The Blues Brothers

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

By: Daniel De Visé

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

“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

Read like someone else was reading facts off of a list.

While I did learn a few new things I felt like I new most of the Stories. If you are looking for a definitive book on The Blues Brothers this isn't it. Took way to long to get to The Blues Brothers. When the author finally did it read like a list of facts.

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.

Mostly Where We Lost Belushi

Good stories and back grounds here. This might be the most insight to a complex success/fail with a wonderful talented, and sensitive artist.

Important Book

Finally a book that properly documents the brilliance and extraordinary reach of this epic film. The story of the Ackroyd- Belushi friendship was outstanding as was the behind the scenes stories of the “Rushmore” first cast of SNL. What a delightful book!

The mission from God continues

One of the best Belushi bios i ever heard/read. And i have read them all.

Tragically Loosing John

I enjoyed every bit of this book. So much information I did not know.
I will be listening to it again to see if I missed anything.
I also enjoyed the section on Animal House.

Not A Book About The Blues Brothers

This a good book but a bit deceiving. This isn’t a book particularly about The Blues Brothers or even the relationship between Aykroyd and Belushi. Aykroyd and The Blues Brothers are just background pieces in a biography about John Belushi. A solid story, but in a sense of you have any knowledge about Belushi or the early years of SNL then you’ve pretty much read this book.