The Blues Brothers

An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic

De: Daniel De Visé

Narrado por: Johnny Heller

“They’re not going to catch us,” Dan Aykroyd, as Elwood Blues, tells his brother Jake, played by John Belushi. “We’re on a mission from God.” So opens the musical action comedy The Blues Brothers, which hit theaters on June 20, 1980. Their scripted mission was to save a local Chicago orphanage.

But Aykroyd, who conceived and wrote much of the film, had a greater mission: to honor the then-seemingly forgotten tradition of rhythm and blues, some of whose greatest artists—Aretha Franklin, James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles—made the film as unforgettable as its wild car chases. Much delayed and vastly over budget, The Blues Brothers opened to outraged reviews; however, in the years since, it has become a classic.

The saga behind The Blues Brothers, as Daniel de Visé reveals, is epic, encompassing the colorful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd; the comedic revolution sparked by Harvard’s Lampoon and Chicago’s Second City; the birth and anecdote-rich, drug-filled early years of Saturday Night Live, where the Blues Brothers were born as an act amidst turmoil and rivalry; and, of course, the indelible behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made, scene by memorable scene.

Based on original research and dozens of interviews probing the memories of principals from director John Landis and producer Bob Weiss to Aykroyd himself, The Blues Brothers illuminates an American masterpiece while vividly portraying the creative geniuses behind modern comedy.

©2024 Daniel De Visé (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Great Audiobook

Great storytelling about the behind the scenes of the Blues Brothers. Highly recommended worth listening

Stunning. Exquisite Narration. Buy with Confidence.

AUDACIOUS. LOL. GIGGLES. TEARS. ANGER. TALENT .. SO MUCH TALENT ON THESE PAGES. The NARRATOR is perfect for these characters and keeps the reader engaged. Tears of laughter, tears of sadness and then of pride. Epic friendship, indeed. Historic! Highly recommend.

Great Inside Look at a True Classic

What a fantastic book for fans of the blues Brothers, as well as comedians, John Belushi, and Dan Ackroyd. The author takes you inside the making of the film and all of the crazy details about the production, and shares with you the tragic , drug-addled life of a star who was destined to flame out at such a young age.

In my opinion, the best single book on Belushi.

I have read every book in print on John Belushi.

I think this might be the best one overall. It perfectly captures the real brotherly love between Dan and John. The inside details on the day to day making of the film are phenomenal, as well as the in depth look at Johns personal life. The only potential negative to the book is the Belushi's life story and presence in the book does at times overshadow Aykroyd's, but in a way that is perfectly fitting for the story being told.

Johnny Heller is the perfect choice to narrate this book. If you enjoy his performance here, I would recommend checking out the Ghostbusters 1 and 2 Anthology which he also narrated. As of this writing (April 19, 2024) it is available free in the Plus Catalog.

If you are a fan of Belushi, Aykroyd, The Blues Brothers or classic SNL, don't sleep on this one. It's fantastic.

Great story, well written

The only this bad about this was the occasional weird pronunciation by the reader. Sometimes he’d pronounce one name or word two different ways in the same paragraph.strange. Sometimes he would run words together or accent the wrong one. Overall the voice was good. The story was lively she detailed and the time seemed to fly by. Well done!