What’s your absolute favourite film of all time? The Godfather? Nah, too Italian. The Italian Job? Nah, I only wanted you to blow the bloody doors off. Shawshank Redemption? Nah, too… oh, its Stephen King, I don’t like him. Gone with the Wind? Nah, too slushy. Annie Hall? W**dy All*n??? Are you JOKING!!!! The Sound of Music? Just fuck off.

For the purposes of today mine is The Blues Brothers. It quite literally ticks every box. It’s stupid, daft and verging on insane. It’s hilarious, outrageous, obscene, blasphemous and they crash more cars than in 75 other ‘car chase’ movies combined. They certainly crashed more than the Sound of Music. But the sound of their music was ‘even better’ than Julie (fucking) Andrews telling us that the hills were alive. Though both movies had Nazis but in Blues Brothers they were Illinois Nazis.

And of all those films listed, only BB had John Belushi. Possibly my favourite comic of all time, possibly just one of 10 total masters of the genre. Yet Belushi, along with fellow contendee (and dead person), Robin Williams stand out even in that exalted company because as well as being unique and amazing, used masses of ‘performance enhancers’ and other ‘substances’ and were pretty much off their faces their entire careers. Which for a surgeon may be problematic, but for a comedian?

So when my girls were… probably about 8 and 5, their ‘down time’, post homework, after all activities, was to watch a ‘video’ (remember them? Big in the 90s). And they watched Mary Poppins, endlessly. I came home from work every day to find Julie (fucking) Andrews in my lounge. And I got so bored that I introduced to my gels a new film. A funny film. A great film. The Blues Brothers. When my saintly mother first sat with them and the swearing started, she was rather appalled. But the price of having John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in my lounge was worth paying. They were kids! They’ll get over it.

So when this photo arrived yesterday, apropos of nothing, just the kids in the car, it all came flooding back. And in fact there’s quite of lot of the John Belushi in Joey. Unfortunately most of the ‘bad’ bits, but unlike big John, Joey might one day grow out of them.

We’re on a mission from God.

Happy Sunday

A xxxx