Lebowski Fest Portland Movie Party
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About
Lebowski Fest is a celebration of all things related to the 1998 Coen brothers cult comedy. Fans of the film (aka "Achievers") come from far and wide to drink white Russians, throw some rocks and party with an array of Dudes, Walters and Maudes (not to mention a nihilist or two). It's a two-day party that typically opens with live performances and screening of the film the first night and concludes with a raucous bowling party the following night. The First Annual Lebowski Fest was in 2002 in Louisville, but subsequent fests have been held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Austin, Seattle, London and Edinburgh. While the Coen brothers continue to maintain a safe distance from the madness they created, the fest has earned the blessing of the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, who attended the fest in L.A. and even stuck around to sing a few songs. Check out photos from past fests, and click here find out when Lebowski Fest might be coming to a city near you.
History
The story of Lebowski Fest unfolds like many great endeavors, during a stupefying afternoon bereft of entertainment options but plenty of time to kill. In this case, it was a tattoo expo in Louisville, Kentucky, which had lured Scott and Will (aka "the Founding Dudes") under the mistaken belief that it would be a great place to sell T-shirts from Scott's shop (Mothership Connection, R.I.P.). As that hot July day in 2002 dragged on, they took to amusing themselves trading lines from "The Dude", which had not yet been recognized as the minor classic it is. It didn't matter how many times Scott or Will said a certain line, it was just as hilarious the 200th time as the first. The other vendors around them began to join in, creating a sense of bonding and camaraderie between complete strangers. Amidst this swirl of neck tattoos and piercing enthusiasts came a revelation: If they can have conventions for tattoos and God knows what else, why not a convention for people who love "The Dude"? As a famous dude once said "If you will it, it is no dream." A date was set, a bowling alley was rented and flyers were printed. And people flocked from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and Pismo to take part in the shenanigans. The First Annual Lebowski Fest went so well that Scott and Will decided to host another one, and another one, and another one. Because sometimes there's a...there's a ... Well, I lost my train of thought here. But ...aw, hell. I've done introduced it enough.
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Har Mar Superstar
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Originating from St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, Har Mar Superstar is the bizarre creation of Sean Tillman (b. USA). The singer claims his nickname comes from the name of a nearby shopping mall, but it is also an abbreviation of another of his alter egos - Har(old) Mar(tin). Getting his start as a multi-instrumentalist (handling bass, vocals, and synthesizer duties) with local indie rockers Calvin Krime, Tillman appeared on a few releases with the short-lived act, including 1997's Dress For The Future and 1998's You're Feeling So Attractive. Tillman wasted little time putting two new acts together, one that was rooted in indie rock (Sean Na-Na) and the other in funk and humorous kitsch. The latter alias, Har Mar Superstar (the "superstar" part was added thanks to Tillman's supreme dance moves onstage), was unveiled with a self-titled debut recording issued in 2000 on the Kill Rock Stars label. A buzz began to immediately surround Har Mar Superstar, owing in no small part to his incredible live performances in which the decidedly overweight and out-of-shape Tillman strips down to his underwear and dances provocatively, in a glorious pastiche of the ridiculously over-sexed antics of contemporary urban singers. The publicity resulted in invitations to write songs for singers such as Jennifer Lopez ("Candy Coated") and Kelly Osbourne, as well as a major label recording contract with Warner Brothers Records. Har Mar Superstar's second album, You Can Feel Me, followed in 2002. This time around downplaying the ironic aspects of his persona, on this album Tillman's true forte as a fine R&B singer came to the fore. Follow-up The Handler repeated this process and included a notable reworking of Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)".
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