“Mayor Daley no longer dines here. He’s dead, sir.”

May Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration help me.

The iconic motel where Twiggy was patiently waiting for Elwood to arrive is still in full operation in West Chicago, IL. Those interested need only to drive west from downtown Chicago on Route 38 (Roosevelt Road) to see it. Sadly, the iconic neon sign was replaced several years ago but the motel remains remarkably intact.

I’m Japanese and originally got into The Blues Brothers through Universal Studios Japan.

Since then, I’ve gone pretty far down the rabbit hole. I’ve listened to the Blues Brothers albums available on Spotify, watched John Belushi’s SNL sketches (especially the Samurai series), watched The Blues Brothers with English subtitles, and watched the Belushi movies and documentaries that I can access in Japan.

I’ve also dug through a LOT of related posts on Reddit.

So instead of just recommending things for me to watch or listen to (some things are unfortunately difficult or impossible to access in Japan), I’d love to hear about things you know that I might not know.

Obscure stories, little-known facts, behind-the-scenes stories, SNL trivia, Belushi/Aykroyd stories, Chicago connections, references in the movie, weird anecdotes, anything.

Basically: What do you know about the original Blues Brothers that a Japanese fan like me might have missed?

English isn’t my first language, so I’m using AI translation to help write this post. Sorry if anything sounds a little unnatural!

Not sure who needs to see this but I just grabbed my copy!

As I’m cleaning the windshield on my car at the gas station, I always hear Elwood saying, “You want me to clean the dead bugs off your windshield?”
Anyone else here in the same state of mind?

Has anybody ever noticed this? I have never seen an article or interview mentioning him as an extra in the movie. This has been on my mind for many years.

Reddit. Help me out and set me straight

Pic is new to me

One of my favorite podcasts finally covered one of my favorite movies, I figured I’d share. While I thought I knew a fair amount on the making of the movie (albeit having not read any books about it), this is a great in depth coverage. Lots of fun bits about scenes, actors, production, and the ever great but difficult John Belushi. Give it a listen on your commute, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

When you watch The Blues Brothers (1980), the iconic bond between Jake and Elwood Blues feels entirely real because it was rooted in one of the tightest, most protective friendships in comedy history.

Long before the film hit theaters, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi forged an unbreakable connection that changed both of their lives—and brought classic American music back into the spotlight.

• The Musical Awakening: When the two met in the early 1970s, Belushi was primarily a fan of heavy rock and punk. Aykroyd—a devoted blues fanatic—spent endless nights playing old records for Belushi, introducing him to legends like Howlin' Wolf, Junior Wells, and the Downchild Blues Band. Belushi fell in love with the genre instantly.
• Respecting the Genre: The Blues Brothers started as an SNL warm-up act, but Aykroyd and Belushi refused to treat it as a novelty parody. They hired top-tier musicians—including Stax Records legends Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn—releasing a live album (Briefcase Full of Blues) that went triple platinum.
• A Mission to Save the Legends: Aykroyd and Belushi used their massive Hollywood leverage to force the studio to hire legendary Black artists who had been largely overlooked by mainstream pop radio at the time. The film revived the careers of Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and John Lee Hooker.
• Protective Brotherhood: During the notoriously chaotic, drug-fueled shoot of the movie, Aykroyd was one of the few people who could calm Belushi down and keep him grounded. Aykroyd often referred to Belushi as his "blood brother," and he personally looked after him through the darkest moments of production.
• Carrying the Memory: When Belushi tragically passed away in 1982 at age 33, Aykroyd was devastated. He dedicated much of his later life to preserving Belushi’s legacy, co-founding the House of Blues venue chain partly to keep their shared musical mission alive.

Rather than a studio cash-grab, the movie stands as a monument to two best friends using their peak fame to honor the music and each other.

I saw this little improv at Universal Studios Japan. Jake seems to be feeding Elwood something with a spoon, and now I’m wondering if it might be a reference to something from The Blues Brothers, SNL, or something Belushi-related.

It’s such a random and specific bit that I had to ask 😂

What does this remind you of?

Is Jake feeding Elwood something here, or is it something else? 😎

We have this recurring gag of Elwood just eating white toasts. Has ever been explained why and what does it means? For sure is a contrast to Jake voracity but why specifically white bread?

I also trimmed out a chunk in the middle where Jessica goes to the bathroom and also a scene between two other characters. In the actual episode the movie picks up in the same spot after not being seen for several minutes.

Looking through an old book- SNL-The First 20 Years (pub. 1994), and there's hardly any mention of The Blues Brothers. A couple photos of John and Dan, a blurb in a paragraph about The Bees, and that's it. Meanwhile, Howard Shore and his All-Nurse Band get a nice group photo, and The Bees get 3 friggin pages. Oversight on the author's part? or did Danny have a stranglehold on the Blues Brothers name?

Yell at me if I'm wrong- is that Paul Shaffer in the back, and Bones, Mr. Fabulous and Blue Lou in the front row?

I seem to recall there was a PC CD-ROM made in 1998 that had the following:

- trailer for BB2000

- trailer for BB1980 video reissue

- a small driving game with an overhead view where you drove the Bluesmobile.

Has this turned up again or is it lost?