My memories of her performances have varied associations and go back thirty years. For a lot of hardcore Twin Peaks fans, she's part of the soundtrack to our teenage years, that category which seems like the bedrock of a person's psyche. Her ethereal vocal style came from a sort of synthesised New Wave ambient rock best associated with Elisabeth Fraser, a singer whom Cruise's first collaboration with David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti self-consciously imitated. "Mysteries of Love", recorded for Lynch's Blue Velvet, had lyrics by Lynch and music by Badalamenti while Cruise performed vocals. It was a fruitful collaborative arrangement that helped give Twin Peaks its inimitable, unique style and tone.
Although she never had dialogue, Cruise was definitely more than just a singer onstage at the Roadhouse on Twin Peaks. Her facial expressions somehow tied directly into the drama in a way none of the other performers in the show's third season did.
I found myself thinking of conversations I had with various people throughout my life. People I loaned my CDs to who may not have even been familiar with Twin Peaks. Music has that peculiar way of getting associated with people and relationships but it's only the select few performers who become associated with different relationships and very different eras of our lives. She was definitely one.
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