| All materials © 2005 Static and Feedback www.staticandfeedback.com All rights reserved |
| Lebowskifest NYC '05 A minute-by-minute account of beer, bowling, and overall dudeness By BRUCE HUTCHINGS STATIC and FEEDBACK correspondent While all you guys and dolls were out hooting and hollering, boozing and cruising on the weekend of Oct. 21 and 22, I was told to write down my experiences at this year’s Lebowski festival in NYC, a gathering of lovers of The Big Lebowski. So keep in mind — as I was writing this and experiencing all aspects of the festivities I was “on duty.” It was a tough task but some Achiever had to do it. So sit back, relax, have a white russian and enjoy my experiences, ‘cause I surely did. 10.20.05 It wasn’t until my junior year in highschool that I had even heard of The Big Lebowski. I was at my buddy Will’s place where we watched the film on HBO. It was wild; I really had no clue what I had just watched. All I knew was someone’s rug was “miterated upon,” nihilists believed in nothing, bowling was a main past time and the F-bomb was dropped every 30 seconds! A high schooler’s dream flick. Right after watching the Coen Brother’s hit, I believe Will and I went bowling. This became a ritual between Will, my buddy Brad and myself. We would watch the movie and listen to the soundtrack in the car on our way to Wonderbowl or Holiday Lanes. We were huge fans of the film. We would have these irrelevant conversations with all the quotes from movie. It didn’t make any sense to an outsider, but to us we knew exactly what was going on. In between rolls we would say “I’m throwing rocks tonight,” or do the infamous Jesus dance. Skip forward a few years; Manchester, Tenn., site of Bonnaroo Music Festival. This is where I found out that The Big Lebowski was a cult film. People that I worked with knew the movie as well, or if not better, than I. We even had the irrelevant conversations in between picking up the trash and recycling (Side note: I worked for Clean Vibes, picking up all the trash and recycling the attendees left behind). Working for the same company at the last Phish show in Coventry, Vt., I found out that there is even a Lebowski Festival! I was shocked and overjoyed. I couldn’t wait to go home (the show was so-so) and learn more about the festival itself. After doing the researching, I come to find out that it is similar to a Star Trek convention but much cooler; followers of The Big Lebowski have less of a demeaning name than “Trekkie,” calling themselves “Achievers!” And that is not all; they have celebrities, music and, of course, bowling. With all that being said, it is the day before my friend Will and I make the trek to New York City, to experience first hand the power of the Lebowski! Advisory: The following ramblings are not edited, as I wanted to show the reader the real deal of the festival. I am showing you the true life behind an “Achiever” at the Lebowski Fest, so if you are willing to take the risk, continue reading; if not, I do not know what to say, ‘cause I had a blast! I am putting it now to word processor truthfully and exactly how it happened to the best of my knowledge (it gets a little hazy in a few places). 10.21 2:15 p.m. Music — “Turn the Page”-Bob Seger Our adventure beings!! Woo hoo! We are staying at Will’s apartment in Manhattan. ETA- 4 hrs- 6:30 pm. “Traffic can be a bitch.” — Will. |
| Bruce and Will in the car. The journey begins. |
| This guy gets an 'A' for 'Achiever. |
| The Day 2 lineup |
| The best Dude and Walter in the joint, complete with ringer packed with undies. |