Dan Aykroyd: ‘I don’t believe in associating with beings that have no souls’ | Television

As a self-described spiritualist who comes from an extended line of spiritualists – is there something you don’t imagine in?Effectively, I don’t imagine in associating with beings that don’t have any souls. Like psychic vampires. Proper? When you undergo life, you’ll both meet a psychic vampire day-after-day or yearly. It is best to keep away from beings like that, that’s an excellent rule for all times. That’s what I don’t imagine in, associating with them. I’m certain you’ve met some beings that draw the power out of you when you give them 10 minutes. However after 10 minutes, you gotta run. I give all people 10 minutes.Have you ever ever lived in a haunted home?Yeah, I imagine so. Sure little issues occurred. I by no means noticed a spirit. My pal Gary noticed a spirit within the Hollywood Hills, North Hollywood, on Mama Cass’s outdated property. You understand the good Mamas and the Papas? An ideal band. This was Mama Cass’s home. Jimi Hendrix stayed there, as did John Lennon and Ringo Starr; Harry Nilsson owned it for some time. Donna and I purchased that home within the 80s and lived there for a few years, raised three lovely daughters there. And certain sufficient, individuals would see a giant, darkish form alongside the highest stairway. I bear in mind the housekeeper saying she heard the Stairmaster going when nobody was there. Her identify can be known as, she felt touches on the shoulder. I bear in mind vividly one evening when Donna had some jewelry sitting there and the bracelets began to do that little whirlwind. Now, perhaps that’s the power between us, who is aware of? However it may need been Mama Cass.(L-R) Invoice Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis in Ghostbusters. {Photograph}: Pictorial Press Ltd/AlamyWhat has been your most memorable interplay with a fan?I suppose having Invoice Clinton be part of the Blues Brothers to play saxophone? It was on the opening of the Mohegan Solar on line casino in Connecticut. That was a fairly spectacular evening. Invoice was a fan of the Blues Brothers so he agreed to play sax with us. I feel we did I Noticed Her Standing There, the Beatles tune. That was a gorgeous interplay with a real fan of the music – and a two-term Democratic president! He had the complete secret service escort, in fact. Keep in mind that film [Guarding Tess] with Nicolas Cage and Shirley MacLaine, the place he’s the key service agent assigned to her? Shirley is nice. She’s a fantastic believer, in fact, in, shall we embrace, the unexplained, the inexplicable otherworldly issues, the presence of alien beings. After which, in fact, Nicolas Cage. I’ll watch something he’s in. He simply warms my coronary heart when he comes on display screen. I cherished him in that movie. Such a fantastic pairing.So yeah, Invoice Clinton would get that title for all times, completely. Jimmy Belushi and I rode Harleys proper as much as the stage and obtained off and performed, then Invoice joined us. That was fairly thrilling.Former US president Invoice Clinton performs a saxophone solo with Dan Aykroyd of the Blues Brothers in 2002. {Photograph}: Todd Plitt/Getty ImagesYou spend each 1 July, which is each Canada Day and your birthday, performing some type of civic responsibility in Canada. What’s the plan this 12 months?Sadly this 12 months I can be travelling, however I’ve had the honour of doing issues like beginning a parade, or the very best one was once I was sworn in as federal immigration choose, and I welcomed half a dozen immigrant households to Canada as they had been getting their citizenship. This was in 2001. It was so nice to see the hope in these individuals coming to Canada and ostensibly dwelling a greater life. So it’s Choose Aykroyd now. I’d choose that going ahead. I used to be solely a choose for 2 hours however I’m going to say it for all times.What’s the very best piece of recommendation you may have ever obtained?“Simply pay attention.” So many instances I’m speaking over individuals as a result of I really like the sound of my very own voice. I’m a blowhard and a gasbag. People who find themselves smarter than me will say “simply pay attention” – and I’m attempting to study that.You transformed John Belushi to blues music earlier than you made The Blues Brothers. I as soon as learn that you simply placed on a specific document in a bar that kicked off his love for blues. Do you bear in mind what the document was?Effectively, John was from Chicago, so he had been to blues golf equipment that I had by no means even heard of – he’d been to the Checkerboard, Clever Fools, Kingston Mines, Legends. He knew blues – however he was only a heavy metallic fan. He cherished Grand Funk Railroad and Cream – and that’s nice, as a result of it’s all from blues!Anyway, we had been taking part in this document, Straight Up, by this Canadian band known as the Downchild Blues Band. Do a search, all people, and get some social gathering music for the summer season! So we had been listening and he stated, “Who’s this?” I stated, “Oh, it is a lovely native blues band that loves the stuff,” and he stated, “Oh that is good. That is good.” I stated, “Effectively it’s the blues, John, you’re from Chicago!” However from that document we began to work on the act. We perfected it with Tom “Bones” Malone, our arranger and horn participant, and Paul Shaffer. We put collectively an excellent band that’s unparalleled. Try Briefcase Stuffed with Blues and Going Again to Miami by the Blues Brothers. When you’re driving, placed on Blues Brothers and also you’ll have a gorgeous drive.Dan Aykroyd, Ray Charles and John Belushi in The Blues Brothers. {Photograph}: Photograph 12/AlamyJamie Lee Curtis known as you the very best display screen kisser she’s ever carried out a scene with. Care to remark?skip previous e-newsletter promotionSign as much as Saved for LaterCatch up on the enjoyable stuff with Guardian Australia’s tradition and life-style rundown of popular culture, developments and tipsPrivacy Discover: Newsletters could comprise information about charities, on-line adverts, and content material funded by exterior events. For extra data see our Privateness Coverage. We use Google reCaptcha to guard our web site and the Google Privateness Coverage and Phrases of Service apply.after e-newsletter promotionWell. That’s an intimacy coach concern. At any time when I did have that type of scene – and there weren’t many [laughs] – I used to be all the time acutely aware of creating the opposite individual snug. In order that’s what she’s speaking about, feeling snug and actual within the scene, to really be within the second. And it wasn’t exhausting to fake to love kissing Jamie.Do you may have a nemesis?I’d say ignorant, well-armed individuals. I might stroll out the door tonight and who is aware of? What a world, huh.What e-book, album or movie do you all the time return to, and why?Effectively – the Bible. I’m a lapsed Catholic, OK? However hopefully someplace in there there’s some shred of Judeo-Christian worth left. I’m attempting to dwell on these fumes as a lot as I can. However the Bible has nice tales, nice quotes and fantastic knowledge from Christ, and ultimately, it’s the one e-book left. So I do flip to it. To whom a lot is given, a lot can be required – that’s what Christ says and I definitely am attempting to dwell that as I’m going on.The poster for the Dan Aykroyd and John Sweet movie The Nice Open air. {Photograph}: Common Photos/RGA/RGR Assortment/AlamyAs for movie, I all the time return to The Day The Earth Stood Nonetheless, that spectacular film with Michael Rennie and Patricia Neal in regards to the saucer touchdown in Washington DC within the Fifties. What a fantastic movie – and it might actually occur, that there’s some extra highly effective interstellar beings with stronger weapons than us on the market. If we don’t smarten up right here with all this nuclear speak and nuclear play, they’re going to return down right here and straighten us out. Wouldn’t it’s fantastic if we might imagine that?When you needed to battle a well-known individual, who would it not be, how would you battle them and who would win?I’d moderately battle an animal than a human being. Let me go off on a tangent, perhaps we will come to a solution. The last word reply to that, human or animal, is: I’d flee within the different path.How a few bear? I did a scene as soon as with two bears, a black bear and a grizzly [in The Great Outdoors with John Candy]. We obtained on properly! They had been each a lot better actors than I used to be. Bart was the grizzly and the opposite one was known as Uncle Joe. They determined there ought to solely be one bear scene within the film, so my scene with Uncle Joe was reduce. We shot it at evening – I needed to sit subsequent to the bear with my arm round it and its arm round me, and drink beer. He had his paw up and I used to be feeding him and we had been each drunk. I type of preferred Uncle Joe.However I’d flee from an actual battle with a bear. Bart the grizzly was intimidating. One swipe of the paw, you recognize? That’s what I cherished about my profession as an actor – I can flip to you right now and say, “I labored with that bear. That bear and I did a movie collectively so a few years in the past … ” And Bart’s son and grandson are additionally within the enterprise as a result of they want grizzlies in Hollywood nonetheless. Thank God!