Jeff Bridges – Sleeping Tapes

Prepare for something remarkable.

Jeff Bridges will be remembered for a lot of different things and characters, but probably most of all for his performance of The Dude in The Big Lebowski.
Once you’ve seen that film, the image of The Dude will be forever linked to the way he looks, the way he moves, and – especially – the way he talks.

Now imagine Jeff – or The Dude, if you prefer – sitting right next to your bed, telling you stories like a granddad to his grandson would do … bedtime stories, memories he just seems to improvise on the spot, or even guided fantasies to help you doze off…
Would you be able to fall asleep?
Or would you fight off sleep to make sure you can listen to all he has to tell you?

On “Sleeping Tapes“, Jeff Bridges sounds as if the texts he recites are improvised on the spot (which they probably aren’t). There’s a beautiful authenticity to this album because of the unpolished way he speaks, the way his wheezy voice, sometimes short of breath, is recorded.

Although “Sleeping Tapes”  is presented as a spoken word album from Jeff Bridges, composer and sound designer Keefus Ciancia must get all props for the perfectly fitting musical background he has created.

Some parts of the album are quite tense – almost up to psychedelic. Calm and soothing  Bridges’ voice and tales may be – but sleeping will not be very easy with a soundscape like this that can get pretty haunting, like in “Sleep. Dream. Wakeup.”.
At other moments, you can almost feel the warm summer night around you.
And, should you be in need for some affirmation, you can simply play yourself “Feeling Good”:

“You’re very good at guessing when the traffic light will turn to green.”

“Sleeping Tapes“ is presented on dreamingwithjeff.com, which is in fact an advertisement for Squarespace website design, who partnered in this project. It can be downloaded for free if you want – but it’s better not to because all profits are donated to No Kid Hungry (a campaign that “connects kids in need with nutritious food and teaches their families how to cook healthy, affordable meals. The campaign also engages the public to make ending child hunger a national priority.”)

Simply donate $10 or more to receive an additional EP called (“Sleep Further”, which contains an extra 36 minutes of -instrumental- soundscapes).

There are physical editions available too, but of course they require a larger donation: $20 for a cassette tape, $50 for the vinyl album. If you got considerably more to spend, there are also limited edition vinyls or special boxed editions. Unfortunately, physical editions are only available in the United States..

“When I die there will be no burial or cremation.
I have contracted with spacemetary.
To store my remains on board an eternal satellite.
My body will forever loop around the planet and omit a flashing light whenever it passes over a memorable location.
Like that bar at Redondo Beach where we first met.
Or Ikea.”