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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Wednesday 24 July 2024
Dan Aykroyd revisits the Blues Brothers’ remarkable legacy in new

Audible Original

By MARK KENNEDY cameos by Carrie Fisher, Cha-
AP Entertainment Writer ka Khan, Twiggy, Joe Walsh,
NEW YORK (AP) — The shades Paul Reubens and Frank Oz.
are on, the skinny tie is knotted Listeners will learn that one
and the fedora is perched just of the most memorable lines
so — Dan Aykroyd is ready was a collaboration. Aykroyd
to look back. wrote “It’s 106 miles to Chi-
The actor-comedian is rev- cago. We’ve got a full tank
ving up the Bluesmobile to of gas, half a pack of ciga-
reminisce about the years he rettes.” Landis added: “It’s
teamed up with John Belushi dark and we’re wearing
as the Blues Brothers, taking sunglasses. Hit it.”
Hollywood and the Billboard The movie was also filled to
charts by storm. the brim with blues stars like
Aykroyd writes and narrates Donald “Duck” Dunn, Steve
the Audible Original “Blues Cropper, Matt Murphy and
Brothers: The Arc of Grati- performances by Aretha
tude,” which starts with him Franklin, James Brown and
meeting Belushi one freezing Ray Charles, who were strug-
night in Toronto in 1973 and gling through fallow periods.
takes us to today, with gigs still “You may say appropriation.
lining up. The documentary We did, yes, but we preserved
drops Thursday. as well,” says Aykroyd. “That is
“It’s cool to keep doing it af- Dan Aykroyd poses for a photo in Los Angeles on Dec. 4, 2010. what we were always about.
ter 40-some years,” Aykroyd Associated Press We wanted, forever on film,
says from his summer home movie sequel.The two-hour fictional brothers’ act and that album cover of John Lee to show you what these art-
in Canada. “It’s because it’s lookback includes interviews their rise was something of Hooker’s “House of the Blues.” ists could do and what they
based on the honesty of Af- with Jim Belushi, band lead- a disruption for record la- Aykroyd says in the audio doc- sounded like.”
rican American culture and er Paul Shaffer, singer Curtis bels and movie studios. Key umentary that the pair saw But exhibitors in the South —
the music and two white guys Salgado, director John Lan- moments came when Willie an opportunity for something particularly Alabama, Missis-
who just loved it so much that dis, drummer Steve Jordan, Nelson and then Steve Martin fresh, fun and classic “in that sippi, Louisiana, Florida and
we had to emulate it and do widow Judy Belushi Pisano, invited them as opening acts. tiny orbital skip of an electron Georgia — balked. “The con-
it in this way.” saxophonist Lou Marini and The concept was admittedly during the seconds between sensus was, by these guys,
The documentary traces their more, as well as a previously a little odd: Two white come- disco and New Wave.” ‘’This is a Black movie and no

appearances on “SNL” and unheard interview with John dians fronting a first-rate blues After successful turns on “SNL,” white people would see it,’”
their breakthrough album Belushi himself. band with the express purpose first as a warm-up act then as Landis recalls. “I remember
“Briefcase Full of Blues” to “I provided the structural skel- of celebrating a musical form performers they released an going, ‘It has Princess Leia in

the 1980 movie and its hit eton to a lot of really strong that had grown dusty. album “Briefcase Full of Blues” it!’” Ultimately, the Blues Broth-

soundtrack, the death of Be- organic material there,” The Blues Brothers Aykroyd’s with the hit cover “Soul Man” ers — the films, records, skits
lushi and Aykroyd’s commit- says Aykroyd. “I think it re- Elwood and Belushi’s “Joliet” and then a cult movie as the and music venues — helped
ment to carry on the tradition ally brought back the time Jake wore black suits and pair lead police, some Nazis fill jukeboxes across the globe
with a new partner Belushi’s vividly.” black string ties inspired by and a furious country act on with classics and revived the
brother, Jim with the creation Listeners will learn that “SNL” comedian Lenny Bruce and spectacular chases through careers of Franklin, Brown and
of House of Blues nightclubs creator and producer Lorne snap-brim fedora hats and Illinois to raise $5,000 to save Charles, creating a new love
and the “Blues Brothers 2000” Michaels wasn’t a fan of the shades borrowed from the their childhood home. It had for the blues. q

Michigan’s accused sign-stealing ex-staffer Connor Stalions is

subject of upcoming show on Netflix

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Connor Stalions and who knew about it. Records from
is set to share his side of the story from an other Big Ten schools show Stalions bought
alleged sign-stealing scheme within Michi- tickets to numerous games involving future
gan’s football team before the Wolverines opponents.
went on to win the national championship. He was initially placed on leave by the
Netflix announced Monday that the fourth school and later resigned.
season of “Untold” will include “Sign Steal- NCAA President Charlie Baker has said the
er,” on Aug. 27, when Stalions breaks his Wolverines won the national champion-
silence on the scandal that shook college ship “fair and square” earlier this year.
football. The Big Ten Conference banned Har-
Stalions was on coach Jim Harbaugh’s baugh from coaching the final three
staff until resigning in November, accused games of the regular season for leading
of purchasing tickets to scout future oppo- a program that violated the conference’s
nents and sending people to those games sportsmanship policy.
to digitally record teams signaling in their Harbaugh, who left the school to lead
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, front left, watches against plays. the Los Angeles Chargers, has denied
Rutgers as analytics assistant Connor Stalions, right, looks on
during an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., In-person scouting is banned by the NCAA, any knowledge of an improper scouting
Sept. 23, 2023. which has been investigating Michigan’s scheme in his program.q
Associated Press system to determine how organized it was