As I alluded to, the reason I went to Louisville was for Lebowski Fest. For those of you who are unaware (and based on the box office receipts back in 1998 you might be), The Big Lebowski is a Coen Brothers movie that was the follow-up to Fargo, which is loved by most, except Minnesotans. So, expectations were pretty high for Lebowski, except that for various reasons, people didn't take to it right away. It is generally considered to be a box-office flop.
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However, when it came out on DVD, people started to give it another look. On college campuses all around the country, kids got drunk and watched this movie over and over again. I know, because I was one of them. This is definitely a movie that needs repeat viewings to really get. But, once you get it, you really get it.
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The history of the festival is available at the link for those interested. It is a good story. Anyway, this was the ninth year. I went with two friends from Kansas City who I met a few years ago through my buddy Jason (occasional commenter here).
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The first day, there was a free studio performance at the studios of WFPK, a radio station in Louisville that is most like The Current here in Minneapolis. The show is posted on the site if you are so inclined. It was an interesting mix of indie rock, bluegrass, and a couple of other acts I couldn't quite pigeonhole. I will talk more about the bands in the next post.
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That night, a couple of bands played outside the Executive Strike & Spare, which hosted the majority of the festival. Then, we had a late-night screening of the movie. That was the beginning.
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On Saturday, after a day of hanging around the city, we reconvened at the bowling alley. Outside, some more bands played...then, we bowled. I scored a 125, which is good for me. Afterwards, there were many beers (oat sodas), white russians (caucasians), and good times and fun conversation. I even met this guy (he was Liam in the movie). He's a great guy, and is the one person from the movie who regularly comes to Louisville for the festival.
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As for bowling on Shabbos, what can I say...I f'n roll on Shabbos!!
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Lebowski Fest was an outstanding time. I really enjoyed myself, and really enjoyed meeting people who are really into the movie (and they are really, really into it), more than I am, and this is with me being a pretty big fan of The Big Lebowski.
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UPDATE: Photos from the Saturday night party are available here.
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Next: An underrated music scene?? In Kentucky?!!
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