Lebowski Fest -- complete coverage

2nd Annual Lebowski Fest

The Coen brothers' "The Big Lebowski" is a genial, shambling comedy about a human train wreck, and should come with a warning like the one Mark Twain attached to "Huckleberry Finn:" "Persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." It's about a man named Jeff Lebowski, who calls himself the Dude, and is described by the narrator as "he laziest man in Los Angeles County." He lives only to go bowling, but is mistaken for a millionaire named the Big Lebowski, with dire consequences. -- ROGER EBERT

Attention Lebowski achievers:

If you have photos from the 2nd annual Lebowski Fest you can share with us and possibly get posted on this site, email them to geoff@putnampit.com. Also, we especially want photos from the ringer toss. Thanks

Part 1: The screening of The Big Lebowski

Part 2: Lebowski Fest Renegade Motorcade Parade
Part 3: The Dude steps up to the line
Part 4: The afterglow
Part 5: Recovery Brunch with The Dude at Lynn's Paradise Cafe.

By GEOFF DAVIDIAN

Putnam Pit editor

LOUISVILLE, KY. (July 18, 2003) – The bottles clanked under the seats and fans spoke lines with the characters, like, “‘Chinaman’ is not the preferred nomenclature,” “That rug really tied the room together, did it not?” and “We’re talking about unchecked aggression” as the second annual Lebowski Fest, in the parlance of our times, cranked up Friday night at Baxter Avenue Theaters.

Hundreds of mostly college-aged aficionados of all things Lebowski packed two sold out screening rooms in a festive and friendly gathering in celebration of the 1998 Coen Brothers’ story of a pair of bowling buddies caught up in a web of nihilism, pornographers and what have you.

The film, starring Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski and John Goodman as his gun-toting sidekick, has attained cult status with economic potential to draw the Wall Street Journal to the opening event.

More on the roots of the festival can be found at www.lebowskifest.com.

At noon Saturday, a motorcade will proceed from the Holiday Inn on Bardstown Road to no one really knows, followed at 8 p.m. by a sold-out all-you-can-bowl party at AMF Rose Bowl, featuring discounts on White Russians (The Dude’s favorite drink), a costume competition and an appearance by Jeff Dowd, the cloth from which the Coen’s cut Jeff Bridge’s lazy, Tai Chi follower who is dragged into the seedy side of life when an “Asian American” (the preferred nomenclature) mistook him with a rich man of the same name whose wife owed money all over town and urinated on his living room rug while another debt collector shoved his head into a toilet, screaming, “Where’s the money, Lebowski.”

Part 2: Lebowski Fest Renegade Motorcade Parade

The cars were emblazoned with slogans from the film -- "Over the line," "We believe in nothing," "Take 'er easy, Dude" and "Nice marmot," while their T-shirts continued the dialog: "The bums lost" and This is not 'Nam, this is bowling."

Likely to win the "Came the farthest" prize is 25-year-old Mahesh Primalani, who paid 1,500 Singapore dollars for a plane ticket to the event. That's about $900 in Louisville money.

At 4:30, participants in the Big Lebowski Internet forum gathered in the Holiday Inn Lounge for discounted White Russians, the Dude's favorite drink, and to see what each other looked like.

At 6:30 p.m., next door at the AMF Rose Bowl parking lot, the Lebowski mobile will be parked for the "ringer toss," and at 8 p.m., get ready to roll.

Part 1: The screening of The Big Lebowski

Part 2: Lebowski Fest Renegade Motorcade Parade

Part 3: The Dude steps up to the line

Part 4: The afterglow

Other coverage:

Washington Post/ AP

Louisville Courier-Journal

Los Angeles Times

Mahesh Primalani