There are so many things to like about our celluloid bible, The Big Lebowski, but one aspect that doesn’t get mentioned often enough is the soundtrack. The music behind the movie is laudable not only for its taste and diversity, but because it plays such an integral part in framing each character and also in suggesting philosophies and themes.

Verily, could any song be more perfect to introduce the Dude than Dylan’s “The Man in Me?”; could any song provide a more goofily nefarious backdrop for The Jesus than the Gypsy Kings’ version of “Hotel California?"; and could any retro psychadelic cheerfully cheeseball tune work better than Kenny Rogers’ “Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In”?

Mark it “no” dude.

Are we wrong? It’s hard to note a movie in which the music was so deeply entwined with the story as in The Big Lebowski. Hats of to the man responsible, T-Bone Burnett. The “Bone” practically deserves a screenwriting credit for adding so much to the story.

In this article in the music blog Consequence of Sound (http://consequenceofsound NULL.net/2010/05/12/cinema-sounds-the-big-lebowski/), Adam Kivel joyfully celebrates the soundtrack of our sacred source. He’s really throwing rock tonight!

Followers of our official publication, The Dudespaper (http://dudespaper NULL.com) probably recall that we’ve posted a couple links to cool Lebowski-inspired music mashup mixes. You can see articles about them here (http://dudespaper NULL.com/mixed-up-in-all-this-dude NULL.html/) and here (http://dudespaper NULL.com/turn-that-shit-up-man NULL.html/).

Well, we’ve found another cool one called "Your Name’s Lebowski (http://www NULL.audiosparx NULL.com/sa/archive/Hip-Hop/Hip-Hop-Movie-Mashups/Big-Lebowski-Your-Names-Lebowski/313235)", and though the creator needs to feed the monkey and is charging a few bucks for it, you can also listen to the full preview (albeit watermarked by a lady’s voice saying "preview" – which oddly, is on beat and sounds good with the song). It’s brilliantly meditative in parts. You can use it for your daily Dudeitation ritual.

Even more impressive, hip hopsters Opio (http://www NULL.myspace NULL.com/opio) have released an entire album inspired by Lebowski called "Mark it Zero (http://opio NULL.bandcamp NULL.com/)". If you’re looking for a handout, you can download it in its high-fidelity entirety for free, or you can pay whatever you like and zey takes ze money you haff on you und calls it eefen.

We’re going to go find a cash machine and then go dance with Saddam and some viking lady.

John Goodman has gone on record as saying that his performance as Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski was his proudest acting accomplishment. He recently gave an interview to Rolling Stone Magazine’s Peter Travers in which he says he’d love to attend a Lebowskifest one day with Bridges, Buscemi and Turturro in tow. How fucking awesome would that be? We could all die with smiles on our faces after that.

Also, just for fun, check out the excellent McGyver/Lebowski mash up. Made us laugh to beat the Richard Dean Anderson.

The DudeGyver:

[Thanks to Blueberry at the Jeff Farias Show (http://www NULL.thejefffariasshow NULL.com) for the heads up on DudeGyver.]

(http://www NULL.dangerousminds NULL.net/index NULL.php/site/comments/the_dude_vhs_art_by/) Hey, we just were alerted to this fine piece of modernistical art (http://www NULL.dangerousminds NULL.net/index NULL.php/site/comments/the_dude_vhs_art_by/) by a friend of ours in Thailand, photographer Martyn Goodacre (http://www NULL.martyngoodacre NULL.com/).

Erika Iris Simmons — that arteest sure as shit can roll (or unroll, as the case may be).

She even used an actual VHS preview screener of The Big Lebowski to make it! Now that’s ingenious if we understand it correctly.

Hey most of you’ve probably seen the Dudely Lama holding forth about Dudeism on a VW commercial. If not, it’s on You Tube here.

We just noticed that a handful of other Dudeism videos have surfaced:

A bizarre TV (or internet?) news segment in which Rev. Kyle McDonald gets interviewed by a slightly flummoxed presenter (there were severe technical difficulties involving a creepy pederast commercial). The whole thing feels like an acid flashback.

A Dudeist Priest from Limerick, Ireland spreading the dude word around his neighborhood and down at the local pub.

Members of the Dudeist Skydiver’s Association (http://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/posted NULL.php?id=117936945179#!/group NULL.php?gid=117936945179&ref=share) jumping out of a plane.

Another Dudeist Priest showing off his Ordination Kit

And here’s a couple getting married by a Dudeist Priest

We can only hope that this is the beginning of a lot more little youtubeskis on the way.

Well, it’s about time. Looks like there might actually be a real shot at legalizing pot, at least in cutting-edge California. Of course, given the freedom of marijuana dispensaries in that state to dole out dope to anyone who complains of depression or trouble sleeping, this would just make the doctor’s note unnecessary. (The beach boardwalk in the Dude’s home of Venice is an open-air hospital at the moment.) Bad news for doctors, good news for dopesters!

Apparently all demographics in the Golden State support weed’s legalization, except for Gen-X moms. Which is ironic because that show “Weeds” probably had a lot to do with the growing acceptance of the friendly herb. Let’s get Mary Louise Parker (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=PtEXBhs2Vtw) out there knocking on doors, man! Spread the dude word mama!

L.A. Times (http://www NULL.latimes NULL.com/news/local/la-me-marijuana-initiative24-2010mar24,0,5192530,full NULL.story)

SFist (http://sfist NULL.com/2010/03/24/marijuana_legalization_initiative_m NULL.php)

After last year’s amazing (and exhausting!) run of some 20 dates around the U.S., the achievers over at Lebowskifest (http://lebowskifest NULL.com) are takin er a bit easier this year. They’re marking it 6 in 2010. What’s cool is that they’ll all fall on weekends so they’ll be easier for everyone in the neighborhood to attend.

Here are the dates and locations:

Lebowski Fest Los Angeles: April 2-3 (http://lebowskifest NULL.com/LinkClick NULL.aspx?link=212&tabid=87)

Lebowski Fest Orlando: May 21-22 (http://lebowskifest NULL.com/LinkClick NULL.aspx?link=213&tabid=87)

9th Annual Lebowski Fest Louisville w/ The Felice Brothers: July 16-17 (http://lebowskifest NULL.com/LinkClick NULL.aspx?link=218&tabid=87)

Lebowski Fest Chicago: Sept 17-18 (http://lebowskifest NULL.com/LinkClick NULL.aspx?link=215&tabid=87)

Lebowski Fest Seattle: Oct 15-16 (http://lebowskifest NULL.com/LinkClick NULL.aspx?link=214&tabid=87)

Lebowski Fest New York: Nov 4 (http://lebowskifest NULL.com/LinkClick NULL.aspx?link=217&tabid=87)

You’ll be there man!

Hey all you highbrow Dudeists out there, an achiever named Will Tincher has delved into some very deep shit regarding The Big Lebowski which had not occurred to us, dude. In fact, we’re not exactly sure what it means, but maybe a wiser feller than ourselves could solve the case? Enjoy:

From "Oceans 12." The Dude: Lost in Translation But Making Sense.

          A sit down with Matsui:

Daniel: If all the animals along the equator were capable of flattery, then Thanksgiving and Halloween would fall on the same days.

Matsui: When I was four years old, I watched my mother kill a spider… with a teacosy. Years later, I realized it was not a spider – it was my Uncle Harold.

          Insight:

Lost in Translation in and of itself is a nihilistic enterprise, much like the life of Mr. Lebowski. However, since it is done in jest at the expense of Linus, it is entertaining and maintains a certain ethos. While The Dude’s suffering remains the result of intertwining modalities of thought, his greatest participation comes when he, too–unknowingly, renders a lost in translation speech: "Well sure, look at it! Young trophy wife, I mean, in the parlance of our times, owes money all over town, including to known pornographers– and that’s cool, that’s cool– but I’m saying, she needs money, and of course they’re gonna say they didn’t get it ’cause she wants more, man, she’s gotta feed the monkey, I mean– hasn’t that ever occurred to you…? Sir?" In an age of compromised morals, the Dude’s attempt at finding a linear correlation between events and his apparent ‘blathering’ is a critique on the greater ‘blathering’ of his day: that of religion, government, and off-center organizations. In particular, Mr. Lebowski’s insistence on a heightened vocabulary remains a mere clash of sound in light of his embezzlement. Moreover, the fact that the Dude cannot clearly communication in a well-spoken manner, returns us to the fact that persons such as the Dude cannot find a connection with the lesser persons of the world: the false. In this manner, the Dude proves many things–flawed, lazy, irresponsible even. But he is never false.  

The new 2010 US census is about to come to light, man. Time to put Dudeism as your official religion! This has been done before and with great success, but with another religion – Jedi.

Our British brothers and sisters surely remember when 400,000 people in the UK put “Jedi” as their religion in their last census in 2001.

Please send emails to all your friends urging them to enter “Dudeism” as their religion in this year’s census form if they’re American, and next year if they’re British. We’re not privy to the timetable of other countries’ censuses but everyone’s invited to do the same.

Also, please post this article to your Facebook account (using the share/save button below).

And please visit the official Dudeism for the 2011 UK Census (http://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/group NULL.php?v=wall&viewas=0&gid=297196961824) Facebook page run by Rev. Kristian Lewin (AKA Grand Old Dude Of York).

If you will it, dudes, it is no dream.

Thankee,

The Dudely Lama

Hey dudes, we just opened a bar. By that, we mean a chat room. You’ll have to supply your own white russians, oat sodas or what-have-you, but we’ll provide the cosy space for conversation. Hopefully people will start showing up soon! Check in from time to time and see who’s hanging around.

We’re sort of hoping it becomes a place for real conversation and not just a bunch of dudes yelling Lebowski quotes at each other. That would rapidly become a bit exhausting.

Catch ya further on down the trail of ramblings and blatherings.