Raf and I watched The Big Lebowski a few nights back. I had seen it before, when it came out; but this time I really got into it. It's one of the best hommages to the whole L.A. trip in the filmic history of this town.
Raf mentioned that he'd sen a list compliled in some magazine of the 20 best films about L.A. Chinatown came out at number 1 and L.A. Confidential was up in the top 5. But I don't think either of them goes as deep into the mythology of this city - as does The Big Lebowski.

Yesterday we drove by the old Hollywood Star lanes on Santa Monica, which is now a vacant lot awaiting building by the L.A.U.S.D. It was a goddamn tragedy that they tore down the bowling alley to build a new school. That entire strip of Santa Monica is a collection of run-down body shops and dollar stores, with numerous vacant lots. I never knew anyone in this town who didn't love Hollywood Star Lanes. That's where I met Bjork one night, when I first came out here to work on a film. Everyone went to Hollywood Star Lanes: Actors, Mexican families, Armenian gangsters, gay-bowling teams... Every ethnic, linguistic, and fiscal class of Angeleno went to enjoy those all-night lanes.
Jell-O and I went there some nights when she was staying here, and things were too weird around the guys at the house. L.A. simply fucks everything up that it touches. It has to be the worst municipal bureaucracy in the United States: You see that evidenced daily in this town.

The thing about the demolition of Hollywood Star Lanes from which everyone can take comfort, is that there was really nothing anybody could do. Petitions were raised, and the cause of saving the bowling alley was taken up by many powerful and creative people - and even then it all amounted to nigh. Vince Vaughn apparently tried to buy it.... But the LA school district wasn't having it.

So when you watch the Big Lebowski, you'll know that Hollywood Star Lanes was a real place, just like in the movie. All the bowling alley employees portrayed in the film, were the actual guys who worked there. Raf pointed out to me that several of the bowlers they show throwing strikes were crew members, such as the stunt coordinator, and the best boy grip... I wish I could have brought everyone I knew there at least once, before it went away.