J
Juan Dude
The Dude abides, and this weekend Hub ‘Lebowski’ fans will, too
“What do you do for recreation?” Maude Lebowski asks the Dude in the Coen brothers’ 1998 cult favorite “The Big Lebowski.”
“Oh, the usual,” he replies. “I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.”
It doesn’t take much to keep the Dude entertained.
Following in the Dude’s simple footsteps are “the achievers” - fans of the film with an almost Deadhead-like attitude toward stoned-out and chill recreation. This weekend, hundreds of achievers will gather for Boston’s first Lebowski Fest: a Saturday, House of Blues movie party with live music by Black Diamond Heavies; and a Sunday bowling party at King’s.
Will Russell and Scott Shiffutt, the founding dudes of Lebowski Fest, began the annual celebration in 2002 in Louisville, Ky., in a church-run bowling alley that forbade swearing and drinking. Since then, the Fest has become a cross-country tour featuring trivia and costume contests and more than a little profanity and booze.
“The first time we did it, we thought that 20 of our friends would show up,” Russell said, “but 150 came, even some from out of state. At the next one we had 1,200 people. We brought in Jeff Dowd, the inspiration for the Dude, we screened the movie in a proper movie theater and it took off from there and has just gotten bigger and weirder.
“We’ve done 25 events all over the U.S, and even overseas in London and Edinburgh,” he added. “At the last one in Louisville someone came as (Sam Elliot’s character) The Stranger’s mustache. This girl created this giant, multicolored mustache out of yarn. It’s definitely pretty freewheeling. There will be Nihilists running up and down the concourse, dudes in bathrobes drinking White Russians, valkyries bowling. It’s the world of Lebowski come to life.”
Surprisingly, no one has slapped Russell and co. with any cease-and-desist orders. The studio hasn’t bothered them and the Coen brothers have only given one statement regarding the glorification of their cult flick.
In 2007, Russell, Shiffutt, Bill Green and Ben Peskoe wrote a book called, “I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski: Life, the Big Lebowski and What Have You.” Before it was released, their publisher reached out to the Coen brothers to find out if they’d have a problem with the book.
“We just wanted to know if they were cool with it,” Russell said. “They sent a one sentence reply that said, ‘You have neither our blessing or our curse.’ We thought it was very cryptically Coen and don’t really know what it means. But it sounded good enough for me.”
https://news.bostonherald.com/enter....bg?articleid=1197741&srvc=home&position=also
“What do you do for recreation?” Maude Lebowski asks the Dude in the Coen brothers’ 1998 cult favorite “The Big Lebowski.”
“Oh, the usual,” he replies. “I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.”
It doesn’t take much to keep the Dude entertained.
Following in the Dude’s simple footsteps are “the achievers” - fans of the film with an almost Deadhead-like attitude toward stoned-out and chill recreation. This weekend, hundreds of achievers will gather for Boston’s first Lebowski Fest: a Saturday, House of Blues movie party with live music by Black Diamond Heavies; and a Sunday bowling party at King’s.
Will Russell and Scott Shiffutt, the founding dudes of Lebowski Fest, began the annual celebration in 2002 in Louisville, Ky., in a church-run bowling alley that forbade swearing and drinking. Since then, the Fest has become a cross-country tour featuring trivia and costume contests and more than a little profanity and booze.
“The first time we did it, we thought that 20 of our friends would show up,” Russell said, “but 150 came, even some from out of state. At the next one we had 1,200 people. We brought in Jeff Dowd, the inspiration for the Dude, we screened the movie in a proper movie theater and it took off from there and has just gotten bigger and weirder.
“We’ve done 25 events all over the U.S, and even overseas in London and Edinburgh,” he added. “At the last one in Louisville someone came as (Sam Elliot’s character) The Stranger’s mustache. This girl created this giant, multicolored mustache out of yarn. It’s definitely pretty freewheeling. There will be Nihilists running up and down the concourse, dudes in bathrobes drinking White Russians, valkyries bowling. It’s the world of Lebowski come to life.”
Surprisingly, no one has slapped Russell and co. with any cease-and-desist orders. The studio hasn’t bothered them and the Coen brothers have only given one statement regarding the glorification of their cult flick.
In 2007, Russell, Shiffutt, Bill Green and Ben Peskoe wrote a book called, “I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski: Life, the Big Lebowski and What Have You.” Before it was released, their publisher reached out to the Coen brothers to find out if they’d have a problem with the book.
“We just wanted to know if they were cool with it,” Russell said. “They sent a one sentence reply that said, ‘You have neither our blessing or our curse.’ We thought it was very cryptically Coen and don’t really know what it means. But it sounded good enough for me.”
https://news.bostonherald.com/enter....bg?articleid=1197741&srvc=home&position=also
