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

“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

A great movie and a great book!

The Blues Brothers was one of my favorite movies as a kid and still is today. Hearing about the backstory of how the movie came to be and the friendship of John & Dan was interesting. The narration was great and I didn’t want to stop listening. If you’re fan of the movie, SNL or interested in how shows and movies were conceived and made, you’ll enjoy this book!

A lot of new info

Excellent. I am from Chicago brings back memories of them shooting here. Keeps listeners interested

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.

Solid look back at flawed people & great movie

My recent experience with both memoirs (Geddy Lee, Miles) and 'history of an event' books (Making of Airplane, 3 Shades of Blue about Kind of Blue) is that the main person at the heart of the subject never comes off better than my memory - and that is true here.

I was close to turning 16 when John Belushi died in 1982, and many of the movies and shows mentioned (SNL, Second City TV, Animal House, Airplane, Caddyshack, Blues Brothers, etc.) were huge parts of the pop culture in my life and my friend groups. So while I might romanticize certain aspects, I have never had any pretense about how Belushi lived and died, or what that sort of life did to people. I guess I always forget what happens to people who are already struggling with addiction and suddenly have too much money, too many people saying yes, and too much access to more drugs - and how they treat others.

Belushi might have been hilarious - but ultimately he was a selfish asshole who ever cared as much for others as actual people as he did what they could do for him. And if it wasn't clear - this book is more about Belushi (and to a MUCH lesser extent Dan Ackroyd) than it is about the Blues Brothers movie.

In fact towards the end I was looking back and wondering whether more time was spent discussing Blues Brothers or Animal House. Given that Ackroyd wasn't part of Animal House, you can see why I made my earlier point.

I'm critical, but I gave the book four stars. Why? Because it absolutely accomplishes everything it set out to do - I learned stuff about both Belushi and Ackroyd and their relationship, I learned about how each grew through the years and the fascinating interactions they had with others who form the core of so much of comedy history of the last half century, and I learned a bunch about the Blues Brothers movie (including why it opened in about half the number of screens you would have expected).

But perhaps given the benefit of hindsight and age it is unsurprising that I cannot look at someone like Belushi the same way I would have at 16. That is how this stuff works - there is truth to the meme saying that as we age we look at the movie Dirty Dancing and absolutely identify more with the parents.

So if you are looking for the REALITY of Belushi, Ackroyd, the comedy circles they worked in and some of the best comedies of the era - absolutely check this out. But don't expect to come away feeling better about Belushi.

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 Audiobook

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

very informative

lots of info I've not heard elsewhere - and I've read lots of books about 1970s comedy

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.

The mission from God continues

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