TOC: Yeah.
Will Russell:: We've been frequently corrected about that by the Achievers, who are very precise and persistent in correcting our mistakes.

TOC: And proud we are of all of them. Minor errors aside, researching the book must have been fun. Did you have trouble getting access to any of the cast?
Will Russell: The thing we had going for us is that Jeff Bridges was on board from the get-go. Once he did an interview and agreed to write the foreword, it was a lot easier to get to Julianne Moore and John Turturro.

TOC: Not exactly lightweights. But you didn't overlook the smaller players—the Dude's landlord; the Jesus's Irish bowling partner, Liam; Little Larry Sellers...
Will Russell: We tried to get everybody. We got stonewalled by Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazarra) and Donnie (Steve Buscemi).

TOC: Any idea why Buscemi wouldn't play?
Will Russell: He let us know via his people that he didn't want to do it if the Coen brothers didn't do it. They're long-time friends and I think he didn't want to commit unless it had their blessing.

TOC: I have a question about the Dude: How does he abide, economically speaking? He's got a decent apartment with a valued rug that ties the living room together, he makes his White Russians with real Kahlua instead of a knock-off brand, and he always has pot. We know that he has a checking account, but other than that we know nothing about his finances.
Will Russell: How the Dude abides is an abiding mystery. We don't how he gets by, but he does. He's not very ambitious or materially greedy. He's just found a way to enjoy the simpler things: bowling with his buddies, taking a bubble bath, drinking a beverage…

TOC: His standard of living seems well above the Social Security level, yet I do not see him as a trust fund guy.
Will Russell: It's a mystery.

TOC: This has to be the sleeper film of all time. We liked it all right in original release, but didn't come to love it until at least three more viewings, and didn't recognize it as the greatest single cultural artifact ever produced by the human mind until a couple of more viewings after that. Which is basically what your book documents—that most Achievers have undergone similarly gradual conversions. Why is that?
Will Russell: I've got some theories on that. One is that most people come to the movie the same way they come to every movie: They follow the plot, they focus on the problem of who peed on the Dude's rug and why, and they expect it to unravel like a whodunit. None of that stuff actually matters, but you're kind of distracted by it the first time or two. Only after a few viewings do you begin to see past the plot to the movie's real joys—the subtleties of the characters and the dialogue.

TOC: A lot of what you're saying is also true of Raymond Chandler's detective novels, which provided the basic template of The Big Lebowski. Chandler himself admitted that even he couldn't follow the plot of The Big Sleep. Those stories are all about atmosphere and style.
Will Russell: Yeah, but Chandler's atmosphere and style are totally familiar, while The Big Lebowski isn't like anything else in the world.

TOC: In your interview with actor Jon Polito [who plays Da Fino the private detective], he compares the Coen brothers' dialogue to music. And if you think about it, music that hooks you in immediately usually wears out its welcome just as quickly, whereas the music you listen to for years typically takes a while to get into at first.
Will Russell: That's an excellent comparison. The music that lasts is often the stuff we don't take to right away, and that's very true of the writing in this movie. But at the same time it's so multifaceted that everybody can have their one favorite thing that they can relate to right off the bat. Some people get off on the bowling angle first, but then there are the Vietnam vets who identify immediately with Walter, or porn freaks who crack up over Log Jammin'...

TOC: For us, that thing was Autobahn, the electronic group that the nihilists play in, which is a spoof on the band Kraftwerk. We're huge fans of Kraftwerk, but we think they're kind of unintentionally hilarious too, so that Autobahn album cover nearly put us in the hospital. In what other movie would you find Kraftwerk jokes?
Will Russell: Right. So for you it's Kraftwerk and for someone else it's probably the marmot that's the instant connection to the movie.

TOC: Is there a limit to the Lebowski effect, or do you think the entire world will ultimately become Lebowskified?
Will Russell: I think it's still growing, but I don't think it's going to catch on for the whole world. That's part of the beauty of it though—that only a certain segment of people really get it. Most people don't have the patience to sit through a movie they don't really like three times. Like, when people tell me they didn't really like it that much, I'll ask them "How many times did you see it?," and they're like "Well, just once." I tell them, "Watch it a couple more times" and they just look at me like I'm insane, like "Why would I watch a movie that I didn't especially like two more times?"

TOC: It's funny: I had that exact conversation yesterday afternoon.
Will Russell: You can't convince people to become Achievers and there's no point in trying. Everybody's got to find their own way.

TOC: But here's the thing: The Big Lebowski is on TV somewhere at any given moment, and anyone who's seen it once is going to find it hard to turn the channel away from, for example, the scene of Liam and the Jesus performing their scrotal bowling ball-polishing ritual. From there, they'll watch at least 20 minutes, thus laying the groundwork for their next exposure.
Will Russell: Okay...

TOC: So in a previous age, the Lebowski effect would probably just peak and level off, but as long as we have this much media streaming all around us, it might just continue to grow and grow forever
Will Russell: Well, it's been the case so far. When me and Scott started Lebowski Fest in 2002, we didn't know we were starting Lebowski Fest, we were just throwing a big Big Lebowski bowling party. We thought it would just be a one-time thing and maybe 20 people we knew would show up and that would be it. But all of a sudden we realized that WE ARE NOT ALONE! There were others out there just like us. And since then it has grown into this crazy phenomenon. We just scratch our heads about it all the time.

TOC: In how many cities have there been Lebowski Fests to date?
Will Russell: Oh man, let me count 'em out loud. Louisville, Kentucky, is where it started, and then Las Vegas, New York, L.A., Austin, Seattle, Edinburgh, Scotland, London—I think there may be a couple I'm forgetting. It's like 8 or 10 cities so far.

TOC: Have you been involved in all of those, or is this more of a decentralized movement?
Will Russell: Oh no, we've been involved in all of them. We put 'em all together, we fly out there and put 'em on and meet the Achievers. It's just as much fun for us as them. We try to create an event that we want to be at, that we want to go to too. It's like nothing else: bowling and drinking White Russians with fellow Achievers is awesome.

TOC: Has this become a gig for you guys?
Will Russell: In a sense, but we do other things. I've got a retail store here in Louisville that keeps me real busy. The Fests are just something we try to pull together in our spare time.

TOC: Is this just a way to subsidize your traveling and partying, or is there a profit to be made in this?
Will Russell: I'd say it's more about subsidizing our partying.

TOC: Since you've been to Edinburgh and London with this thing, it's evident that the Lebowski effect does translate across some cultural and national boundaries. Can it break through language barriers too? Is France, for example, Lebowskifiable?
Will Russell: I believe so. The Fest in London actually drew a lot of people from France, and they all liked the Jesus a lot. But there was one group that had a guy from Greece dressed as the Stranger and then the Jesus was French, and he was a very good Jesus. The French really have the spirit of the Jesus, they've got that thing down. There was this whole international thing, and it was just a trip to hear these people quote lines from the movie in their various accents. I remember sitting there in Scotland staring at a guy who's dressed like Walter, which is a fairly common sight in my life, and all of a sudden out of his mouth comes [mimics Scottish brogue] "Theodore Herzl, Dude! If ye will it, it is nae dream!"

TOC: How would you characterize the typical Achiever?
Will Russell: Basically they're people who are into the Coen brothers, have a well-developed sense of irony, but also know how to party and have a good time. They're just good people. We've done all these events all over the place where we're serving White Russians left and right, but we've never seen fights or any sort of disorder. It's a good crowd of good people.

TOC: Nobody ever flashes a piece out on the lane?
Will Russell: Well, that does happen, admittedly, but we've never had a shooting yet.

TOC: What can we expect to find at the inaugural Chicago Lebowski Fest?
Will Russell: Friday night is going to be something else. We're going to be at the Portage Theater, and we're going to have a Credence tribute band playing, which I'm pretty stoked about. Then we're going to show the trailer followed by the film, both in 35-milimeter prints. It's going to be one of the bigger screenings we've ever done in a seated theater. Then there will be two nights of bowling at the Waveland Bowl on Saturday and Sunday, with a costume contest and more White Russians and just a whole world of Lebowskiana. Nihilists running up and down the concourse as Valkyrie maidens bowl—that sort of thing.

TOC: Nihilists with or without giant scissors and hooded leotards?
Will Russell: Probably both varieties.

TOC: What percentage of attendees come in costume? Is this a Halloween sort of deal where you'd feel like a dope in civilian clothes?
Will Russell: Some people don't wear costumes but usually those who do have the most fun. Everybody wants to have their picture taken with them and that sort of thing. We sort of judge the success of a Fest by how many people come out in costume. And people are so creative with their costumes. They don't just as the characters, they come as lines of dialogue or as characters that are referred to but never seen in the movie. In Louisville once there was this judge who showed up dressed at Walter's dirty undies--he was this walking pile of shorts.

TOC: Anyone ever come dressed as human paraquat?
Will Russell: We've never had that, so there are still some untapped possibilities.

TOC: I'm guessing there's no shortage of women dressed as Maude Lebowski in her Valkyrie drag.
Will Russell: Yeah, that look is always a hit. It's something to see.

TOC: Have any of them been remotely as hot as Julianne Moore?
Will Russell: Uh yes, actually.

TOC: Yow. What exactly is the gender balance of this thing?
Will Russell: It started out largely male, but as it's grown we've gotten a lot more lady friends coming out. I'd guess the balance is about 60-40.

TOC: Sounds like a natural, zesty enterprise. Is there food at these events?
Will Russell: Well, the bowling alley usually has some crinkle fries, burgers—just regular bowling alley-type food.

TOC: Do you personally drink White Russians at these events, or do you maybe toss one or two back and then switch to a less lethal beverage at a certain point in the evening?
Will Russell: Oh, we consume all types of things.

TOC: Seems to me that a smart person would be well advised to consume a single White Russian much as you'd you choke down one ceremonial eggnog at Christmas. After that you'd maybe want to switch to oat sodas.
Will Russell: Yeah, that's a smart move. We've seen what happens when somebody has too many dairy-based beverages in the course of an evening.

TOC: "Clean up on lane number seven"?
Will Russell: Exactly. But most of the Achievers are seasoned drinkers who know what they're doing. It's not amateur night.

TOC: Well, we hope the Fest draws a lot of water in Chicago. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about it?
Will Russell: Well, it's sold out—did you know that?

TOC: I did not know that. Here I am trying to promote it for you. What a waste of time. I'm glad we talked about the book and the movie as much as we did.
Will Russell: Yeah, all the events are sold out in Chicago, but the seventh annual Louisville fest is coming up in July, and tickets should go on sale for that within the next couple of weeks if people want to check the website. We always get a lot of people down from Chicago.

TOC: People travel for this?
Will Russell: Oh yeah, man. We have a farthest-traveled contest, and at the annual one in Louisville we typically have at least 35 states represented.

TOC: What's the furthest anyone has ever traveled?
Will Russell: We've met Achievers from Singapore, Belize, all over the map.

TOC: And proud we are of all of them.
Will Russell: Yes, proud we are of all of them.