Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman on Charlie Rose

[DigitalBuddha]

Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman on Charlie Rose

I'm the dude - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rngh_n-76tw#t=290

[Yeti]

I have a strong opinion on this book and collaboration, but I think I should probably keep it to myself. I think I'm becoming a downer around here, which isn't my intention.

Good luck to Jeff and Bernie and I hope they sell a lot of books.

EDIT: Fuck it, I'll go into Walter mode and comment. I'm not that pissed at Bridges because he's throwing a bone to a long-time friend and donating the profits to charity, but Glassman is just trying to cash in on Oliver's work with the added bonus of his celebrity connection. I know this sounds petty, but up until this book came out Bridges would barely comment on the spirituality of the Dude, but now suddenly he's enough of an expert to co-author a book?

I'm breaking a cardinal rule of criticism by not actually reading the book, so maybe someone here can clue me in - is my assessment wrong? Or does the charity connection make all of this okay?



/Walter mode

[meekon5]

I have a strong opinion on this book and collaboration, but I think I should probably keep it to myself. I think I'm becoming a downer around here, which isn't my intention.

Good luck to Jeff and Bernie and I hope they sell a lot of books.

EDIT: Fuck it, I'll go into Walter mode and comment. I'm not that pissed at Bridges because he's throwing a bone to a long-time friend and donating the profits to charity, but Glassman is just trying to cash in on Oliver's work with the added bonus of his celebrity connection. I know this sounds petty, but up until this book came out Bridges would barely comment on the spirituality of the Dude, but now suddenly he's enough of an expert to co-author a book?

I'm breaking a cardinal rule of criticism by not actually reading the book, so maybe someone here can clue me in - is my assessment wrong? Or does the charity connection make all of this okay?



/Walter mode

I think it was bound to happen eventually. People confuse actors with the characters they play so often that eventually the actors start getting confused them selves.

Dudeism was never actually about the Dude.

[jdurand]

"I'm not The Dude but I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc2t6s0XeNk

[Ron]

Talk about over thinking shit.

I really took issue with Bernie's over thinking the rug. Christ it didn't have to be a metaphor for everything being connected, this isn't fucking VietNam man. Everything doesn't have to be about Zen. It tied the fucking room together man. All that meant was that it was important to the Dude. It was important to know that, because it emphasized the level of hardship the Dude was willing to endure to simply abide. The Dude Abides, wasn't about the dude physically being somewhere, it was about the Dude tolerating shit he could not change. The lesson was in moderation; sometimes you have to let your inner asshole out if the sacrifice you are making is beyond your ability to abide. That is where the Dude needed Walter's enthusiasm, conviction and asshole-itude to push him into confronting the problem. Dude, Walter and Donny are not three people, they are all aspects of one person.

Am I sounding preachy yet?

Good because my inner Walter needs to go throw some rocks.

Ron

[Yeti]

Dude, Walter and Donny are not three people, they are all aspects of one person.

After watching the movie a thousand times, I believe that The Dude and Walter represent dual sides of a split in the American psyche that occurred in the 60s due to Vietnam, and Donny represents the innocence of pre-60s America that dies because of that split and the resulting "loss of innocence", or more symbolically as the innocent, "bright, flowering young men" who were drafted off the streets and into Vietnam. I don't believe he's an actual ghost in the movie, or a figment of Walter's imagination any more than The Dude or Walter are ghosts (I believe if that was truly the Coen's intent to make Donny a ghost or a figment, they would have worked some Sixth Sense shit into the movie because they really are that meticulous), I just think he represents that on a higher level.

I think that both The Dude and Walter are dysfunctional characters because both sides of this split were damaged goods after the 60s and 70s - for instance, the resentment and anger of the pro-war Right is personified in Walter and the disillusionment and descent into hedonism of the hippie Left is personified in The Dude. Donny eventually dies as an innocent victim of the stupidity and recklessness of The Dude and Walter's actions earlier in the film. The Dude and Walter coexist because they are two parts of a whole - The United States.

I don't want to type out a long explanation and an analysis of every character in the movie right now, but I believe it's one big allegory for the 60s and Vietnam.

[Ron]

I like it. Simple and clean with no need for dotted lines and extremely tenuous metaphorical connections. Of course I am still going to think of the three as a trinity but that is because I am a stubborn asshole.

[meekon5]

...I believe that The Dude and Walter represent dual sides of a split in the American psyche that occurred in the 60s due to Vietnam, and Donny represents the innocence of pre-60s America that dies because of that split and the resulting "loss of innocence", or more symbolically as the innocent, "bright, flowering young men" who were drafted off the streets and into Vietnam...

I think that both The Dude and Walter are dysfunctional characters because both sides of this split were damaged goods after the 60s and 70s - for instance, the resentment and anger of the pro-war Right is personified in Walter and the disillusionment and descent into hedonism of the hippie Left is personified in The Dude. Donny eventually dies as an innocent victim of the stupidity and recklessness of The Dude and Walter's actions earlier in the film. The Dude and Walter coexist because they are two parts of a whole - The United States.

I like this idea.

[Hominid]

I personally would not describe a trip to hedonism as a "descent".  ;-)  Such a judgement requires an anal moral value system I'm not comfortable with.

Let the discussions begin...

[Ron]

I personally would not describe a trip to hedonism as a "descent".  ;-)  Such a judgement requires an anal moral value system I'm not comfortable with.

Let the discussions begin...

What's wrong with anal?

[MindAbiding]

I'm thinking that all the Dude ever wanted was his rug back.

[Yeti]

I personally would not describe a trip to hedonism as a "descent".  ;-)  Such a judgement requires an anal moral value system I'm not comfortable with.

Let the discussions begin...

And I personally don't have a problem with hedonism, if it's done responsibly (no spread of STDs, no wives or children harmed in the process, no crimes or trespasses against others, etc). I've spoken out on this board before against the notion that it should be considered part of Dudeism, or part of "being a Dude". I think that sends a negative message to people interested in Dudeism, especially when the people who both inspired the Dude and largely created him aren't hedonists.

What I'm referring to here is how the counter culture movement of the 60s descended and eventually faded into irrelevance, and I believe hedonism played a large part in that. On a macro cultural scale, it did have a largely negative influence on dispelling the political radicalism of the 60s - in fact, some would even say it defined whatever could be considered counter-culture in the 70s in America - to the point that by the time the Dude's "place in time" comes around, there's barely an anti-war movement at all.

[Yeti]

I like it. Simple and clean with no need for dotted lines and extremely tenuous metaphorical connections. Of course I am still going to think of the three as a trinity but that is because I am a stubborn asshole.

And you are free to keep your theory. I believe The Big Lebowski is like a well-defined Rorchach inkblot - it's coherent enough that you can't throw everything and the kitchen sink into your theory, but the parts that aren't defined are completely open to interpretation. I think movies that are ultimately incoherent to an average viewer, like Eraserhead, aren't that entertaining.

None of us will ever be deemed right or wrong, unless one or both of the Coens decide to speak out publicly. Considering the fact that they just "chortled" at Jeff Bridges when he asked questions about The Big Lebowski on the set of True Grit, I seriously doubt any of us will ever receive an answer:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654889/jeff-bridges-relayed-lebowski-theories-coen-brothers-on-true-grit-set.jhtml

[jgiffin]

Dude, Walter and Donny are not three people, they are all aspects of one person.

After watching the movie a thousand times, I believe that The Dude and Walter represent dual sides of a split in the American psyche that occurred in the 60s due to Vietnam, and Donny represents the innocence of pre-60s America that dies because of that split and the resulting "loss of innocence", or more symbolically as the innocent, "bright, flowering young men" who were drafted off the streets and into Vietnam. I don't believe he's an actual ghost in the movie, or a figment of Walter's imagination any more than The Dude or Walter are ghosts (I believe if that was truly the Coen's intent to make Donny a ghost or a figment, they would have worked some Sixth Sense shit into the movie because they really are that meticulous), I just think he represents that on a higher level.

I think that both The Dude and Walter are dysfunctional characters because both sides of this split were damaged goods after the 60s and 70s - for instance, the resentment and anger of the pro-war Right is personified in Walter and the disillusionment and descent into hedonism of the hippie Left is personified in The Dude. Donny eventually dies as an innocent victim of the stupidity and recklessness of The Dude and Walter's actions earlier in the film. The Dude and Walter coexist because they are two parts of a whole - The United States.

I don't want to type out a long explanation and an analysis of every character in the movie right now, but I believe it's one big allegory for the 60s and Vietnam.

Now this is some interesting shit, man. I'd really like to read an extended (or not-so-extended) post about this from you in The DeFino Code thread. I agree with a lot of your thematic points but hadn't considered them in light of the generational angst that accompanied Vietnam and the 60s-70s in general. I'd like to see what others think about the parallel.

[Yeti]

Now this is some interesting shit, man. I'd really like to read an extended (or not-so-extended) post about this from you in The DeFino Code thread. I agree with a lot of your thematic points but hadn't considered them in light of the generational angst that accompanied Vietnam and the 60s-70s in general. I'd like to see what others think about the parallel.

Thanks to you and everyone else who has been complimentary on this thread. I watched the movie again last night and I realized my theory isn't fully formed yet, but it's getting there. I'll post to the Da Fino forum once I have some more of the details worked out. Hint: I think Jackie Treehorn and the nihilists are two parts of a whole as well.