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Two Brother SNL, Hot Springs, AR, Arkansas City, AR, New York, NY (2025)

12/12/2025

It’s hard to think of it now, but when Aretha Franklin was cast in John Landis’ The Blues Brothers, her career was in a full-on funk. It had been seven years since her last top ten hit. Only two singles since then had even cracked the top 40. She was on such a downturn that the studio didn’t want her in the film. They would have preferred any number of popular disco figures at the time. Which of course, in a movie called The Blues Brothers, sounds patently ridiculous.

12/12/2025

It's always fun to see photo never released during the time they were taken. Norman Seeff talks about these shots of the blues brothers he took in 1978.
“In 1978 I got a call to shoot the Blues Brothers. They were new on the scene for me and I wasn’t yet familiar with their work. But the guys in my crew were completely thrilled with the idea of filming this duo and convinced me that we should definitely film the session." “Dan [Aykroyd] and John arrived in full Blues Brothers outfits – it was actually pretty strange to have people in the studio dressed in suits. When they arrived they were less than communicative or pleasant- not exactly excited for another photo shoot. My usual approach to filming a session, if I didn’t mention it up front to the subject, was to begin shooting stills and once we were having fun, the energy was flowing, and we’d developed a little trust, I would ask the artists if it was ok if I brought my film crew in.

“My cameraman, John Sharaf, was in the front room of the studio with the rest of the crew when I started the session. I had just begun shooting some interesting frames- Dan and John had incredibly expressive body movements – I was looking at the two of them through the lens and I was getting excited because I could see and feel the potential of this session. Suddenly Belushi swings around and angrily points to the door and says, “Get that f**king camera out of here!” My cameraman in his excitement and enthusiasm decided to come down the corridor with a 16mm camera on his shoulder and begin filming before I had the chance to ask their approval.

“This turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. John quickly cooled down and the session went on. As we continued to work the session morphed into one of the most brilliant and creative experiences I’d ever had. The two of them took off, there were props, mind bogglingly funny poses, and fascinating satirical skits they’d perform. I got hundreds of shots.

“I developed the one can of film and all we have are about 16 seconds of image with John Belushi turning to the camera with the dialogue being “get that f**king camera out here”. In terms of my film archives it was truly a loss and something I am still sad about to this day. We had an amazing time together nonetheless and the spontaneity of my approach as a photographer and the genius of their interaction flowed together effortlessly.

“Three years later I was commission to do a second session with John Belushi. There was something beyond the humor with John that was always brilliant but also multilayered. I felt the strange, deep sense of alienation and pain beneath whatever he was doing.

“He arrived at the studio with his wife Judy and once again was a total joy to shoot. I remember him dancing with his wife and being amazed at how she handled his humor because he literally used her like a foil to act on. One minute he’d be kissing her and throwing her over his knees, the next minute he’d be swinging her around and the next he’s be acting as if he was really pi**ed at her. I was amazed at just how Judy allowed herself to be thrown around in the interest of comedy.

12/12/2025

Late comedian John Belushi formed the Blues Brothers with Dan Aykroyd in the late ’70s for “Saturday Night Live,” unknowingly creating a cult classic duo for the ages.

As the musical pair gained popularity, appearing in weekly sketches, their celebrity status was cemented once “The Blues Brothers” movie was released in 1980.

But not all pop culture enthusiasts were fans of the singing duo. In an unearthed 1979 interview shared for the first time as part of the Audible documentary, “Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude,” Belushi responded to criticism the band received as White men occupying spaces in the blues culture, which was predominantly spearheaded by Black artists.

Soho Weekly News music critic Steve Bloom in 1979 shared headlines with Belushi, some stating, “Can Belushi sing the whites?” and “Why the Brothers ain’t got no blues.”

“It’s just weird, you know?” Belushi said. “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.”

He continued, “What the f— do these people think I am, anyway? I can’t f—ing 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.”

Bloom believed critics were “attacking” Belushi.

12/12/2025

From the moment Jake and Elwood Blues swaggered onto the Saturday Night Live stage on April 22, 1978, it was evident that pop culture history was being written in real time. The Blues Brothers strolled in to the toe-tapping backbeat of an exceptionally talented live band, steadily picking up steam as the brass kicked in and the beat surged forward. Jake chewed bubblegum and kept time while Elwood dug into his trusty briefcase to produce a harmonica. Then, as the band built to a crescendo, Jake broke into a cartwheel, his signature black fedora never once leaving his head. What followed was a rollicking, rasping, intensely felt cover of Sam & Dave's "Soul Man," Jake's lead vocals igniting the stage and enrapturing the audience while Elwood moved smoothly behind him, his feet frenetic, body smooth to the beat.

Like the many legendary musical guests who'd graced that very stage before, The Blues Brothers had talent, presence, pure energy and rhythm, and star power in spades. There was, however, one major differentiating factor: Jake and Elwood Blues were not real people.

12/12/2025

In The Blues Brothers, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd created two unforgettable characters—Jake and Elwood Blues—who brought heart, humor, and a whole lot of soul to the screen. Released in 1980 and directed by John Landis, the film followed the story of two brothers on a "mission from God" to save the Catholic orphanage where they were raised.

Belushi, as Jake, delivered a performance full of energy and charm, blending physical comedy with surprisingly powerful musical vocals. Aykroyd, as the quieter but equally driven Elwood, balanced the duo perfectly with his cool, deadpan delivery and impressive harmonica skills.

12/10/2025

Dan Aykroyd & Jim Belushi The Blues Brothers 'Rubber Biscuit' #1

12/09/2025

John Belushi aka Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd aka Elwood Blues of The Blues Brothers perform live at The Winterland Ballroom in 1978 in San Francisco, California.

12/09/2025

The Blues Brothers is famous for its elaborate car chase sequences. The film holds the record for the most cars destroyed in a movie at the time 103 vehicles were wrecked in high-speed chases through the streets of Chicago. The chase scenes are over-the-top and exaggerated but perfectly in line with the film’s comedic tone. The combination of slapstick humor, music, and massive destruction made these scenes iconic in action-comedy films.

12/09/2025

1974 dodge monaco...
it's got a cop motor, a four hundred and forty cubic inch plant. it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. it's a model made before catalytic converters, so it'll run good on regular gas. what do you say? is it the new bluesmobile or what?

12/09/2025

It’s hard to think of it now, but when Aretha Franklin was cast in John Landis’ The Blues Brothers, her career was in a full-on funk. It had been seven years since her last top ten hit. Only two singles since then had even cracked the top 40. She was on such a downturn that the studio didn’t want her in the film. They would have preferred any number of popular disco figures at the time. Which of course, in a movie called The Blues Brothers, sounds patently ridiculous.
Landis had to fight for her. Thank goodness he won that battle.
The Blues Brothers is a big, messy, rollicking musical. Portions of it are flat and others are uproarious. None more so epitomizes the latter than Aretha’s diner scene.
Jake and Elwood show up at the Queen of Soul’s greasy spoon to recruit her husband, Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy back into the band. Mrs. Murphy is so not having it. Sassy and brassy, she tells Mr. Murphy he needs to keep himself at home. Then she breaks into her classic 1967 hit ‘Think’, and the whole enterprise positively leaves the ground. Stalking the diner, wagging her finger, tilting her head, and belting her song, the moment is so electric the movie doesn’t entirely recover from it. Sure, there are other good numbers and funny bits that follow, but nothing touches Aretha’s moment. Everything that follows is a modest let down.
It’s remarkable to consider the fact that Aretha was not cast in another movie until she reprised her role 18 years later in the better left forgotten Blues Brothers 2000. The camera loves her and she all but leaps off the screen. It’s not just the musical portion either. While Aretha may not have had much in the way of formal training as an actor, she sure as hell knew how to perform. She is both funny and formidable. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture a killer sitcom based around her Mrs. Murphy character. And had she wanted to dig deeper, it’s no reach to imagine her as the matriarch of a southern family in a film written by Horton Foote.
What a missed opportunity.
Aretha Franklin died today at the age of 76 due to complications attached to pancreatic cancer. Everyone knows what a great singer she is, and while her contributions to film are sparse, this one moment, this grand 5 minutes and 33 seconds of screen-time is choice. Beyond that, really. It’s up there with Gene Kelly stomping through a monsoon, Elvis Presley rockin’ the jailhouse, and John Cameron Mitchell explaining The Origin of Love.

12/09/2025

"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half pack of ci******es, it's dark out, and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it."

Is there a more iconic movie duo from Chicago than the Blues Brothers? It doesn't matter where I've traveled to or have lived, when I tell people I'm from Chicago, they inevitably bring them up.

Every year in Deadwood, South Dakota they host a classic car show over the course of a few days. Every year I was there, there were two guys with a replica Blues Brothers car and dressed as Joliet Jake and Elwood Blues.

12/09/2025

The Killer Bees Early SNL Gilda Radner John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Laraine Newman, Garrett Morris, suited up in yellow and black

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