March 5, 2022, marked the 40th anniversary of the death of John Belushi. In many ways and for many people, especially those who loved him, his death served as a wakeup call to the dangers of a lifestyle where there were no holds barred, no limits too far, and no high to be left behind.
However, when looking back from our perch here in the 21st century, it’s clear that what we lost on that morning in the shadow of the Chateau Mormont, was much more than a comedian. We lost a force of nature – a dynamo – a fearless performer who was just scratching the surface of an immense reservoir of talent that went far beyond the Ray Ban sunglasses of Jake Blues, or the child like antics of John Blutarsky, or even the street wise disposition of Ernie Souchak.
We lost a prime example of America – where the son of a hard-working Albanian restauranteur rose up and conquered the world of Television, Movies, and Music when in 1978 he could claim the most watched Television show in Saturday Night Live, the #1 album with “The Blues Brothers – Briefcase Full Of Blues”, and up until that point the highest grossing comedy movie of all time ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’.
What John Belushi meant to his generation and beyond is hard to quantify, sort of like the Theory of Relativity, most be people can’t explain it…all you know is that it’s hard to imagine a world without it or without him.
So, let’s go on that roller coaster together because…
It’s time to sit back and relax Mom and Dad won’t be back for at least an hour and Welcome To The Latch Key Kids Presents “Ready For Prime Time Players Part V: We’re On A Mission From God”