Lebowski--Behind the Music

From Rolling Stone #1060, on the 10th Anniversary of The Big Lebowski

A tougher get was Townes Van Zandt's cover of the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers," which plays over the Lebowski's closing credits. "Former Stones manager Allen Klein owns the right to it," T-Bone Burnett says. "He wanted $150,000." Burnett begged Klein to just come down and watch an early cut of Lebowski, "It got tot he part where the Dude says, 'I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man!' Klein stands up and says, 'That's it, you can have the song!' That was beautiful." For the record, Burnett agrees with the Dude, "The Eagles sort of single-handedly desroyed that whole scene that was brewing back then," he says, but the line infuriated Glenn Frey. "I ran into Frey and he gave me some shit," Jeff Bridges says. "I can't remember what he said exactly, but my anus tightened a bit."