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Dude, here's my history......
In the 1850's - Somebody calls a
well-dressed person in New York City a "dude".
Nobody knows who made it up, but the word becomes common slang for
"fastidious man". The first "dude" may
have been Erastus Brooks, editor of the New York Express, in the mid 19th
century.
In 1883 - Dude
is a "vogue word" of the year, according to the Online Etymology
Dictionary [www.etymology.com],
but this time the word is code for people interested in the "aesthetics"
fad popular at the time. [People who strive to appear fastidious and
well-mannered in every aspect of the lifestyle.]
In the 1890's - As Easterners start to
vacation in the West, the word "dude"
gains popularity among cowboys, especially in reference to eastern
visitors who are trying to be cowboys or fastidious cowboys who dress well.
In 1921 - The term "dude
ranch" is first used in print. "Dude
Ranch" being a cowboy-like vacation atmosphere were non-cowboys can
pretend to be cowboys while escaping from their everyday lives.
In 1930's - The
bluegrass team of "Junior and Dude"
begin performing together. Later, they change their name to "Homer and
Jethro." For more information about these famous DUDES, go to
www.countrymusichalloffame.com/inductees/homer_jethro.html
In 1933 - "The
Dude Bandit" hits theaters. It is a western starring
Hoot Gibson. Also, in the movies, "Lady for a Day", with actor Warren
William playing the part of gangster, "Dave the
dude." This movie was later remade with Bette Davis and
William Holden.
In 1950 - Disney's Donald Duck stars in
the cartoon short, "The Dude Duck".
Donald gets "duded" up to meet
Daisy for a date.
In 1964 - The future "dude"
of them all, Keanu Reeves is born in Beirut, Lebanon.
In 1970 - Up until this point, "dude"
had referred to a well dressed male. That all changes as California
surfers begin to use the word "dude"
to refer to any male they are addressing. [i.e.. Hey, dude,
surf's up!]
In 1982 - The movie "Fast Times at
Ridgemont High" is a huge hit, and many credit it with popularizing
the term "dude". However, in the
script, the main character, Jeff Spicoli [played by Sean Penn] doesn't
ever use the word "dude".
What's up with that, dude?
In 1985 - The movie, "Less Than
Zero" by Brett Easton Ellis is first to use the overused phrase, "No
way, dude!" Parents across the world recoil in horror.
In 1987 - Aerosmith writes the infamous
comeback hit "Dude [Looks Like a
Lady]"
In 1989 - "Bill and Ted's Excellent
Adventure" opens in theaters and makes Keanu Reeves the most famous "dude"
in America. He sets the record by using "dude"
10 times in the first 15 minutes of the film. He sends the rest of the
film trying to break that record, dude!
In late 1980's - Rodger Philips and
Scott Micale started playing at Vincenzo's Pizzeria as 'The Grateful Dudes' with Ron
Sutton (dobro), Tom Corbett
(mandolin), and
Rob Carlson (bass).
Around 1993 - Ron Sutton and Tom
Corbett left The Grateful Dudes, and
Dennis Fetchet joins as
their newest dude.
Around 1996 - Rob Carlson leaves
The Grateful Dudes to pursue
songwriting and
Bill Bryson, who had played in the 'Bluegrass Cardinals' with
Dennis, joins the 'Dudes' playing bass.
In 1998 - "The Big Lebowski"
starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman features a character called "The
Dude".
In 2000 - In a run for the title "most
excellent dude", Ashton Kutcher [That
70's Show] stars in the movie "Dude,
Where's My Car?" and starts a most heinous landslide of "Dude,
Where's My _______?" phrases. [fill in the blank]
In 2003 - For the first time on air,
women begin to call each other "dude"
in the TV reality show, "Boarding House: North Shore", thus
neutering the previously gender specific word.
In September of 2004 - The television
show LOST premieres and the character,
Hurley uses the word "dude" to refer
to everything.... men, women, emotion, questions. It becomes a
popular catch phrase for a new generations of TV fans.
[The idea for this
article is thanks to D. R. Fetchet and the timeline used in this article
is from
The Orange County
Register and writer, Andre Mouchard. Additional information added by
webmistress, Jan Vincent] |