The Bully Boys Part 3

On March 5 1982, Dan Aykroyd was in his office writing a script for him and John. It was called ''Ghostbusters''. Along with ''Spies Like Us',' a'' Blues Brothers'' sequel, and ''The Three Amigos'', it was one of several movies the team had lined up to film. A call came from California. It was their manager, Bernie Brillstein. John had been found dead in his bed at the Chateau Marmont hotel in LA... There was a pause, and then Dan asked what happened. Brillstein said he didn't know much more than that. Then Dan was told that Judy Belushi didn't know about John yet, he would have to tell her. Dan left the office and went to John's house with news that would break Judy's heart.... As the day went on, the Belushi house filled up with family and friends. Judy, distraught, noticed something she had never seen before: For as long as she had known him and as close as they were, she had never seen Dan Aykroyd cry before. It was startling. This tough, strong, Harley Biker man, was weeping openly. Then she understood : he loved John as deeply as she did... A week later there was a memorial service for John. Over a thousand people were there. The media was out in force because the day before the news of how John died was released. Cocaine and Heroin overdose. The media swarmed like ants at a picnic. There was tension mixed with sadness for John. Suddenly, a tall Canadian strolled to the microphone. He was carrying a briefcase. Dan Aykroyd praising his partner and best friend. It was a strong and caring speech from the heart. Then Dan took a tape deck out of his briefcase. He held the machine to the microphone, and, as he promised John 6 months earlier, ''The Two Thousand Pound Bee'' played into the deep regions of the church. At first, the crowd was stunned, then  they began to laugh.

The Bully Boys Part 2

The office they shared was the center of the show. Other cast members and writers would stop in and take a ride on the fun train ride of John and Dan. And, as Lorne Michaels feared, they both proved to be difficult to control. They fought with Lorne and demanded to be heard. Lorne called them the ''Bully Boys''. This title was a little deceiving, for Lorne loved John and Dan like everyone else, but, Lorne was overwhelmed by their personalities and would, more often than not, give in to them. ''The Bully Boys'' would fight not only for their own work, but, also for the work of others. This endeared them to the show. and, it was this loyalty to each other that somehow translated to the viewing audience. After Chevy left, Belushi and Aykroyd became the prime movers of the show... Backstage, as their friendship deepened, they became more involved with each others loved ones. Judy Belushi not only was John's wife, but, became a kind of surrogate wife to Dan as well. The three would often travel together, at times including Dan's current girlfriend [ by many accounts Dan was quite the ladies man ] or, other members of the Belushi / Aykroyd entourage. They both loved having family and friends around them sharing the joy of their friendship orbit... Like any best friends, the boys had their fights. The main bone of contention in these fights was John's reckless behavior. As John's fame increased, so did his cocaine use. Many times the staff couldn't find John. He would disappear, and, it would fall to Dan to find him and straighten him up. Dan was always the fix up man for John, it was a role he did quite well. But, no matter how well he did, there were limits to trying to control Belushi. He was a man that loved partying and showing his friends a good time. People gathered around him for the fun ride. At first, it was harmless, but, as time went on , both Dan and Judy [ and John ] became concerned with his behavior. John would stop the drug use and all seemed well... Then, a binge would happen. Back then, John Belushi wasn't classified as a drug addict - that would come after his death..  As SNL got more popular the movie offers came in . John was offered ''Animal House'' and he took the job. The movie was released in 1978 and quickly became a monster hit. John became a superstar. Around this time, both he and Dan revived the idea that started at Dan's bar all those years earlier: starting a blues band. The band, called ''The Blues Brothers'', opened up for Steve Martin at the Universal Amphitheater in the fall of 78. A live album was recorded from it, and, to everyone's surprise, went straight to number 1 on the charts. John, just shy of his 30th birthday, had the number 1 album, movie, and, TV show. No other entertainer has ever done this. John loved the fame, as did Dan. Dan took the fame better than John. He remained grounded and focused. John, predictably, did not. The cocaine use increased... By 1979, after four years with the show, John and Dan left SNL for the movies. It was a hard choice: they loved the show and the people, but, to have a more centered life, they had to leave. The Blues Brothers movie came and was successful. A tour, when the movie was released, was wildly popular. More important, John came to terms with his drug problem. He hired a bodyguard whose job it was to keep him away from drugs. John cleaned up. For a year and a half into 1981, John was clean. Both Judy and Dan thought the problem was gone... In the summer of 1981, John and Dan and Judy went to their summer homes in Martha's Vineyard. The summer was glorious. John was clean and sober. They fished, surfed, and, enjoyed their families and friends. Life was normal. Many times John and Dan would walk the beach, two best friends and brothers in arms. They discussed getting older. Their kids, yet unborn, would be as close as they were to each other. In old age it would be great, they would always be there with each other... One day, the friends were driving together. Dan put on a tape called ''The Two Thousand Pound Bee''. John had never heard it before. They both laughed. Then Dan said, ''Wouldn't it be funny to play this at our memorial service when we die?'' John laughed too. It would be the last great joke of their lives-- forcing people to listen to this garbage!!! That day they made a pact, whichever one of them died first, they other would play this song at the memorial...

The Bully Boys Part 1

The message Dan Aykroyd heard on the answering machine was disquieting. It was March 4 1982, and Dan was in the office in New York he shared with his partner and best friend John Belushi. The message he heard was from Belushi. John was in L.A. working on a movie script, and, as Aykroyd feared, Belushi was on a drug binge. The sound of the voice was depressed and sad. Dan was frightened that his partner was in serious trouble. That night , after trying and failing to reach John, Dan went to have dinner with John's wife, Judy. They both feared the same thing. Dan wondered if he should get on a plane and fly to L.A. and grab John and bring him home. He was sorely tempted. Both Judy and Dan decided to give it one more day. If John didn't make it home, Dan would go get him. The next day, John was dead... Belushi and Aykroyd met in Toronto's Second City in 1974. John, after 2 years in the Chicago Second City, was in New York recruiting talent for the National Lampoon Radio Hour. John had been a star in Chicago and was rapidly becoming a comedy force in NYC. Dan, with Toronto's Second City, was a rising star himself. Mutual friends told them both that they had to meet each other. John came up to Toronto. Dan was later to describe it as ''the door opened, and there was a raging snowstorm happening, and this figure came in full of charisma. That's how I met Belushi''.. Introductions were brief. John joined the cast onstage for the show [ the cast included Gilda Radner and John Candy ] . After the show, Dan took John to an illegal bar he owned that sold bootleg whiskey. As they sat at the bar, the feeling of long lost brothers finding themselves emerged. Dan played some blues music on the jukebox. John didn't know blues, he was a rock and roller. Dan filled him in on the blues. A fellow friend, Howard Shore , was there and suggested that someday John and Dan start a band themselves: that night began the genesis of The Blues Brothers.. Dan didn't want to leave Second City, so , he stayed. John took Gilda to NYC with him. The two new friends made a pact to stay in touch. At home in New York, John told his then girlfriend Judy that he met a great guy named Aykroyd, and, though he didn't know how, John was sure that someday they would work together.. In 1975, a young producer named Lorne Michaels started a show called ''Saturday Night Live''. He immediately hired Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, Chevy Chase, and Garrett Morris. Jane Curtin was to follow later. There were two spots remaining in the cast. Lorne knew he wanted Aykroyd, but, he was scared of Belushi. He heard the stories of John. Even though everyone who knew John agreed he was a comic genius, there was an uncontrollable part of his personality that was intimidating. After meeting John, he suggested that John come to the open auditions. John was pissed, no one else in the cast had to audition, why him? Nevertheless, he prepared to come to the audition and blow the minds of everyone there. He did. The remaining problem was waiting for NBC to approve them. The network had fears about Belushi and Aykroyd: comic gifts aside, these two were tough, bad assed, and fearless. The network wondered if they could control them.. They were hired... and, no one could control them... SNL premiered in the fall of 1975. Chevy Chase became the first breakout star of the show [ much to the annoyance of Belushi]. The show caught on with the public as the first season went on. John and Dan shined under Chevy's glow of fame. After one season, Chevy left, to be replaced by John and Dan's friend Bill Murray... Working together now for the first time, Belushi and Aykroyd's friendship deepened...

Messages From Family

The following true stories, I believe, speak for themselves... Fall 1995. St Joseph's Cemetary. We are burying my brother's ashes. Around the family plot are my Uncle Tom, his two sons, Tom and Nick, my brother in law John, the priest, the funeral home director and family friend Mike, and myself. It is a typically cold, brutal, rainy October day-- perfect for the solemn, grim ceremony we are about to do. My sister and I did not want my parents there to see the agony of burying their child. Right as the priest begins the blessing, the clouds part and a bright, warm ray of sunshine shines down on all of us. Like a spotlight on a stage. We are all stunned, there hasn't been a break in the weather all day. The funeral director, Mike, says to me, ''Jimmy, you tell your parents about this. This is your brother's way of saying-- 'I'm okay, I'm in Heaven.' '' The sunshine stayed with us for 5 minutes. As soon as we were done, the light went away and it started raining again. There was no more sunshine for 2 days..... March 1996. Six months after my brother's death. My Dad had a dream about my Uncle Joe, who had passed away 5 years earlier. In the dream, my Uncle Joe was very young-- he was 70 when he passed-- and, he had a big smile on his face. My Dad asked him, ''Joe, what are you doing here, and, why do you look so young?'' My Uncle Joe replied, with a smile, '' Don't worry Jim, you will be young again soon and it will be alright.'' Now, certain religions believe when you die, you become the age of Christ when he died, 33. Dad passed away 2 days later... December 2000. Mom has been gone since June 1998. We have sold my parents house and there are only 2 items left to move. A Grandfather clock my parents bought the family years ago, and, a big, old heavy desk/ sewing machine. My brother in law John, my teenage nephews Johnny and Joey, and myself are upstairs trying to figure out how we are going to move this very heavy desk. Suddenly, we hear the Grandfather clock ring 2 bells. The clock hadn't worked for 3 years. Not a chime or ring during that time. No one was around the clock, no great movement stirred the clock. Just rang twice out of nowhere the last day in my family home. We all looked at each other and had the same thought, ''One ring for Mom to say goodbye, and one ring for Dad to say goodbye.''... June 2010. My sister Lisa's house. She is watching her 3 year old grandson Jordan, Johnny's son. Lisa is in the bathroom scrubbing the bathtub. Jordan is in the kitchen. They are all alone in the house. Lisa hears Jordan talking to someone. At first she doesn't think much of it, Jordan has just started talking recently and will talk to anything. She goes back to scrubbing. Then Lisa realizes that Jordan is having a conversation with someone. Lisa panicks, thinking that someone has come in the house. She gets to the kitchen and Jordan is sitting there calm and smiling. No one else is in the room. Lisa asks Jordan who he was talking to. Jordan replies that he was talking to ''Gamma's'' [ his name for Lisa] Mommy''. Lisa is stunned and she asks him what did ''Gamma's Mommy'' say? Jordan, with a big smile on his face says, '' Gamma's Mommy told me that she loves me very much and she wishes she was here right now so that she could hug and kiss and play with me.'' Jordan also saw, according to what he later told his father, an apparition of my Mother. Jordan had never seen any pictures of my Mother and didn't know she existed until that moment of talking with her... Now, I leave it up to all of you to decide if there was some contact in these stories from the other side. You call it. I think you know where I stand on this. And, perhaps... You also have similar stories....

A Visit And A Walk

There was a peace in the cemetary today, as it should be. A calmness that goes with the solemn reason for being there. I just stopped by to say hello to my departed loved ones. Today was a beautiful June day, not humid, not too sunny, a gentle breeze blowing. After I said my prayers and talked a little to my family, I looked around, and thought about how it is somehow wrong for someone to be gone on a day like this. We are at the beginning of summer, the promise of summer. The feeling of surviving the calamity that is winter. A renewness of life. There is an extra pep in people's step on days like this, a smile that goes through the soul. And, then I thought, perhaps that is what Heaven is like all the time... After blasting some music in honor of my Dad-- the man loved a good tune-- I got in my car and drove through my old neighborhood of Des Plaines. Nostalgia was the reason. I love taking a trip back to a more innocent time. I drove by the house that I grew up in and was shocked at the condition of not only my old house, but, all the surrounding houses. It has been many years since I've lived in the area, but, you know how in your minds eye the area is still pristine? Nothing major has changed?... Of course, it has. Stark reality hit me in the face and I didn't like it. Damn it, this was my home!! I grew up here!!! I don't know who is living there now, but, had I seen them today I could be facing a manslaughter charge now... I suppose it is their right to treat the house the way they want to. They are making their own memories. I will say this-- their memories in that house will never compete with my memories. Different time altogether. The neighbors knew each other [ whether they liked each other is another issue ] , watched out for the kids, and, had love for the community. Gangs? Not in this area, we had too much respect for our lives. The police? They weren't our enemies, we grew up respecting the police... Oh, the memories... I stopped by my junior high next. It is closed for the summer. I walked around looking to get , for a moment, that feeling I had so many years ago. I caught a little of it. I stopped in the only office that is open. The secretary was nice to me, and, patiently answered my questions about what has changed in the building. I explained I was an alumni from the Class of 1980. She was nice, I'm sure she has had many people like me show up to inquire about what has changed. People feeling their age a little bit, trying to go back for a little while... I walked around the track where, during gym class, we had to run the mile. This was a pain in the ass at 13, now, you couldn't get me to run it at gunpoint. There are many ghosts here. Many friends and classmates have come and gone, going on with their lives. Some, I'm sure, have passed on. I remember a lot of them, some I don't, but, I bless them for being in my life around then.... Soon after, I got in my car and drove away from the past. I felt better. I like taking the trip backwards in the time machine. There is a feeling that it is wrong to live in the past. I agree, but, it is not wrong to visit that past once in a while and to be warmed by the memories. As it is stated in the great, underated movie ''The Two Jakes'', -- '' I don't wanna live in the past, I just don't wanna lose it either''...

The Cycle Of Scandal

I heard a political pundit say this the other night while talking about Congressman Anthony Weiner, '' He disgraced his office. He lied to his supporters. He should resign.''... Now for those that don't know the story, Mr. Weiner is the latest politician to get caught with his pants down. He texted some pictures of his private parts and sent them to a blackjack dealer in Vegas. Mr. Weiner-- yes, I know the irony of his name-- is a married man, so, the media is making a scandal of it, as they always do. Whether it be Arnold with the live in help, or John Edwards having the mistress while his wife is dying of cancer, it is the same movie we see all the time with these morons. Now first of all, whenever I have gone to Vegas and played blackjack, I get some old, bitter crone as my dealer. Where are the hot ones?... And, second, Weiner didn't break the law--unlike Bill Clinton, who was impeached for lying under oath about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. The fact that Weiner is married is the only reason he should be worried. But, the larger issue is the suppossed ''outrage'' of the public, as the pundit I saw on tv said. What ''outrage''? Aren't we used to this type of behavior from politicians, celebrities, athletes, etc? I am. There is no ''outrage''.. If anything, it is business as usual. Whenever a public person gets some power under his or her belt, the belt comes off fairly quickly and the person starts shopping around for some action. This is as old as the beard on Moses' face. Look through our history of sainted figures. Thomas Jefferson had slaves he had sex with. George Washington had a mistress he was nailing after he crossed the Delaware. There is strong suspicion that Abraham Lincoln was gay. And, of course, JFK and his harem. Almost all of these people didn't do anything wrong legally, it is your own judgment if they did something morally wrong. I don't think Weiner should resign... It is classic spinning of what is really going on and how the media doesn't fixate on the true story. And, the true story is this: these charlatans, who are screwing around in their private lives, are screwing us royally in terms of our lives. While the public is looking at the sex scandal, they are not looking at the escalating debt. While the public is making jokes about the sex scandal, we are fighting wars that go on forever with casualities continuing to mount up. While the public is trying to download the pictures of Weiner and his ilk, the climate change that threatens ALL OF US, IS HAPPENING NOW!!. Tornadoes and intense heat. And, now, it is colder in June likes its never been. And, lets not forget the terror of terrorism. Call me a complainer, but, I believe these issues-- and, many more that affect our daily lives-- are more paramount to think of than someone ''spanking frankie'' and sending it to a ''21'' dealer.... What will happen? Probably not much. Weiner may or may not resign. The public will get a little more joking in about the story, and, we will go on to the next scandal involving whomever, doing whatever, to whomever. Change the names, but, you get the picture... And, as I write this, someone , somewhere is in a war zone fighting for their life-- and, maybe, losing it.

To The Class Of 2011

''Dear class. Well, you made it!!! Four long years of high school, and, a few of you have told me that it flew by. There were days, I'm sure, when it crawled at a snails pace and the finish line seemed an eternity away. Understandable. I have a little secret for you: that is exactly how life is. There are going to be moments in your life when it crawls, then, usually followed by the times it will fly past. I'm glad you have had a little taste of it in school... Now, go out and live the rest of your lives. The world is now open to you and you should embrace it. It is ok to be a little afraid. I still am and so is every adult you will encounter. However, there are many joyous moments to experience. You live in a free country-- not all of the world can say that. With that comes the ability to do whatever you want in life. You are young. You want to take over the world. You want to live life to the fullest. Good for you!!! Do that!!!... With that freedom comes responsibility. You should never, in your pursuit of your life, hurt anyone else. I know you have heard that your whole life. But, you will encounter people in life that will try to turn you bad. Usually, there is money wrapped around this technique. Don't fall for it. Stay good. It is much easier to live with yourself that way... Mentioning money, another thought: it is nice to earn big money, but, make sure it goes hand and hand with a career that you like. There is nothing harder to do in the world than to go to a job you hate , regardless of the monetary value. Follow your heart, not the dollar sign.... And, that ole heart of yours: find the person for you that makes you glad to be alive. They are out there--sometimes it takes a while to find them, but, once you do, there is nothing better in life!!! But, you must give back to that person love also. The needs of the other person should be of the same concern to you as your own personal needs. That is what an adult relationship is about. Take it from an old war horse like me: there is no greater joy in life than to love and be in love!!!....  Enjoy your friends and family. Be there for them. A wise man , my dad, once told me that you should never lose your friends wherever you are in life. This is true... And, your family. In the sometimes cold and rough world, these are the people you will lean on . Let them lean on you also. It builds character in you and them. Remember, love comes in all forms, not just the physical, but, in relationships....So, wrapping up: there are a lot of problems in the world that you won't be able to overcome. Make the best of them. It won't be easy in life. However, you will survive. Change the world for the better. Take an interest. Make your generation the best that there ever has been. I know you have it in you... I am proud to have known you .... Thank you for the memories.... With Best Wishes, Mr. Scoleri.