If You Want, We Can Pretend To Be Crows. No? Okay.

January 29, 2015 11:38 AM

Jeff Bridges (The Dude himself) has released an album called Sleeping Tapes. It's a collaboration with Squarespace to raise money for No Kid Hungry. It's also deeply, deeply weird.
posted by Fuzzy Monster (58 comments total)

Album cover art by the always amazing Lou Beach.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 11:39 AM on January 29, 2015

First thought: "oh, come on, how weird could it be."

After sampling a few of the songs: "holy fucking crap; that is weird!"

I'm sure "No Kid Hungry" is a great cause, but I'm not seeing this as a great money-spinner for them.
posted by yoink at 11:45 AM on January 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

Yeah well that's just, like, your opinion, man.
posted by Enemy of Joy at 11:47 AM on January 29, 2015 [44 favorites]

Jeff is not a single role, dudes! HE WAS ALSO IN TRON!
posted by filthy light thief at 11:48 AM on January 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

He was also in Tidelands, for that matter. Now that was weird...
posted by tommyD at 11:51 AM on January 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

This album IS pretty Dude-esque, though.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 11:55 AM on January 29, 2015

Nonononononono NO!

Blocked at work.
posted by Poppa Bear at 11:56 AM on January 29, 2015

Jeff is not a single role, dudes! HE WAS ALSO IN TRON!

Yes, well, considering his role in the sequel was pretty much Obi-Tron Lebowski, along with his general demeanor and attitude, I think it's safe to say that (like Nic Cage and Vampire's Kiss) he went into character for the Big Lebowski and never really came out.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 11:57 AM on January 29, 2015 [18 favorites]

Holy shit this is so great
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 11:58 AM on January 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

I feel like this owes a lot to Ken Nordine's work.
posted by theodolite at 12:06 PM on January 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

I'm not seeing this as a great money-spinner for them.

Yeah, this sounds like one of those albums and artist makes in an afternoon to get out a record contract.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 12:07 PM on January 29, 2015

Oh, I see on some further Googling that this is called "Sleeping Tapes" because it's supposed to help put you to sleep. That makes more sense.
posted by yoink at 12:07 PM on January 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

He's a Baker Boy. And I don't mean that he was in the Fabulous Baker Boys, which he was.

I mean that he and his brother Beau have never stopped calling each other Frank and Jack Baker.

So, yeah, he sort of does a role and just keeps living it.
posted by maxsparber at 12:08 PM on January 29, 2015 [4 favorites]

My favorite Jeff Bridges character is Starman.

"Gas."
posted by Foosnark at 12:08 PM on January 29, 2015 [9 favorites]

> Jeff is not a single role, dudes! HE WAS ALSO IN TRON!

His character in Tron is not as different from The Dude as you might expect or remember.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:14 PM on January 29, 2015

Man, this is super surreal.

And I would totally have said yes to pretending to be crows, Jeff.

Way to take me out of the moment.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 12:21 PM on January 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

It's also deeply, deeply weird.

Obviously, you're not a golfer.
posted by phaedon at 12:28 PM on January 29, 2015 [8 favorites]

His character in Tron is not as different from The Dude as you might expect or remember.

I maintain that the Dude is what really became of Kevin Flynn, and Tron II was just a chemical dream.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 12:33 PM on January 29, 2015 [6 favorites]

Oh goodness I am loving this so much. This tickles so many of my favorite brain-bits. I've got shivers!

And I am completely now imagining Jeff Bridges as Flynn, curled up inside my computer, babbling in his electronic cups.

all audio is better if you imagine it's coming from a Tron character

it's true!
posted by phooky at 12:34 PM on January 29, 2015

This raises the ongoing "Actors in the MCU with odd albums" count by one.
posted by The Whelk at 12:36 PM on January 29, 2015

Checked it out; those tones in Chimes sound like...a different tune I can't quite recall (Steve Roach?).

Otherwise, meh. I was a radio announcer and music director for 20+ years and unless I was working the late shift at a college radio station, pass.

Come to think of it: a mashup with this and Dreamtime Return would be good on a late night FM station....

Ken Nordine? +1 for that!
posted by CrowGoat at 12:38 PM on January 29, 2015

Poetry!

You have strong hands..
capable of wood-working.
...
You order well at restaurants.
...
Even if you think you can't swim
You probably can.
posted by TreeRooster at 12:38 PM on January 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Remember that thread we just had about ASMR and stuff where half the people were like "yes" and the other half were like "bullshit!"



DUDE TAKE MY MONEY. HERE. TAKE IT. GO FEED SOME KIDS. HERE. CROWS. YES.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:54 PM on January 29, 2015 [11 favorites]

This raises the ongoing "Actors in the MCU with odd albums" count by one.

Points:

1. I totally forgot he was in the MCU.
2. Is the other one the Scarlett Johanssen album of Tom Waits covers? I would mark that one not so much "odd" as "ill-advised".
posted by middleclasstool at 12:56 PM on January 29, 2015

he went into character for the Big Lebowski and never really came out.

Can you really blame him? The Dude seems like a pretty comfy place to be. I think we all kind of wish we could be the Dude. Maybe that's why people love quoting it so much.
Kind of gives me comfort knowing Jeff is out there, takin' er easy for all us sinners.
posted by wabbittwax at 1:00 PM on January 29, 2015 [12 favorites]

And wasn't Michael Cera Captain America at some point? ;) His folk record of last year is also hella weird.

Anyway, this is great. Now I want Jeff Bridges to become a narrator for audiobooks.
posted by bigendian at 1:01 PM on January 29, 2015

MCU?
posted by pxe2000 at 1:09 PM on January 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

bigendian: wasn't Michael Cera Captain America at some point? ;) His folk record of last year is also hella weird

Eh, true that (Bandcamp) is more eclectic and odd than full-on "hella weird," IMO. This Jeff Bridges project is solidly in the "weird" territory.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:11 PM on January 29, 2015

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE!
posted by phaedon at 1:13 PM on January 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

How strange is it that the Tron sequel is the only movie Jeff Bridges has appeared in since starring in The Big Lebowski?
posted by invitapriore at 1:22 PM on January 29, 2015

I feel like this owes a lot to Ken Nordine's work.

I had a puce-colored rug, man. It really tied the room together.
posted by octobersurprise at 1:25 PM on January 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

Robert Downey Jr. also has an album
posted by The Whelk at 1:25 PM on January 29, 2015

Can you really blame him?

Oh, hell no, sayeth the ordained Dudeist priest.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 1:26 PM on January 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

Scarlet Johansson had an album. Now I kinda want to see the Avengers cover, like, the Super Bowl Shuffle or something.
posted by octobersurprise at 1:37 PM on January 29, 2015

So - since this seems more like a solo effort, does this make Johnny Depp sick?
posted by symbioid at 1:37 PM on January 29, 2015

This isn't that weird. It's really good, I think.
posted by symbioid at 1:39 PM on January 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

How strange is it that the Tron sequel is the only movie Jeff Bridges has appeared in since starring in The Big Lebowski?

That might be strange if it were true.

Jeff Bridges filmography.
posted by caryatid at 1:54 PM on January 29, 2015

I love Jeff Bridges. What an actor and what a career! I almost forgive him for making me listen to country music because his performance in 'Crazy Heart' was just so good. And 'Tidelands' was weird, that's true, but it's also one of Terry Gilliam's most underrated films. Sing on, dude!
posted by h00py at 2:32 PM on January 29, 2015

I was going to mock this but "The Raven" was actually quite good and I've listened to it a few more times.

The whole thing reminds me of Laurie Anderson a bit. In a good way.
posted by mmoncur at 2:33 PM on January 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

It's really good, I think

Doesn't seem all that effective if you're already awake again.
posted by yoink at 2:46 PM on January 29, 2015

the Scarlett Johanssen album of Tom Waits covers

Is this a real thing? How can this be a real thing and I didn't know about it? I mean, this just seems like a thing that would not be real. Like the kind of thing that makes perfect sense in a dream and then you wake up and try to explain the dream to someone and realize it makes no sense.

Also, apparently I'm the only one who saw the True Grit remake? Or maybe I'm just the only one who liked it?
posted by mstokes650 at 3:06 PM on January 29, 2015

I adore Jeff Bridges - and one of the best things about him is his voice. That said...when I found out he had put out his first album, years ago, listening to the samples on amazon made me first cringe and then giggle. It was just so astonishingly horrible. I'll be skipping this one, thanks.
posted by routergirl at 3:14 PM on January 29, 2015

deeply, deeply dull
posted by pyramid termite at 3:29 PM on January 29, 2015

Jeff Bridges is a lot like Keanu Reeves in that they are both actors that are fantastic as long as they are acting like a person who acts exactly the way they normally act. See: The Big Lebowski, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 3:52 PM on January 29, 2015

This isn't that weird. It's really good, I think.

It's good & weird. I love it.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 4:11 PM on January 29, 2015

Jeff Bridges occasionally comes up to my town to play rock guitar with a backup band he calls 'The Abiders'. After a couple sold-out shows at the Downtown Brew club, his last performance was at the Fremont Theater where he "usually graces the big screen"... no albums yet from "Jeff and the Abiders" yet (I haven't even found anybody I know with access to a 'bootleg recording', but I'm poorly connected)
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:09 PM on January 29, 2015

My favorite Jeff Bridges character is Starman.

I enjoyed the hell out of Starman as a kid, but I watched it fairly recently and it hasn't really aged well. It starts promising but the alien-as-an-idiot trope gets old pretty quick, and the finale isn't nearly as exciting as it could've been...maybe they just ran out of money? Bridges is good, as is Karen Allen, and I love the music. Just doesn't quite add up.
posted by zardoz at 5:17 PM on January 29, 2015

caryatid: "How strange is it that the Tron sequel is the only movie Jeff Bridges has appeared in since starring in The Big Lebowski?

That might be strange if it were true.

Jeff Bridges filmography."

No, it is true! You see, if we follow the logic applied upthread, you'll realize as I did that that filmography was fabricated. To wit:

1. Jeff Bridges played The Dude in The Big Lebowski.
2. Jeff Bridges basically played The Dude in TRON: Legacy.
3. This is sufficient evidence to state that Jeff Bridges has basically been playing The Dude since his turn in (1).

Therefore I conclude that Jeff Bridges has been in no other movies since 1998, whatever the filmography says.
posted by invitapriore at 5:17 PM on January 29, 2015

Not for nothing here, but one might suggest that this album is way better in some states than others. Say, Colorado for example.
posted by dejah420 at 7:06 PM on January 29, 2015 [3 favorites]

phaedon: "MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE!"

I thought it was a poor misremembering of the MCP...
posted by symbioid at 8:11 PM on January 29, 2015

I fell asleep on the couch during my 20th (or so) viewing of Lebowski, and started dreaming away through the "Do you see what happens, Larry? This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass Larry!" scene. It was not a restful or pleasant reverie, I assure you.
posted by biddeford at 8:48 PM on January 29, 2015

I actually thought this was decent marketing by Squarespace on the heels of the shitty bad no good marketing by go daddy this week. It's a pay what you want album that all goes to charity so good on jeff bridges. It's better than some of the shit you hear on fm radio these days and it's for sleepytime!
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 12:18 AM on January 30, 2015

I'm listening to this and I'm struck with a VERY SPECIFIC SENSE MEMORY of falling asleep on the flocked couch with my legs in Mom's boyfriend's lap, the one who wore all denim and talked back to the TV and read a lot of PKD.
posted by The Whelk at 12:44 AM on January 30, 2015 [2 favorites]

On the website, the image of Mr Bridges gently re-sizes, rises and falls, as if sleepy breathing - neat.
posted by Speculatist at 3:32 AM on January 30, 2015

Worth it just for the eyeball cassette tape graphic.
posted by fungible at 5:52 AM on January 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

It really brings the whole nightmare together.
posted by moonbird at 7:46 PM on January 30, 2015

I just used this and it really worked I'm asleep in my bed right now
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:02 PM on January 30, 2015

BRANDED!
posted by wabbittwax at 4:56 AM on February 1, 2015