Today marks the 30th anniversary of the death of John Belushi. It’s hard for many Belushi fans to come to terms with the fact that it’s been that long since they first watched him as a “Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time-Player” during the glory days of Saturday Night Live; hard to believe that it’s been that many years since the world lost a gifted talent who crammed such a long life in his short 33 years.
In celebration of his life, his longtime collaborator and close friend, Dan Aykroyd, and his widow, Judy, sponsored the live streaming of a special remembrance concert tonight titled “The Official Blues Brothers Revue” on Facebook from 6-9 PM. The concert starred surviving members of The Blues Brothers band performing at the Rialto Square Theater in Joliet, Illinois.
In other Belushi-related news, it was also recently announced by Universal Pictures Stage Productions that Animal House will soon be making its way to the Broadway stage with the Barenaked Ladies conducting its musical score. No cast or dates have been set yet, but production is slated to begin soon. I have mixed feelings about this news. On the one hand, I’m excited to see it made into a musical. And yet I’m conflicted because it’s hard to picture anyone more perfect than Belushi himself donning the legendary toga and stealing the show with the affable antics of Bluto.
Although Belushi and I were only in this world together a mere three days (I was born on March 2, 1982, and he left this earth on March 5, 1982), fewer comedic actors have impacted my life more than him. The Blues Brothers and Animal House have long-been two of my favorite movies. As a little girl, I recall watching The Blues Brothers at least once or twice a week until I could practically quote the entire film and sing along with all the songs. In fact, I think it may have been the first rated “R” movie I ever watched. I considered myself a real badass in elementary school for staying up until midnight on a school night to make it all the way through to the “Jailhouse Rock” performance at the end. I guarantee you few other nine-year-olds could boast the same thing.
In high school, I dressed up as Jake Blues and reenacted the infamous tunnel scene Belushi shared with Carrie Fisher for a dramatic reading in my speech/debate class, and there has been more than one Halloween in which I dressed up as a Blues Brother and set out on my own personal mission from God to either collect or pass out candy. I’ve actually met Blues Brothers & Animal House director John Landis and Dan Aykroyd at two separate events (Landis at a horror convention in 2007, and Aykroyd last year at a liquor store signing for his award-winning brand of Crystal Head Vodka). But I’m really sad I will never get to meet Belushi in this lifetime.
As a kid, I used to stay up late to watch SNL every weekend and they used to rebroadcast the classic ‘70s episodes later on at like 3 AM, so I’m also quite familiar with Belushi’s brilliant work on the small screen. His impersonation of Joe Cocker belting out the lyrics of “With a Little Help From My Friends” was uncannily accurate, while his resume of zany characters including the Samurai, the Greek guy behind the counter at the Olympia yelling out “Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger … No Coke, Pepsi!” or even as the fake athlete on the commercial for Little Chocolate Donuts – “Breakfast of Champions” – remain truly unforgettable.
I will forever admire Belushi despite his faults because there was realism to every character he portrayed that could endear him close to your heart. No matter how lewd or how crude his character was capable of being, you couldn’t help but love him. When he did his impersonation of an exploding zit in Animal House, you know you should be repulsed and yet you were right there cheering on the ensuing food fight.
When he finally pulls off the dark sunglasses in the tunnel scene of The Blues Brothers, you know you should be angry at him for jilting Carrie Fisher at the altar of a lavish wedding but instead you feel as if you’re looking into his deep brown eyes and directly into his soul, and you think to yourself, “He’s really not a bad guy. He’s just a big teddy bear or an overgrown boy at heart.”
And despite that he lived life in the fast lane and died of a drug overdose, you can’t help but mourn his loss and all the prolific work he did not get to accomplish. For arguably, many have come and gone since, but there will never be another quite like Belushi. His work lives on in infamy despite it being 30 years since his death. For as his character Bluto taught us, “Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!” So, too, remembering his life and all the many beloved characters he gave us to enjoy should be far from over, as today has proven. Hail to the comedic god – long live Belushi.
Clacked by Kim Tibbs
on Mar 05, 2012 @ 22:58 EST5EDT
