A conversation with the real life "Dude" from Big Lebowski: Comparing 60's activism with the activism of today

caption: The Dude w/ his real life counterpart, Jeff Dowd

Everybody knows "the Dude" from the 1998 cult classic The Big Lebowski. But what you may not know is that Jeff Bridges' now-classic character is based off a real life person, Jeff "the dude" Dowd.

As a young man, Dowd was a major player in the 1960’s antiwar movement, was an outspoken draft resistor and spent time in jail as a political prisoner.

Like his film character, Jeff currently lives in L.A. He is a talented filmmaker and one of the founders of the Sundance Institute. His autobiography, "The Dude Abides: Classic Tales and Rebel Rants from The Dude" is slated to be released this year. Check out his website: www.jeffdowd.com.

I recently sat down with the Dude to discuss his experiences with youth organizing in the 60’s and how it compares to today.

Give it a Listen.

Download the mp3.

Mark Ristaino lives in Oakland CA and is on the board of Music for America, a non-profit that engages young people in politics through music communities. He is a proud guest blogger at Future Majority, and webmasters for popular indie bands such as Death Cab for Cutie & Feist when he’s not slutting himself out to socially conscious organizations. You can email him at mark(at)musicforamerica.org