Booze Films presents: The Big Lebowski Two

Some days the fever takes hold and the visions come.  Today I will share one such vision.  The sequel that will never be made.  The sequel flitters through your eyes in a reverie when you find yourself uttering a Dudeism.  I present to you an outline for The Big Lebowski Two.

Fast Forward to the early 2000s and the time of the second Iraq war.  The Dude is living in Los Angeles as always, and working at a medical marijuana dispensary.  "The Dude is a horticulturalist."  It is a co-op, of course, and the Dude has "glaucoma, man, a real bummer.  But, what're you gonna do?"

It is an average day in the dispensary where a variety of strange Los Angeles types come in and interact with the Dude.  Then, just before closing, in comes The Big Lebowski.  "Of all the medical marijuana dispensaries in all the world he has to come into mine".  You see The Big Lebowski has cancer and a real prescription for a real condition.  They have an awkward conversation about the Dude's son, and everything gets really chill after a few tokes.

You see in my vision for the Big Lebowski Two there is even less of a plot than the first one.  It is going to be a movie about nothing.


A movie about nothing.  The Dude hangs out with his buddies at the dispensary, goes bowling with Walter, and does yoga on the beach.  Nothing.  Nada por nada es nada.  Nihil est nihil.  Nothing.

Lebowski fans I pitch this idea to are not amused, but think about this objectively.  You'd get to see all the best bits of the Dude that you loved from the first film without it being ruined by the needs of the sequel to outdo its predecessor.  Think about, man.

Dress shirt lifestyle

You may have come across this article on the Dude's t-shirts in the Big Lebowski.

Most anyone dedicated to the T-shirt lifestyle maintains some sort of T-shirt rotation. Typically, there's a staff ace – the first shirt worn after laundry day – plus a couple of innings-eater types, maybe a long reliever and spot starter that's useful for mop-up duty late in the laundry cycle, and for some even a closer reserved for high-leverage nights out. 

From the looks of it, the Kaoru Bettu shirt maintained a spot near the front of Bridges' rotation for nearly a decade at the least, looking fresh but untested in the late 80s, blossoming into a star in the early 90s and sticking around with veteran savvy as the new millennium approached.

I was unaware that there is a t-shirt lifestyle, though I confess I was once unknowingly a part. You have your basic rotation through the week as well as dedicated "special occasion" shirts for concerts and parties and whatnot.  But I moved on.



Circa 1999 [via being hessian]

These days the old man is living the dress shirt lifestyle.  You have your Monday all business dress shirt which gradually gives way to the Friday casual dress shirt.  Tucking in is optional with this bad boy.  Because it's casual Friday and those jeans don't give a damn.



Casual Friday



Circa 2013 [via being an oldster]

There is also a rotation for the seasons.  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Lighter shirts and sleeveless in the summer, darker colors and heavier fabrics in the winter.

The beauty of this system is that you are a man for all occasions.  You don't have to plan, you just are.  End up some place upscale?  Just tuck in your tails and you are already "dressed up".  End up someplace casual?  Pull the tails out and suddenly you are the casual gentleman.  I know some people build their wardrobe from the shoes up.  Piffle.  Nobody looks at your shoes.  The shirt is the heart and soul of your attire.

Sure, you can dress up the t-shirt.  But a t-shirt will always say casual, even if you make it a more iustus.



dressy casual is still casual

If this is all new to you and you are ready to get old and embrace the dress shirt lifestyle, remember to be patient.  That closet full of black band t-shirts didn't spring up over night.  In the early days maybe bum around TJ Maxx and Marshalls for some basics and over time you can pick one here and one there to fill in the collection.

Lessons from the Dude

At least once a year I watch The Big Lebowski and, within a week, end up drinking White Russians and taking a bath. I don't usually do either. For some reason I try and compress the two activities into one.

Taking a bath while drinking a White Russian is a bad idea. The drink just sits in your stomach curdling in the heat. Remember that the Dude never drank in the bathtub, just smoked. So don't try and drink in the bathtub. That's my advice.