Seattle Times
Fans of “The Big Lebowski” may need to sit down for this: Former Seattle resident Jeff “The Dude” Dowd, the inspiration for the bathrobe wearing, perpetually stoned slacker in the Coen brothers’ 1998 movie, actually gets up before noon and has things to do. Of course that won’t stop fans from wearing pajamas at the two-day Lebowski Fest, starting today in Fremont. The Fest started in 2002, after fans Will Russell and Scott Shuffitt held a gathering at a bowling alley in their hometown Louisville, Ky., expecting 30 fans but ending up hosting 150. Their Lebowski Fest now extends to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, London and Edinburgh. Seattle’s first Fest in 2007 sold out in advance, drawing 2,000 fans.