In 2004, the New York Times published an article about the Big Lebowski-inspired annual gathering of achievers in which the author opined: “I suspect this will all grow old pretty quickly…” Four years later, the Times decided to run another article about achievers, this time cloaked as an examination of the White Russian’s resurgence. Let’s compare and contrast…
Four years ago the article was “You’re Entering a World of Lebowski,” in which the Times wrote:
It has a rolling national convention, for starters: the Lebowski Fest, which in June attracted 4,000 followers in Louisville, Ky., and on Friday arrives in New York City. For two days, Lebowski fans (referred to as Achievers) will dress up as their favorite character (or prop, like a severed toe), dig some far-out rock bands at the Knitting Factory, bowl in far-out Queens, imbibe White Russians (and maybe less licit substances) and spend a lot of time shouting lines at one another…
2008’s article is “White Russians Arise, This Time at a Bowling Alley:”
To see the White Russian renaissance in full bloom, it is instructive to attend a Lebowski Fest, the semiannual gatherings where fans of the movie revel in the Dude’s deeply casual approach to life. There, the White Russian is consumed in oil-tanker quantities.This was much in evidence at a fest held last month in New York, where 1,000 or so “achievers,” as the movie’s buffs call themselves, took over Lucky Strike Lanes, a bowling alley in Manhattan. The White Russian demand was such that, in addition to two bars, a White Russian satellite station had been set up and bartenders were in back mixing vats of reinforcements.
Since this blog is supposed to be about my time in New Zealand, I am saddened to report as a Caucasian drinking achiever (wait… that sounds weird) that my Kiwi roommate has not seen the Big Lebowski, a problem I will need to fix immediately after she finishes baking a chocolate cake.
White Russians Arise, This Time at a Bowling Alley [The New York Times]
