A lately re-discovered interview from 1979 finds John Belushi lashing out at critics of his band The Blues Brothers.
At this time we all know the Blues Brothers as two of probably the most iconic Saturday Evening Reside characters within the present’s 50-year historical past and the celebs of one of many most interesting comedies of the ‘80s. But you might be surprised to learn that they weren’t at all times given some lovin’, as some critics disapproved of the duo – that’s, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi – for enjoying in a style that they had no enterprise being concerned with.
Principally, the core criticism was that white individuals shouldn’t be singing any model of the blues, a style with direct ties to Black individuals in America’s Deep South. In a new Audible collection chronicling the historical past of the band known as Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude, one lately unearthed interview from 1979 – one yr earlier than the film got here out – finds John Belushi approached about this very matter, to which he replied, “It’s just weird, you know? Why would I do these things? The people watching me understand why I do it, and the band members do. The other people — there’s a certain amount of jealousy, I think, involved…. Why do I do what I do? First of all, it has nothing to do with ego, it has nothing to do with money, you know, or the need to be loved by an audience. I don’t have any of those feelings.”
Earlier than he might actually let it sink in, Belushi opened up extra vulgarly concerning the Blues Brothers matter, including, “What the f*ck do these people think I am, anyway? I can’t f*ckin’ understand why they would attack — see, when they attack me, they attack the band, and I hate when they attack the band, because then it makes them look like schmucks for doing what they did for me.” Belushi would additionally point out that having white comedians take over music sometimes related to Black musicians was by no means the purpose and that he actively promotes shopping for the information that impressed them.
The Blues Brothers would soak up $57.2 million in 1980, sufficient to push it into the highest 10 for the yr and even beat out eventual Finest Image winner Odd Individuals. It, too, would spawn a sequel – and hopefully just one – which did not carry out in addition to the unique.
What do you make of the criticism in opposition to the Blues Brothers? Does it maintain weight or is it a rubber biscuit?
