Dan Akyroyd at PEI LCC
Today at a Charlottetown liquor store hundreds of adoring fans of the comedian and actor Dan Aykroyd stood quietly in the snow anticipating seeing the star.
Aykroyd, known for Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and 38 other movies, was in town to promote his investment in Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits.
In a relaxed and casual mood, Aykroyd admitted turning down 5 movies in the past year to promote the winery. “I eliminate the film projects completely. I just don’t have time to do films anymore,” Aykroyd said. “Now if Spielberg calls me I’ll be walking out the door right,” he deadpanned.
Update November 2010
We finally opened that bottle of Dan Aykroyd wine. It was pretty bad, drinkable but just.
He has a $1 million dollar investment in wine. “This is an investment I want to pay off so my children don’t have to kiss director’s asses for a living like I did.”
Fans hugged him, mugged with Aykroyd for the camera and looked on with awe as the star signed bottles of wine faster than dealing cards at the black jack table.
The wine bottles were selling briskly with PEILCC employees whisking them in front of Aykroyd who could sign them and improvise dead-on Conehead dialogue at the same time.
Aykroyd related a story about the filming of Blues Brothers when they were doing the shopping mall scene at 3 am. John Belushi was nowhere to be found. Aykroyd began to follow a trail of bent grass that led to a housing development off the mall lot. Only one house had a light on. On a hunch, Aykroyd went up and rang their bell. The man said Belushi had walked in, raided the fridge and fell asleep on the sofa of a complete stranger. “He was the guest who wouldn’t leave.”
Aykroyd said working on Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters was a pure pleasure, especially with Bill Murray on the set. Aykroyd spoke glowingly and fondly of his cast members and Ivan Reitman of the Ghostbusters movie.
Aykroyd seemed pleased to sign CD’s and movies. He mistook my laserdiscs copies of Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters for records! “Oh cool! Every movie has a memory.”
Aykroyd’s interest in wineries followed his successful importation into Canada of popular tequila. “They suggested I put my name on a line of wines. I kinda backed into the whole thing really.”
Speaking on the vagaries of Hollywood and the Oscar process, he talked about “Driving Miss Daisy. “Everyone got an Oscar nomination and it won 4 Oscars including Best Picture but nothing for the director Bruce Beresford. What did the movie direct itself?”
“The Blues Brothers played just recently with Jimmy the blood brother of John. We just had a gig in a club in New York City, not with the movie band. The Blues Brothers Revue tours 20 to 25 times a year for a casino. It’s not the movie band. They’re all players who used to be with Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and the Stones.”
Then Aykroyd’s handlers said he had to go. He posed for a blurry picture and went off into the snowy night to a private party. The liquor store was playing Aretha Franklyn singing “Think”.
Today was a good day.
Anonymous
I wish the show at ISE’S had been as pleasing. He just came in, sang 4 songs and walked off the stage. Very disappointing. The band seemed completely bewildered.
Anonymous
I wish the show at ISE’S had been as pleasing. He just came in, sang 4 songs and walked off the stage. Very disappointing. The band seemed completely bewildered.