Kenny Rogers' "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," played over the HUB auditorium speakers as Jeff "The Dude" Dowd strolled down the aisle with a beverage in hand and a dark pair of shades peeking out from behind his curly hair.

The basis for the character Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski in The Big Lebowski, Dowd stood before a crowd of more than 200 UW students yesterday as part of the "Jeff 'The Dude' Dowd College Speaking Tour," a nation-wide expedition aimed at promoting political involvement among young adults.

Once a Husky himself, Dowd led students through a screening of the movie The Big Lebowski and followed with a question-and-answer session, where students were able to ask him about everything from his experience as the real-life Dude to his participation in anti-war activism during the Vietnam era.

"I've got a lot of memories of this room right here," Dowd said. "Our first overt act as a part of the Seattle Seven 'conspiracy' was here."

Dowd recalled his time in Seattle from about 1969-81, in which he was heavily involved in activism against the Vietnam War, most notably as a member of the acclaimed Seattle Seven.

Jim Page, an old friend of Dowd's and fellow anti-war activist of the time, welcomed students to the event with a song on his acoustic guitar in a style reminiscent of Bob Dylan. His song, "Petroleum Bonaparte," in reference to George W. Bush, recounted memories of speaking out about political issues on the HUB lawn nearly 30 years ago.

"I used to do what I called 'Lawnology,' or 'Worldology,'" Page sang, remembering a time when a large tree stood in the HUB lawn with a permanent loudspeaker attached for students to speak their mind to whomever would listen.

Page and several other long-time friends of Dowd attended the event last night, including Joe "The Dog" Kelly, another member of the Seattle Seven and Dean Paton, the chief editor of The Daily back in 1971.

"I'm curious as to what [Dowd] has to say, and I'm curious what the student reaction is to the movie," said Kelly said before the event.

After the movie, a majority of the students stuck around as Dowd answered questions and filled audience members in on his past as a UW student and the path that led him to become a household name.

"You can see that the body language is the same," Dowd said of his movie alter-ego. "But no, I was not a roadie for Metallica."

Dowd spent some time discussing The Big Lebowski and his connection to the character in the movie, and explained that filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen were playing on what they thought Dowd may have been like in the time after his political involvement in the 1970s.

While Dowd said he would like to see young people get more enthusiastic about politics, this was not his sole message.

He said he believes movies have the power to affect people in a positive way, as does an event like this that brings people together to have an enjoyable time.

"That's what it's about," he said. "Life is tough, but to get through life you need your friends and you need to have a good time."

Reach reporter Brittany Rogers at news@thedaily.washington.edu.