After podding out to all you guys for five years, we wanted to take a small bow without getting too self-indulgent. So we decided indulge someone else instead.

Thomas Caldwell was our very first guest back in June 2010, and really helped us figure out what the show was and how our guests would fit into it. But as Hyphenates took shape over the years, it became clear that it wasn't so much “talk about a filmmaker you like” as it was “talk about your favourite filmmaker of all time”. Thomas, who remains a fan of Tim Burton, began to regret not going with David Lynch.

So here we are, righting past wrongs. Thomas has written extensively on Lynch in the past, and brings a wonderful mix of academic insight and passionate enthusiasm to the conversation, talking about many of these films in a way you've never heard before.

But that's not all! We also talk about three key films from the past month, from franchise reboot Jurassic World to Pixar masterpiece Inside Out to Thomas Hardy adaptation Far From the Madding Crowd. Then we ask an important question: is there a cinematic god passing out moral judgements on characters? And just what the hell do we mean when we ask this? You'll have to listen to find out.

Remember, you can stream it directly from the page, download the mp3, listen via Stitcher Smart Radio, or subscribe via iTunes. There are so many ways to hear the show, so why not artificially inflate our ratings and try them all?

Other notes:

• In March, Thomas presented a one hour special on David Lynch and the David Lynch: Between Two Worlds exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Queensland. The special aired on Melbourne’s 3RRR FM on Thursday 26 March 2015. You can listen to the special or read the transcript on Thomas’s website here.
• If you want to go further back, you can read The Evil That Men Do, an article Thomas wrote for Senses of Cinema back in 2002 for their Great Directors series.
• Lee also wrote about the David Lynch: Between Two Worlds exhibition, which you can read on Vice Australia.
• You can watch a ton of David Lynch's music project right now via his official YouTube channel.
• Lee’s point about the Jurassic franchise is just the latest in his amazing theorising. Check out his completely serious and well-researched Jurassic World Theory.
• Did you know that part of David Lynch's Inland Empire was filmed inside the house of Hyphenates alumnus Drew McWeeny? He wrote about it for Ain't It Cool News here.
• Another Hyphenates alumnus, Jeremy Smith, has a Twin Peaks podcast called Fire Talk With Me that you should really listen to.

Outro music: “I’m Deranged” written by David Bowie and Brian Eno, and performed David Bowie, from Lost HIghway (1997)

If you want to brush up on the films of David Lynch first, remember to check out our Cheat Sheet here, before listening to the episode here.