Lebowski Bar, Reykjavik

“Do you want salt on the rim?” she said.

I jumped. She shouted it across the bar at me just as Joaquin Phoenix saw the green man in Signs. Then there was a man standing next to John Goodman putting bullets in teenagers in Red State. The gunshots were so loud they could have been real. At that point, I didn’t know that those were the names of the films. I had only just realised I had walked in to the Lebowski Bar‘s Thursday night film quiz. I did want salt on the rim.

Lebowski Bar, Reykjavik - bowling on the wall

Bowling at 90 degrees in the Lebowski Bar, Reykjavik.

The drink menu was filled with milk-based cocktails, the bar’s hat tipped to The Dude‘s booze of choice; the White Russian. Ruth wanted to go off menu, so I ordered her a margarita, and picked for myself a caprahinia from the smattering of non-milk cocktails on the menu. The caprahinia was A grade, but Ruth described the margarita as “a martini with tequila and cointreau, no lemon, no syrup”. Not a margarita at all then, but still good in Ruth’s opinion.

“But I think if you had a few it might burn a hole in your throat,” she said.

The film quiz continued at its incredible volume. Entry was free, but we decided to let the quiz unfold for us as entertainment and shirked the urge to find a competitive element in the evening.

On the next round we decided to embrace the chaos and order White Russians. The result made me question what I had been doing with my life so far. It wasn’t milk, it was cream. And dude, it was amazing. So amazing that I ordered a second as the answers to the film quiz were delivered and the pixie hair cut friends of the quiz master retreated to the back room to dance to Otis Redding and Cliff Richard.

The cream overdose spilled us out onto Laugavegur, where we hunted down a taxi driver who spends some time as a chef. He bemoaned the current digging up of Reykjavik Roads, but got us back to the hotel for under 2,000 ISK and admitted to “like talking”, so it seemed we were all winners that evening.

Look the Film: The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski

Is there a chance that just because Look the Film prescribes wearing jimjam bottoms when getting about, so you can get a costume like The Dude from The Big Lebowski, you will do it? Yes there’s a chance. A slim chance.

It’s not that mooching through the Sunday morning coffee circuit in your pyjama bottoms because of a Cohen Brothers film is ridiculous. God no. It’s that it’s already coming. It has already been decided that it is coming.

Read that back. The people who make these decisions think that WE WILL BE WEARING PYJAMAS IN THE STREET. Unironically too, as witnessed in the Topman Design spring/summer 2012 catwalks, matching all-over pattern PJs with blazers and sockless loafers. By the time winter recedes next year you will never have to get changed again. That’s enough of the mock outrage. Clearly I can’t wait.

The relatively cheap nature of these Autograph Pure Cotton Stripe Woven Pyjama Bottoms (£19.50, M&S) with their vertical stripes set the tone for Jeff Bridge’s defining character. Rumour has it The Dude’s outfit was largely provided by Bridge’s own wardrobe, but you can bet his signature cardigan didn’t come in at the price you would need to shell out for the Polo Ralph Lauren Beacon Plaid Overshirt (£220.00, ASOS). At least you can drop the brand name next time you are in the executive boxes at the rugby. In your pyjama bottoms.

A basic Tri-Blend Short Sleeve Deep V-Neck in purple Tri-Cranberry (£22.00, American Apparel) will complete the look up top, and it will come as no surprise to subscribers to Look the Film that The Dude’s shoes already have billions of pixels worth of blog posts dedicated to them. Strangely, considering The Dude’s lazy/zen type character, they are Otomix Taekwondo Shoes (£11.77, Otomix). Discontinued, at the time of writing this pair come from the States, and are only available in a men’s size 4… so good luck with that. These Adidas Martial Arts Shoes (£36.92, MartialArtsMart) will pass as substitutes, but they also come from the States (where I can only imagine the market for shoes dedicated to beating people up is a little bigger than it is here) so whatever postage I have put below here is not accurate, but rather a poorly researched guess.

Outfit
Otomix Taekwondo Shoes – £11.77
Autograph Pure Cotton Stripe Woven Pyjama Bottoms – £19.50
Tri-Blend Short Sleeve Deep V-Neck in Tri-Cranberry – £22.00
Polo Ralph Lauren Beacon Plaid Overshirt – £220.00

Total: £273.27

Total including postage (UK): £292.17