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Belushi: A Biography
On the day he turned thirty, John starred in America’s number-one movie ( Animal House ), starred in the number-one late-night show ( Saturday Night Live ) and had recorded the number-one album ( Briefcase Full of Blues ). All from a guy who was never supposed to make it out from behind the cash register of his family’s Chicago diner. How did this Albanian immigrant’s son capture a nation’s imagination and come to embody all the glory and tragedy of the American dream? It was one high-price, high-speed, short-lived wild ride.
BELUSHI is a whirlwind of a book, filled with never-before-seen photos and provocative, intensely personal testimonials by just about every major comedic figure of the last half century. Here is the remarkable and raucous story of a larger-than-life figure who danced out at the precipice of American fame.
BELUSHI is a whirlwind of a book, filled with never-before-seen photos and provocative, intensely personal testimonials by just about every major comedic figure of the last half century. Here is the remarkable and raucous story of a larger-than-life figure who danced out at the precipice of American fame.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 13, 2015
Belushi was one amazing human.
March 9, 2015
An oral history compiled by Belushi's wife soon after his death, she put the interview tapes away for many years and only got back to the project after becoming more happy in her own personal life -- then supplemented her vast stash with more recent interviews. And chock full o' previously unpublished photos.
Highly recommended to Belushi's fans.
Highly recommended to Belushi's fans.
March 27, 2013
A marvelous "sprawling canvas" (as it itself says toward the end). Manages to be even better and more compelling than Wired--which after all approached the subject matter from just one angle. When I first got it I went, "Oh, another oral history"...but this puppy's got the goods. I just thought I'd include all the great quotes which I uncorked along the way. "I was always amazed by his ability to just hop onstage and be in complete control. I said to him many times, 'I don't understand how you can do that. You just get up on the stage with no fear whatsoever.' 'Well yeah, but you do the thing that I can't do,' he'd always say. 'You're comfortable in real life. I don't know how to do that.'" (Laila Nabulsi). "I felt that what made you laugh about John was peculiarly American, that the raw energy of this country was summed up in the way he hit the stage. But at the same time, I've also always felt that there is an enormous void at the center of America, a void that has to do with promise and disappointment and impossible expectations. Behind all this energy comes what? When you finally get where you're going, what then?" (Tony Hendra). "Then out of this movie he became this instant star, and that's terrifying. You can't go to a restaurant. You can't go to the store. You're not allowed to be in a bad mood" (John Landis). "I've found that in a lot of people I've known before and after the acquisition of fame. It's not that they've changed. It's that they've been put into a corner by those who want to change them" (Fred Kaz). Then there was Smokey (aka Richard Wendell)--his whole long speech, a kind of mini-essay on the games of drug abuse. "It was one of those moments when you see somebody and you think, I know who you were when you were a little kid. I know who you were when you were growing up. And it was that moment, for me, when he stopped being 'Belushi.' I sort of went, 'Oh right, I get it. You're that guy'" (Blair Brown). When he's talking with Judith about getting nominated for an Oscar, and she tells him being happy is more important: "He kind of sat up a little taller, like a lightbulb had gone off. 'You're right.'" Or when she learned the horrible news: "Time stopped, emotions disappeared and I was in another dimension, weightless, empty." "My first reaction to John's death was anger. I was furious with him, just furious, because it meant I didn't get to see him anymore, and how could he do that to me?" (John Landis). And of course the weirdly similar last sightings of him by Judith and Mitch Glazer--him just standing there in the street watching the car drive away. Along with Bill Wallace trying to give him CPR and crying and just saying "You dumb son of a bitch" over and over again. And all this good stuff despite Ackroyd's babbling line in his intro (and also quoted elsewhere) about them being "one of the great partnerships of the century."
June 28, 2009
I first noticed John Belushi when I was about 15 years old. I was watching Saturday Night Live and the Star Trek parody with John as Captain Kirk came on, and Belushi nailed the impersonation and it was so funny it made me choke on the ham sandwich I was eating. After that Saturday Night Live (it wasn’t SNL yet) became something to watch and John’s performances were stand out from the killer bees, the samurai, the diner cheeezborger cook, all were skits I wanted to see. When John went onto movies I went to see Animal House, 1941, The Blues Brothers, Neighbors. And one spring day in 1982 as I was leaving work I turned on my car radio and the first thing that came out of the speakers that afternoon was that John Belushi had died in L.A. and I said to myself ‘I hope it wasn’t drugs.’ It’s stories like these that give oral biographies like Belushi: A Biography their power, the first hand accounts of the participants that give the account it’s flesh and blood and if done right, provides more verisimilitude than the standard biography.
Belushi: A Biography was written by Judy Belushi Pisano and Tanner Colby, Judy is John’s widow, and you can tell this was a labor of love not only for Judy but for all the friends, relatives, teachers, cohorts and colleagues who share their stories of the time they spent with John and how he influenced their lives. Just about anybody who you can think of from SNL, National Lampoon, guest hosts, people from the movies both in front of and behind the camera, and anyone from any part of John’s life share their stories. Of course Dan Aykroyd, Judy Belushi, Harold Ramis, John’s mother, Jim Belushi, John Landis, Bill Murray, Robin Williams, Bernie Brillstein, Buck Henry, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Tom Davis, Anne Beatts, Richard Belzer, you name a person they probably show up in here. And of course the book is filled with high quality pictures of John and Judy, a lot of them unseen and some breathtaking such as the picture on the opening page which shows John in an open field on a sunny day his arms raised to take in and be alive in the moment.
John Belushi was a larger than life person and a book can’t really contain all that was John Belushi the flesh and blood person but Belushi comes closest, and the force of John‘s life is ably transmitted through the pictures and words of his friends.
If you have read other reviews of mine you know I really like the oral biography. It isn’t easily pulled off but when it’s done right they make for a great biography! And Belushi: A Biography is a great biography and a great service to John and his fans.
Belushi: A Biography was written by Judy Belushi Pisano and Tanner Colby, Judy is John’s widow, and you can tell this was a labor of love not only for Judy but for all the friends, relatives, teachers, cohorts and colleagues who share their stories of the time they spent with John and how he influenced their lives. Just about anybody who you can think of from SNL, National Lampoon, guest hosts, people from the movies both in front of and behind the camera, and anyone from any part of John’s life share their stories. Of course Dan Aykroyd, Judy Belushi, Harold Ramis, John’s mother, Jim Belushi, John Landis, Bill Murray, Robin Williams, Bernie Brillstein, Buck Henry, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Tom Davis, Anne Beatts, Richard Belzer, you name a person they probably show up in here. And of course the book is filled with high quality pictures of John and Judy, a lot of them unseen and some breathtaking such as the picture on the opening page which shows John in an open field on a sunny day his arms raised to take in and be alive in the moment.
John Belushi was a larger than life person and a book can’t really contain all that was John Belushi the flesh and blood person but Belushi comes closest, and the force of John‘s life is ably transmitted through the pictures and words of his friends.
If you have read other reviews of mine you know I really like the oral biography. It isn’t easily pulled off but when it’s done right they make for a great biography! And Belushi: A Biography is a great biography and a great service to John and his fans.
August 27, 2024
I really got to know who John was as a person in this book, and we got to see how his addiction affected his life. I think he had an addictive personality and just did everything in excess. What I especially appreciate about the book is at the end, they don't shy away from what happened. There are photos and news clippings, and they talk about how he ODed and who the woman was. This was his story, both bright and ugly, and it was a good story.
December 7, 2015
Unlike the relentless nature of Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi, this biography does much more to celebrate Belushi's life. Of course, when your format is oral history with excerpts from interviews of friends, family, and fellow actors, that's to be expected. I was struck by how often Belushi was described as a ringleader and catalyst --- not just of parties and adventures, but of artistic endeavors. The section on the National Lampoon radio show illustrates how Belushi was bringing along friends and talented actors from venue to venue towards the explosion that was Saturday Night Live. In addition, there's a lot of praise heaped on Belushi for the blues revival he sparked (including James Brown stating that the Blues Brothers movie saved his career). There's also an interesting focus on Belushi's physicality and improv skills --- he wasn't a talented writer, but he made characters work through his presence, not his words (e.g., the Samurai sketches). A good read with a lot of interesting perspectives.
April 8, 2013
belushi was a multi-layered, larger than life character. it takes a book like this, with several voices and lots of pictures, to even begin to scratch the surface of his personality. i had the slight feeling that belushi's addictions were being white-washed, but, at the end of the day, i felt like i knew him as a person, which is the best feeling to have after reading a biography..
couple this with the more in-depth "samurai widow" for a more complete version of his life. i'd still read "wired", though. woodward may have been out of his element, but he did get to talk to people who were reluctant to be interviewed by the press.
couple this with the more in-depth "samurai widow" for a more complete version of his life. i'd still read "wired", though. woodward may have been out of his element, but he did get to talk to people who were reluctant to be interviewed by the press.
Want to read
September 16, 2012After reading Judy Belushi's book "Samurai Widow" I couldn't resist following up with this book, especially since I found a copy used on Amazon for $5.00! This will take awhile since I'm currently reading a couple of other books, but the format of this book lends itself to skipping around at my leisure. Also, the photos are great to look at!
January 16, 2016
I truly enjoyed reading this eye opening book. Written by friends, coworkers and family it takes you through the life of the very talented John Belushi. His work will live on forever and be inspiration to many to come.
Filled with great pictures. I like the lay out,easy to follow table of contents and cast of characters. Highly recommend to SNL, Blues Brothers and Belushi Fans.
Filled with great pictures. I like the lay out,easy to follow table of contents and cast of characters. Highly recommend to SNL, Blues Brothers and Belushi Fans.
May 29, 2016
The pictures were very nice. It didn't talk as much about the SNL years as I would have liked ... I wasn't that interested in his earlier stuff or his upbringing.
And where were Garrett Morris's contributions?
And where were Garrett Morris's contributions?
March 7, 2008
A fantastic look at a comedy genius!!! Forget what you have read in the past, this is from the people that were there and I LOVE the style of writing!
August 22, 2012
got bored and didnt make it to the end.
December 26, 2024
I loved Belushi (check out my Facebook page. I have a pic of him in Continental Divide as my photo thing), and when he died in 1982, I was heart-broken. It was another tale of success gone bad due to drugs, a waste of talent, so to speak.
Belushi hit the scene in the late 1970s like a tornado, but it was one of those tornadoes that may destroy buildings, but would leave tiny figurines or trinkets or children or whatever unscathed. He was a force, but he was also extremely vulnerable. I guess that goes with the territory of being famous for being funny. Read the bio on Chris Farley to get the same point.
I was in my first year of college when Animal House came out, so it was a perfect time. We had food fights, we did the jello slurping ala Belushi in the cafeteria, etc. Belushi was part of our lives.
Judith Belushi has created an excellent portrait of his life. It shows both the highs and the lows... the insanity of success and the devastation of hurting friends and family.
The book is done in chronological order with pieces from the various people in his life. There's a ton of stuff from Danny Aykroyd throughout the years that provides a nice comparison point of the changes in Belushi's life. There are also blurbs from Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase and others from Saturday Night Live and from actors and directors from his career. One of the more poignant moments, I thought, was reading Continental Divide co-star Blair Brown's comments on Belushi's vulnerability and kindness. The movie was awful; Belushi wondered if he would receive an Academy Award nomination for his acting since it was serious and a step away from the crude Bluto in Animal House.
My favorite part was about the making of the Blues Brothers. By then the drugs had taken hold, but he cleaned up, the book said, for the one shot where he removes his sunglasses and stares at Carrie Fisher. His eyes were clear and that spark of the early Belushi was still there. Little insights like that make the book so much more enjoyable.
Of course, we know how the story ends, but it is still very sad. Had he been alive now, Belushi wold be 77, which is an odd thought. I bet he'd still be funny, though.
Belushi hit the scene in the late 1970s like a tornado, but it was one of those tornadoes that may destroy buildings, but would leave tiny figurines or trinkets or children or whatever unscathed. He was a force, but he was also extremely vulnerable. I guess that goes with the territory of being famous for being funny. Read the bio on Chris Farley to get the same point.
I was in my first year of college when Animal House came out, so it was a perfect time. We had food fights, we did the jello slurping ala Belushi in the cafeteria, etc. Belushi was part of our lives.
Judith Belushi has created an excellent portrait of his life. It shows both the highs and the lows... the insanity of success and the devastation of hurting friends and family.
The book is done in chronological order with pieces from the various people in his life. There's a ton of stuff from Danny Aykroyd throughout the years that provides a nice comparison point of the changes in Belushi's life. There are also blurbs from Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase and others from Saturday Night Live and from actors and directors from his career. One of the more poignant moments, I thought, was reading Continental Divide co-star Blair Brown's comments on Belushi's vulnerability and kindness. The movie was awful; Belushi wondered if he would receive an Academy Award nomination for his acting since it was serious and a step away from the crude Bluto in Animal House.
My favorite part was about the making of the Blues Brothers. By then the drugs had taken hold, but he cleaned up, the book said, for the one shot where he removes his sunglasses and stares at Carrie Fisher. His eyes were clear and that spark of the early Belushi was still there. Little insights like that make the book so much more enjoyable.
Of course, we know how the story ends, but it is still very sad. Had he been alive now, Belushi wold be 77, which is an odd thought. I bet he'd still be funny, though.
October 23, 2021
What a fantastic book! It, obviously, tells John Belushi's story, a meteor of talent burning out by the age of 33. Not an overwrought, sensationalist book like some (look at you, hack Woodward), but a heartfelt and honest story of a man probably on the spectrum somewhere. Hard to believe he died almost 30 years ago. His talent is so infused and full of life force he feels like we lost him yesterday.
It is told via interviews with all kinds of people, from relatives to co-stars. His widow Judy interviewed a few folks right after his death (do I have to say untimely death?), but the project was too painful so she shelved it for 20 years. She unearthed the tapes and brought on Colby to help out and they created a real masterpiece. The interviews tell his story in a lively and passionate way, doing a great job of suffusing it with personality. My favorite series was about his early days in Second City and the idiot who ran it. One of his co-stars was talking about him and said "But he'll probably say John was like a son to him" and the next quote is from him that literally says that!
They talked about in the Notes on Sources and Methods section how they went about doing the interviews and how, besides fact checking as far as they could, they let the statements stand. Even if they were in complete disagreement, in which case they put them back to back to make it obvious. I absolutely loved the process and the results.
I have to admit to tearing up at the end, even though I know how it all goes. Especially the last part where they talk about meeting 1 year after his death and giving him the Viking funeral he always wanted. So touching. What a talent. What a loss.
It is told via interviews with all kinds of people, from relatives to co-stars. His widow Judy interviewed a few folks right after his death (do I have to say untimely death?), but the project was too painful so she shelved it for 20 years. She unearthed the tapes and brought on Colby to help out and they created a real masterpiece. The interviews tell his story in a lively and passionate way, doing a great job of suffusing it with personality. My favorite series was about his early days in Second City and the idiot who ran it. One of his co-stars was talking about him and said "But he'll probably say John was like a son to him" and the next quote is from him that literally says that!
They talked about in the Notes on Sources and Methods section how they went about doing the interviews and how, besides fact checking as far as they could, they let the statements stand. Even if they were in complete disagreement, in which case they put them back to back to make it obvious. I absolutely loved the process and the results.
I have to admit to tearing up at the end, even though I know how it all goes. Especially the last part where they talk about meeting 1 year after his death and giving him the Viking funeral he always wanted. So touching. What a talent. What a loss.
January 10, 2021
I Was born later(that same year) so I didn't grow up literally or figuratively speaking On John Belushi, But I heard about him growing up and saw re-runs and classic scenes of his Sketches, The Samurai, the guy who wouldn't leave, He was and is hilarious, I have seen the Classic "Animal House". The Man was/is a Legend, Sadly also a Tragic figure who can be compared to a Genius I did grow up on "Chris Farley". Belushi -The book- Is in Depth, Has Lots of Photos, History,and other tidbits about the man.
September 1, 2021
Gone too soon
I really enjoyed reading this account of John’s life. Unfortunately his talent led him down a path of self destruction and ultimately an early grave. It’s a good example of how the Hollywood machine uses people for selfish gain with total disregard for the effect it has on the “talent”. Another sad tale of a shooting star that burned out before it’s time.
I really enjoyed reading this account of John’s life. Unfortunately his talent led him down a path of self destruction and ultimately an early grave. It’s a good example of how the Hollywood machine uses people for selfish gain with total disregard for the effect it has on the “talent”. Another sad tale of a shooting star that burned out before it’s time.
August 1, 2023
Amazing Belushi
This book is great in so many ways! I knew about John and had seen a lot of his SNL sketches and movies! My dad bought me Animal House when I was 14 and I have been mesmerized by Animal House and John Belushi ever since!! This book is written in a great way with others telling the story! Highly recommend!
This book is great in so many ways! I knew about John and had seen a lot of his SNL sketches and movies! My dad bought me Animal House when I was 14 and I have been mesmerized by Animal House and John Belushi ever since!! This book is written in a great way with others telling the story! Highly recommend!
March 27, 2022
One of my favorite celebrity oral biographies/memoirs. All the different interviews and quotes from friends, family, and acquaintances helped show the full complex picture of John as a person, something that Wired clearly lacked.
July 13, 2017
Such an interesting collection of stories from various people who interacted with him during his short life. It served as a nice tribute from some of the people who knew him best.
January 10, 2018
interesting read
Read
March 6, 2020The un-cursed biography of John Belushi.
August 22, 2022
Beautiful book. I love John Belushi 😩
May 3, 2024
I loved this book, as much as it's heartbreaking and all. John Belushi was really an amazing talent and person.
March 18, 2025
A difficult read (hence the 5 year span). Mostly anecdotes & comments from various associates of John relating to particular stages of his life as chaptered throughout.
August 20, 2025
Why do I keep hurting myself reading about this man?
January 2, 2026
A lifelong fan of Belushi, this book was excellent.
December 21, 2019
Belushi: A Biography by Judith Belushi Pisano (Rugged Land 2005)(Biography). This volume is an oral history constructed from interviews with those who knew and loved Belushi. From Saturday Night Live to "Animal House," nobody else could do what he did. My rating: 7/10, finished 2006. I own a HB copy of this in like-new condition. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
February 28, 2008
This book sat on my self for two years. I got it as a Christmas present and never picked it up because Belushi was before my time. But the layout of the pages, a slew of people from John's life, recounting who he was, what he did, where he started and how he'll be remembered, was the best way to get me to feel like I wanted to know him. Truly a tragic story to a man with so much talent.
May 7, 2014
Well, this certainly presents a kinder, gentler Belushi than does Wired, the last book I read about him. It was quite instructive to read about him through the eyes of good friends and family, and to read less of the gory details about his sordid last few months. I'll admit my impression of him is less negative now, but I'd say this book is probably only for die-hard Belushi fans.
August 19, 2009
This book really made me appreciate the art of biographies. Before reading it, I had no idea who John Belushi was (which is hard enough to believe), but I was soon attached to his story. I love this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews