Jeff Bridges’ awkward encounter with Glenn Frey: “You know, my anus tightened a bit”
It’s always important to try and separate the artist from the art, something Glenn Frey failed to do when he ran into Jeff Bridges after the founding member of Eagles couldn’t see the distinction between the acclaimed actor and the most iconic role of his career.
Music was always Bridges’ first love, and it wasn’t until long after he’d made his screen debut that the second-generation star decided to pursue a career in cinema at the expense of the recording booth. That said, he did feature on a soundtrack early on when his tracks were used in Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow’s 1969 romantic drama John and Mary.
Bridges never forgot his musical roots even when he was thriving in Hollywood, making it fitting in a roundabout way that the crowning achievement of his filmography came when he won the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’ in Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart, where he plays a veteran musician seeking one final shot at redemption.
However, ask 100 people to name a Jeff Bridges character, and 99 of them will have the same answer: Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski. The Coen brothers’ creation became the actor’s defining performance, with his sardonic approach to life and devil-may-care attitude spawning everything from festivals to an organised religion known as ‘Dudeism’.
Everyone knows that ‘The Dude’ hates the fucking Eagles, man, but is that also true for the man who brought him to such unforgettable life? While Bridges tried to distance himself from the character’s open disdain, he refused to go out on a limb and say that he’d happily listen to their music on his own time.
“I love Creedence Clearwater, and, you know, as far as the Eagles, I don’t hate the Eagles like the Dude hates him,” he clarified. “I remember I ran into Glenn Frey; he gave me some shit. I can’t remember what he said exactly, but you know, my anus tightened a bit.”
That wasn’t his only arse-clenching experience with Frey either, although Bridges did note that Don Henley has much less of an issue with ‘The Dude’ hating the Eagles than his bandmate. “I wouldn’t say I’m a good friend of Don’s,” he offered. “But we know each other.” They’re on friendly terms, whereas Frey has a habit of placing the star in an uncomfortable spot by dredging up The Big Lebowski.
“Glenn Frey, I run into him at parties,” Bridges continued. “He’ll always bust my chops and make me squirm a little bit. That was my character that hated the Eagles, not me.” Clearly, Frey has trouble delineating between the decidedly anti-Eagles ‘Dude’ and the more relaxed attitude towards the band that the actor holds in his personal life, an awkwardness that hasn’t subsided regardless of how many times they’ve bumped into each other.
