Lebowski Fest is a national phenomenon that celebrates everything to do with the ’90s film “The Big Lebowski”. There are now Lebowski Fests from coast to coast in the states, but its humble beginnings and largest annual festival are in Louisville, Kentucky along with the founding dudes Will Russell and Scott Shuffitt.
What started as trading lines from the movie between friends on a boring afternoon grew into a network of fandom, where ‘achievers’ come from from far and wide to spend two days enjoying Lebowski music, games, costumes, trivia, film and of course bowling. I had the pleasure of participating this year, my band C+ played, and I took some pics along the way. Despite the intense heat, achievers from all over the country came to show their love and eerie knowledge of every nuance of the movie.
Some highlights of the 9th Lebowski Fest that deviate from the norm are that ABC’s Nightline came to interview Will Russell and Scott Shuffitt (the founding dudes) and do a piece on the festival. Liam (actor James G. Hoosier) who was bowling partner of ‘The Jesus’ in the movie was in attendance to the delight of all the achievers. And it seemed like this year there were even more obscure and cerebral costumes that often times referred to a quick bit of abstract dialogue or an inanimate object in the film.
The photos say more than I ever could about it, so without further ado:
Hit the target with a bag of underwear
1.My friend Kent flings a bag of underwear at the target to try for a prize.
Liam from The Big Lebowski (far right) with some achievers.
2.Liam from The Big Lebowski (far right) with some achievers.
don't need your fuckin' sympathy, man, I need my fucking johnson!
3."I don't need your fuckin' sympathy, man, I need my fucking johnson!"
LAPD working around the clock
4.LAPD working around the clock.
The Jesus and The Chinaman is not the Issue
5.The Jesus and The Chinaman is not the Issue.
Cash Machine
6.Cash Machine
Leg
7.One of the 'leg stealing Chinamen'. The line is, "I didn't blame anyone for the loss of my legs! Some Chinaman took them from me in Korea."
As seen on TV
8.The ingredients for a white Russian and some "Chinamen" as seen on TV.
White Russians
9.White Russians $4.50.
Find a stranger in the Alps
10.Me and the Seedy Seeds (a band that also played the show) whose costumes are in reference to the overdubbed for TV line "You see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?" The line being covered up for the censors is "You see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass?"
White Russians
11.A girl from the dream sequence, an In and Out worker, and a Walter
Strange Dude
12. This dude is making me feel funny.
Photobooth
13. A photographer takes photos of achievers in front of the dream sequence stairs.
Achievers
14.Achievers range from the deranged to the relatively sane.
Kilt
15.This guy's balls are coming out of his kilt.
Bear
16."Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar eats you" and "The fucking park ranger."
Elvis
17.The King
GourDude
18.GourDude
Jae Grady
Jae is an artist and musician living and working in Louisville, Kentucky. He play in the band C+, creates absurd artwork that generally centers around colorful animals in tightie-whities, and works in a store that sells exclusively Kentucky products. He loves being involved in community projects whether that be a public art collaboration or a neighborhood festival.
