The Blues Brothers cover art

The Blues Brothers

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

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The Blues Brothers

By: Daniel de Visé
Narrated by: Johnny Heller
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About this listen

 'Highly entertaining' Empire

'A must read' Independent

'Remarkable' Judy Belushi Pisano

'This book is on a mission from God' DBC Pierre

The Blues Brothers hit cinemas on 20th June, 1980. Today, it 's recognised as one of the most significant films of the twentieth century. Its spotlighting of some of the world's most legendary rhythm and blues artists - Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker - made the film as unforgettable as its wild car chases.

In The Blues Brothers, Daniel de Visé shares the history of this timeless movie, encompassing the colourful childhoods of Belushi and Aykroyd; the comedic revolution sparked by The Harvard Lampoon; the birth and drug-filled early years of Saturday Night Live; and of course, the indelible behind-the-scenes narrative of how the film was made.

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 in glorious technicolour, the making of an American masterpiece and the birth of modern comedy.

'Droll and rigorous . . . bracingly thorough' The Times

'[A] diverting celebration' Irish Times©2024 Daniel de Visé (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV History & Criticism Comedy

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All stars
Most relevant  
Take out the anecdotes and repeating word for word scenes, you’re not left with much. But fine for a fan.

Meagre

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Not only does this book document the titular movie but it is also a biography of John Belushi and to some extent Dan Akroyd and John Landis. Fans of SNL will find this an interesting read as well.

More than The Blues Brothers

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I expected a lot more from this book; especially more emphasis on Dan Aykroyd. Book is essentially a biography of John Belushi, which whilst still enjoyable, is not what I wanted or expected from this book. Dan Aykroyd was the true driving force behind the making of the Blues Brothers but you wouldn't know it from this book. John Belushi is mentioned on every page whereas you can go for pages and pages without even a mention of Dan Aykroyd. It's as if the writer couldn't be bothered to understand how influential Dan was but "implies" that John Belushi was the true genius. John relied on script writers for all his material even on snl whereas Dan actually wrote the screenplay for the Blues Brothers. If you want to read about John Belushi and how his career imploded because of drugs - then this is the book for you. If you want to read a book about how Dan & John created the Blues Brothers and the part that BOTH played - then look elsewhere

Too much John Belushi - Not enough Dan Aykroyd

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