Monday, March 05, 2007

25 Years? Seems More Like Two Weeks to Me

John Belushi, 25 years gone - CNN.com: "LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- When a force of nature like John Belushi is lost, 25 years isn't time enough to ease the grief or erase the laughter.

Actor-comedian Richard Belzer still dreams about him from time to time, the unselfish friend and 'impish genius' who devoured life. John Landis, who directed Belushi in 'Animal House' and 'The Blues Brothers,' is still angry at him for dying foolishly and young.

'Saturday Night Live' creator Lorne Michaels feels an obligation to 'restate the obvious,' that Belushi was profoundly talented and part of the show's creative DNA. (Blog: Belushi memories)

By most measures, the round comic with the sharp edges left a small body of work when a drug overdose killed him at age 33 on March 5, 1982. But his TV, movie and music performances proved influential, hitting the baby-boomer sweet spot and surviving despite pop culture's truncated attention span. "

4 comments:

pattinase (abbott) said...

I will never forget him in the first few years of SNL. I often flash by his brother in some awful sitcom and, not that I wish him any ill-will, wonder what John would have done with the material.

mybillcrider said...

I don't think any of us who saw those early SNL shows (or Animal House will forget him.

Anonymous said...

NEIGHBORS sadly demonstrated how his talent could be wasted by others, even when he might be game and on his game. It's ACCORDING TO JIM-level sad and moreso.

I assume y'all have heard or seen some of the Second City and National Lampoon RADIO HOUR/LEMMINGS work, as well...

mybillcrider said...

Very little of that, Todd, a few clips only.