In one of my all time greatest scenes from any film, the Coen brothers use the music of The Gypsy Kings cover of 'Hotel California' to introduce us to the character Jesus Quintana, the purple suited paederast with netted hair and a flicking tongue, just prior to him taking his first superb strike and performing a little victory dance at the end intended to intimidate Lebowski and his crew.
He then goes on to say:
Jesus: Dios mio man, Liam and me, we're going to fuck you up
Lebowski: Yeah, man, well that's just your opinion man
Jesus: Let me tell you something pendejo, you pull any crazy shit on us, you flash your piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you, stick it up your arse, and pull the trigger till it goes click.
Lebowski: Jesus!
Jesus: You said it man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus.
Why do so many people I know love this scene? It is a combination of so many things, of music, colour, dialogue, of a period. However, menswear wise, it is a lesson in swagger. From the moment Jesus places his shoe up onto the bowling ball receiver to pull up his socks we are introduced to a meticulously dressed man. Whether you find it greasy or sleazy or just downright ostentatious, you immediately fall in love with the character because Jesus has no shame and a great deal of swagger. He has poise, he pays attention to detail and he is thoroughly aware that not everyone may like what he is wearing, but he has little regard for their opinions. And, not for no reason I imagine, wardrobe dressed him in purple. Outside of his role in Anger Management, it is Joe Turturro's best role in my opinion.
When looking for style icons, this is perhaps the key for me. Men who are unafraid to step out of the confines of what is regarded as normal or 'fitting in' . To hold yourself well and shamelessly, regardless of what others may or may not make of your ensemble, that is the key, to my mind, of having personal style. Jesus, you are a style icon.
He then goes on to say:
Jesus: Dios mio man, Liam and me, we're going to fuck you up
Lebowski: Yeah, man, well that's just your opinion man
Jesus: Let me tell you something pendejo, you pull any crazy shit on us, you flash your piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you, stick it up your arse, and pull the trigger till it goes click.
Lebowski: Jesus!
Jesus: You said it man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus.
Why do so many people I know love this scene? It is a combination of so many things, of music, colour, dialogue, of a period. However, menswear wise, it is a lesson in swagger. From the moment Jesus places his shoe up onto the bowling ball receiver to pull up his socks we are introduced to a meticulously dressed man. Whether you find it greasy or sleazy or just downright ostentatious, you immediately fall in love with the character because Jesus has no shame and a great deal of swagger. He has poise, he pays attention to detail and he is thoroughly aware that not everyone may like what he is wearing, but he has little regard for their opinions. And, not for no reason I imagine, wardrobe dressed him in purple. Outside of his role in Anger Management, it is Joe Turturro's best role in my opinion.
When looking for style icons, this is perhaps the key for me. Men who are unafraid to step out of the confines of what is regarded as normal or 'fitting in' . To hold yourself well and shamelessly, regardless of what others may or may not make of your ensemble, that is the key, to my mind, of having personal style. Jesus, you are a style icon.
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