‘Big Lebowski’ Mixtapes: Captain Beefheart, Wavves, Jesu, More

We go waaay back with the Dude. So far back that when we delve into detail about our long-standing theatrical relationship with him, we feel like we’re boasting.

And since we’re into “the whole brevity thing,” we’ll spare you from our unsurpassed film-viewing history with this flick and roll out the thrust of the post instead.

Almost. Before we do, we gotta address some things that must be on your mind: Why this concept? Why this movie? Why now?

Simple answers to simple questions:

-Because we need a good excuse to factor this movie into music-centric editorial.
-Because this is one of the best movies ever. It’s as if Bogart had been poltergeisted by a hippie burnout who, instead of being a detective who is at the right place at the right time, is “a bum” who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
-Because the new documentary “The Achievers: The Story of the Lebowski Fans” has been playing all weekend in L.A., amid assorted Lebowski Fest revelry.

What we’re going to do here is present to you what we think would be apt mixtapes for some of the featured characters in the movie.

But, for the sake of record, reference, posterity or whatever, below is the song list to the soundtrack that accompanied the film (many of the tracks were picked because they specifically suited the Dude):

-Bob Dylan - “The Man in Me”
-Captain Beefheart - “Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles”
-Elvis Costello - “My Mood Swings”
-Yma Sumac - “Ataypura”
-Piero Piccioni - “Traffic Boom”
-Nina Simone - “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
-Moondog - “Stamping Ground”
-Kenny Rogers & the First Edition - “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In)”
-Meredith Monk - “Volcano Songs: Duets - Walking Song”
-Llona Steingruber - “Gluck Das Mir Verblieb”
-Henry Mancini - “Lujon”
-Gipsy Kings - “Hotel California”
-Carter Burwell - “Wie Glauben”
-Townes Van Zandt - “Dead Flowers”

What we would ideally like is for you to contribute ideas to the below, because we know we’re missing a whole lot of good ideas. So please, chime away in the comments section or e-mai korzeck@indiepit.com.

The Dude

Beck - “Loser”
Jeff Bridges - “Movin’ ”
Johnny Cash - “The Man Comes Around”
Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”
Sandy Denny - “I’m a Dreamer”
Eagles - “Take It Easy” (even though this is the Dude’s least-liked band, he says this phrase more than once in the movie)
Fleetwood Mac - “Dreamin’ the Dream”
Foo Fighters - “Times Like These” (call for a Lebowski)
Michael Jackson - “Eaten Alive” (by the bar)
Metallica - “Fade to Black”
Queens of the Stone Age - “A Song for the Deaf” (featuring the lost-and-lamented Natasha Shneider, who was a white Russian)
The Replacements - “Answering Machine”
VA (various animals) - “Songs of the Whale”

Walter

Alice in Chains - “Would?” (key line: “Am I wrong?”)
Anthrax - “Armed and Dangerous”
Matt Costa - “Oh Dear”
Cream - “World of Pain”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Under the Bridge” (where “the ringer” wound up)
Tad - “Sex God Missy”
Vietnam - “Was It Long Ago?”

Donny

The Beatles: “I Am the Walrus”
Hawthorne Heights - “Dead in the Water” (scratch that: Hawthorne Heights suck)
Faith No More - “Ashes to Ashes”
Nine Inch Nails - “The Fragile”
Sleater-Kinney - “Heart Attack”
Wavves - ”So Bored”