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The First Dude


Weed: Getting more out of it

That's Jeff "The Dude" Dowd on the left...

 

The Coen brothers developed the "Dude" character by basing it on an associate of theirs, Jeff "The Dude" Dowd, a real guy who they thought was a real character. Dowd had worked with them on their first film, Blood Simple, and he served as an inspiration as they wrote The Big Lebowski. Jeff is an affable, laid back (mostly) guy who I’ve had the pleasure of running into in New York and then again in L.A. Each time I see him, he notes how much he likes whatever Lebowski shirt I’m wearing and tries to get me to give him one. Alas, most of my shirts are limited editions and to have one more printed would cost some clams, or bones…

Dowd got his nickname from some friends when he was in the sixth grade. They figured that "Dowd" sounded like "Dude" and he never shook it.

He’s worked on a variety of films, including having a production credit on Zebrahead and a co-executive producer credit on FernGully: The Last Rainforest (and other stuff, like crewing on Desperately Seeking Susan).

Dowd can be seen in The Big Lebowski. He’s the large guy in a patterned shirt with dark, curly hair and a mustache who you can see bowling behind Smokey in the “over the line” scene. So, technically, you do get to see the Dude bowl in The Big Lebowski!

Jeff Dowd’s similarity with the Dude character doesn’t run very deep. He only drinks White Russians because people expect him to, he’s not much of a slacker and even was a founder of the Sundance Film Festival and he’s not a bowler (though he did organize a party at a bowling alley to promote the Coen brothers’ 1984 film, Blood Simple, which may have stuck in the Coens minds as they wrote TBL). However, Dowd WAS a member of the Seattle Seven!

In the 1970s, as the Viet Nam war raged on, Dowd found himself feeling strongly about the war and wanted to take a stand against it. An 18-year-old Dowd turned in his draft card and joined a group called the Seattle Liberation Front (SLF). According to The Dude Documentary, in 1970, after a demonstration over the jail sentences of some war protesters in Chicago (the Chicago Seven), Dowd, along with six other guys, was charged with, "conspiracy to destroy government property" and "crossing a state line to incite a riot." These guys became known as the Seattle Seven. During the trial, they draped a Nazi flag over the judge's bench, noting that the judge had acted, "like a good German." They were charged with contempt of court and sentenced to twelve months in McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary.

Jeff Dowd is still politically active. His Twitter feed (@jeffthedudedowd) is filled with political posts and, when he’s not locked in his home, you can find him fighting against racism and ill-conceived wars, fighting for the environment and economic justice, speaking at socio-political rallies like Occupy LA and being instrumental in political campaigns and grassroots organizations whenever possible.

"Everybody knows somebody like the Dude — and so do the Coen brothers. They based the character, 'The Dude,' played by Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski, on a movie producer and distributor named Jeff Dowd, a familiar figure at film festivals, who is tall, large, and shaggy and a boil with enthusiasm. Dowd is much more successful than Lebowski (he has played an important role in the Coens’ careers as indie filmmakers), but no less a creature of the moment. Both dudes depend on improvisation and inspiration…" Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

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