WATCHING "THE BLUES BROTHERS" ON AMC AT 5:00 A.M. ON A SATURDAY

Belushi is the greatest casualty of the early 1980s Hollywood era, and of SNL too. "The Blues Brothers," I could argue at great length, is his pinnacle (and possibly that of all SNL-alums-not-named-Bill-Murray as well). I mean great length. (Some day, I will.) Adding in part to the legend, they were all coked up for the whole thing. But it really doesn't come across while you're watching it. And why? The sunglasses! Think: Carrie Fisher has no shades, and does she not seem the most (apologies, if any aunts are checking in) fucked-up?

Overlooked: The film really does succeed as a musical. And it succeeds wildly, however unconventionally (or better yet, non-traditionally). I'll certainly make no claim to be an aficionado of Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, John Lee Hooker, various studio musicians from that scene, etc. I'm best-acquainted with James Brown, but then mostly thanks to a burned-MP3 best-of collection and headlines. (I am of course more familiar with the non-blues legend supporting cast — think Fisher, think Spielberg, think Twiggy and Oz, think the guy who played the head Illinois Nazi, Henry Gibson.) My personal affection for the blues as a type of music (let alone my appreciation as a subject in an undergraduate-level rock history class) goes as far as a Robert Johnson definitive double-disc that I enjoy but never listen to.

Yet I love every number in the movie. The whole cast gets into the groove, and pretty much every version of a classic song represented here kicks ass, from Jake and Elwood doing "Stand By Your Man" before a crowd of weepy rednecks to the star turns — especially Aretha Franklin, who can kick your ass — and Belushi and Aykroyd belting "Jailhouse Rock" to their newly-fellow inmates in the movie's closing credits. That medley of Charles, Franklin, Calloway, everyone else, and the whole crew, was terrific. I'm trying to download it via LimeWire now. A must-have. As I said, it succeeds as a musical.

Plus, it's proof that even Dan Aykroyd (Come on, two (2) Y's? Please.) was once funny.

And while I could be wrong, I do believe the movie was the first in a still-extant semi-genre of buddy comedies wherein the plot demands said buddies raise a staggering amount of money for a cause near (and dear) to their hearts. Think "Waynes World 2" and "Dirty Work" for starters. If you know of any earlier variations on this story, drop me a line. It's not Shakespeare — heck, it's nearly a declaration of laziness — but it nevertheless remains an intuitive plot device that's never been given its proper due.

At the very least, "The Blues Brothers" used all the cliches now common to many Hollywood comedies, it used them first (or close enough) and it used them best (I would argue).

Only one question remains: Is it better than "Back to the Future"?

P.S. — This honestly started as 50 words. If you happened to be checking in between 5:00 a.m. and about 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, you would have been privileged to see a naturally-occuring blog post in its native habitat. One has to be really dedicated to witness such things.

---

posted by WWB at 5:13 AM |