John Belushi Stands By His Band in Previously Unheard 1979 Interview Concerning ‘Blues Brothers’ Critics

In 1979—the year before the Blues Brothers movie came out—John Belushi gave an interview to music critic Steve Bloom of the Soho Weekly News. 45 years later, that never-before-heard interview has been released as part of “Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude,” an audio documentary by Audible which released today, July 25.

The Blues Brothers began as a project founded by Belushi and Aykroyd in 1976. Although they appeared as the characters on Saturday Night Live, the act didn’t originate with the sketch show. They actually began as an opening act for Steve Martin, and when Martin served as a host on SNL, the Blues Brothers appeared there as well.

During the previously unheard interview—conducted before Belushi’s death in 1982—Belushi slammed critics of the Blues Brothers act who claimed he was a white man unfairly profiting off of jazz and blues, two genres which are fundamentally linked to Black culture. Belushi dismissed these critics, but instead of calling them out, he stood up for his band’s reputation.

“It’s just weird, you know?” he began. “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.”

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John Belushi Once Railed Against Blues Brothers Critics, Claiming “When They Attack Me, They Attack the Band”

John Belushi continued, expressing disbelief at the critics. “What the f–k do these people think I am, anyway?” he said. “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.”

According to the interview, Bloom clarified to Belushi that people were criticizing him because “there’s a long line of cases where white musicians play Black music and make money while the Black musicians don’t make the money, supposedly.”

Belushi replied, “That’s not the purpose of the Blues Brothers!” He then listed all the way the Blues Brothers are different, saying, “I say on the record, ‘Buy as many blues records as you can.’ [I] introduce my band, which is never done. I share the stage with each member of the group, which is never done. I have, Danny Akyroyd, you know, we all split everything right down the middle, I give the people, artists parts of the album. I’m putting them in a movie, you know? Nobody believes me!”

According to John Belushi—who concluded by saying, “I’m not f—ing fantastic, but that’s not the point!”—the point of the Blues Brothers was to bring attention to jazz and blues, and subsequently through that, bring attention to talented Black artists. Whether or not the act succeeded in that is up for debate. However, there’s no denying the Blues Brothers’ legacy.

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