “That would be the best way to hurt me.” According to his iTunes playlist, Lynch has over 18,000 songs to listen to.