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...