She Likes to Watch

Ever thus to deadbeats: Fans celebrate “The Big Lebowski”

This weekend, as conservatives were “Raising McCain” at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., fans of “The Big Lebowski” paid tribute to their favorite comedy in typical Dude fashion.

Costumes. Movie quotes. Giveaways. Sioux City sarsaparillas and bottomless White Russians.

About 700 Achievers crowded into Mezzanine in San Francisco for the first night of Lebowski Fest West– a dark, loud and swelteringly hot night of Bay Area debauchery.

The evening kicked off with a set by Meshugga Beach Party, a group of righteous surf rockers dressed in beards, prayer shawls and floppy black hats.

Then The Dead Hensons took the stage with a rousing rendition of “Pinball Number Count.” Channeling a ’70s era blend of funk, soul and jazz, this Oakland eight-piece covers the best of Jim Henson’s musical legacy: “Sesame Street,” “The Muppet Show,” “The Muppet Movie” and so forth.

According to band leader Ryan Beebe, the idea for a Muppet tribute band arose from “our collective consciousness.” Thank heavens it did. This octet has a fun and sweetly nostalgic vibe — made more precious by the fact that the Dead Hensons only perform a couple times a year.

If you get a chance, catch a concert. It’s well-worth the efort.

The same sentiment goes for the Extra Action Marching Band, a fabulously fierce ensemble of musicians and scantily clad cheerleaders. (That’s them at the top of the page.)

When this group came barreling out onto the stage, the energy level shot up immediately. In fact, I nearly got mowed over a few times by the marauding marchers.

Extra Action delivers a little extra of everything: scowling, bare-chested horn players, an agressive drumline, and a flag corps clad in sparkley bikinis. (The group’s sole male cheerleader — I’ll dub him Cheerleader Misterioso — sports hot pants and a domino mask.) As befits a San Francisco powerhouse, their music is more tribal jam band than nerdy marching band.

Their attitude is also distinctly Bay Area: Take the smirking, joint-smoking girl with a blond afro who draped her flags over a Roger Ebert look-a-like’s bald pate.

Jeff Dowd, the real-life inspiration for The Dude, served as emcee for the night — a choice that got more interesting as the night progressed. In between “Lebowski” quotes and vague anecdotes about his family’s connection to Butch Cassidy, he circulated the bar (ahem, convention floor) sloshing drinks and rubbing elbows with fans.

(Turns out Dowd is a supporter of Barack Obama. Imagining the Democratic presidential hopeful leading a horn section and cheerleaders through the streets of San Francisco, Dowd quipped, “Sarah Palin hunts moose. Obama rocks out the (expletive) Baghdad by the Bay.)

Naturally, the event closed with a screening of “The Big Lebowski.” You’ve never really lived until you’ve heard “You’re out of your element, Donnie” roaring out of 700 well-lubricated throats.

Like Lebowski Fest itself, the sensation was a cross between a Catholic mass and a drunken wake. Dazed, confused and distinctly Dude.

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LEBOWSKI FEST BY THE NUMBERS:

Number of drinks consumed by the author and her boyfriend: Six

Number of drinks consumed by Lebowksi Fest attendees: Too many to count

Number of instruments played by the Dead Hensons: 13, plus vocals (accordion, banjo, bass, clarinet, drums, guitar, kazoo, keyboards, spoons, tap shoes, trombone, tuba, washboard)

Number of people perfectly capturing the essence of Walter Sobchak: One

People dressed as Jackie Treehorn: Two

As Karl Hungus: Two, including a woman

As “the whites” (”my dirty undies”): At least three

As the Valkyries: Two

As Larry’s homework: Only one

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Photos by Chris Daly.

I swear I’m not one of those movie quote people.

You know what I mean, right? I’m talking about those folks who seem to have no original thoughts of their own. Instead, everything they say is a line from John Travolta in “Pulp Fiction,” an impression of Billy Murray talking about gophers or some obscure monologue from a Monty Python flick they’ve seen 146 times.

Well, that’s just not me. For one thing, I can’t remember quotes from a movie I saw 30 minutes earlier. Secondly, people who incessantly recite movie lines tend to be —how shall I put this . . .

Dorks.

I mean, yeah, I appreciate good dialogue like everyone else. But if the guy in the cubicle next to you can’t seem to avoid the Luke Skywalker lines, well . . . Houston, we’ve got a problem, if you know what I mean.

Now, okay — here’s the thing, though. I do find myself often reciting lines like, “You’re out of your element!” “That rug really tied the room together, did it not?” and “I can get you a toe by 3 o’clock this afternoon.”

Which could — in theory — qualify me for dork status. But I think this is an exception. After all, “The Big Lebowski” is no ordinary movie. Heck, nearly a decade after the film was made, even the actors recite lines from it.

That’s one of the many things I’ve gleaned from “I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski,” a new book from the guys who created Lebowski Fest. If you don’t know what the title refers to, you might as well stop reading this blog entry (as if you haven’t already). Because this book is pretty much for the Lebowski faithful, those who simply can’t see Jeff Bridges in an movie without saying, “Hey — it’s The Dude!”

“The Big Lebowski” is, of course, the Coen brothers’ classic noir comedy that somehow tanked at the box office but has taken on a huge life as a cult classic. The Lebowski Fest has taken place in several states and is now prepared to cross the ocean.

The book is great because it features interviews with many of the actors in the movie and the people who inspired the characters.

Some interesting tidbits:

· Much of the Dude’s wardrobe — including the jelly shoes — came from Bridges’ own closet. “Lebowski” is his favorite movie.
· John Turturro has pitched a spin-off to the Coen brothers that would spotlight his character, Jesus. (Don’t count on it, though. The Coen brothers aren’t into sequels.)
· Larry, the kid who stole the Dude’s car, was inspired by a real-life teen car thief who now works in the film industry.
· Jerry Haleva, the guy who played Saddam, had a career working at the California legislature and is now a lobbyist. He has appeared as Saddam in every movie he has appeared in — six total.
· The Coen brothers were very particular about their lines, inserting “uh’s” and “ah’s” to mimic real language. Julianne Moore, who played Maude Lebowski, said she filmed one really long sequence, which the Coen brothers liked, but then made her redo because she added one word: “really.”
· One of the inspirations for Walter is John Milius, who wrote “Apocalypse Now.” Milius describes himself as a militaristic Republican — sort of a fish out of water in Hollywood. He is also one of the original founders of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

— Pat P.