Where were you...

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

...and what were you doing, the first time that you saw The Big Lebowski?  Me, I was here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_Operating_Base_Loyalty

     The first time that I ever saw The Big Lebowski was in Baghdad, at FOB Loyalty, in the fall of 2005.  My buddy Mintzlaff loaned me his DVD copy, encouraging me to watch it (as we all needed something to laugh about, considering our circumstances at the time). 

     And the funny thing is, that the first time that I watched TBL I really did not care for it too much; it's not that I disliked the movie, it's just that I found it to be rather "so-so".  It was only after receiving my discharge that I re-discovered TBL and watched it again; it was then that found a whole new and deeper appreciation for this work of brilliance.  And after leaving Iraq, I never saw or spoke with Mintzlaff ever again.  If I could, then I'd find him and thank him for turning me on to what is now one of my favorite movies.  As it is, I cannot.

     So where were all of you dudes, and what were you doing, the first time that you saw TBL  I'd love to hear some stories...

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

     And the funny thing is, that the first time that I watched TBL I really did not care for it too much; it's not that I disliked the movie, it's just that I found it to be rather "so-so".  It was only after receiving my discharge that I re-discovered TBL and watched it again; it was then that found a whole new and deeper appreciation for this work of brilliance. 

     Probably the big difference is, that the first time that I ever viewed TBL I was in a war zone, was pretty physically tired and in a barracks room with a few other guys, and was generally not in a really great mood.  The second time that I ever viewed TBL, I was out of the Army for a few months, was by myself, and was pretty baked and so in a generally great mood.   In other words: the first time that I saw TBL (in my mind), was actually the second time that I had ever viewed it.  I was real high, and had a couple of beers; it was is if it were a totally new movie, as if I'd never seen it once at all.  It was as if the first time I had watched TBL was on a regular television, and the second time I watched TBL I put on my special 3D glasses, and saw it in 3D widescreen.  Then I "got it", methinks.  And that's the only way that I can explain the experience.  Can all of you dig that?

     Who else wishes to write of their first TBL experience?

[DigitalBuddha]

Big Lebowski in 3D? Is that still available, dude?

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

     Also: I once took an undergraduate history course called "The Sixties"; it was all about that decade and its general social and historical significance.  We spent a month or so, a whole unit, simply studying and discussing important American political manifestos which were released during that time.  One of the manifestos that we read was by the Black Panther Party, and another one that we read was the original Port Huron Statement.   
     When I read the PHS, I realized that I had heard of it before in TBL, and it tripped me out to realize what the Dude was communicating to Maude in that scene about his being one of the authors of the Port Huron Statement.  And this realization gave me a whole new perspective on the Dude and his character; the Dude must have been a very "square" and idealalistic type of kid in his youth to have helped formulate that right-wing early SDS material.  Thereby (knowing that the PHS is real, and what it was), it gave the movie a whole new dimension of funniness in my mind. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Huron_Statement

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

Big Lebowski in 3D? Is that still available, dude?

It's always available, as long as you watch it under the right circumstances.

[DigitalBuddha]

A flashback? Separate incidences?

[milnie]

I saw it when it was on general release at the cinema in edinburgh and have been enjoying it ever since.

[meekon5]

I don't remember where I first saw the film, and to be honest it's not that important.

My revelation as a dudeist was not dependent on it.

Don't get me wrong, I like the film, but I probably only bought it because it was part of a box set and I quite liked Fargo.

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

My revelation as a dudeist was not dependent on it.

Then what (as long as you mention it) was your realization as a dudeist dependent upon, man?

[meekon5]

My revelation as a dudeist was not dependent on it.

Then what (as long as you mention it) was your realization as a dudeist dependent upon, man?

It wasn't. As I've said else where I was living the life of a dude before the term was coined by Oliver. I have had no sudden conversion, all that happened was I now had a label to give others that needed one to hang on the way I lived my life.

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

My revelation as a dudeist was not dependent on it.

Then what (as long as you mention it) was your realization as a dudeist dependent upon, man?

It wasn't. As I've said else where I was living the life of a dude before the term was coined by Oliver. I have had no sudden conversion, all that happened was I now had a label to give others that needed one to hang on the way I lived my life.

Far out.

[Rev. Iconocclesiastes]

A flashback? Separate incidences?

Yes.

TBL is one of those movies that I kinda prefer watching after having some inhalable flora, or at least a few beers.  Then it's like watching a 3D movie with your 3D glasses on, you know?