It's Never Too Late To Mend

Fiona Conn

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND

A study of faith in The Blues Brothers. By Fiona Conn.

Friday 2 April 2010

It's Never Too Late To Mend

Fiona Conn

We're on a mission from God.

It is these words that Elwood Blues frequently uses throughout The Blues Brothers to justify the shenanigans engaged in by both him and his brother, Jake Blues. The second movie in the series, Blues Brothers 2000, builds on this notion of providence, with Elwood and his new charge, Buster, expressing that, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Delusions of grandeur aside, it is worth considering the religious elements that appear in the movie. To what extent is their behavior fueled by faith? Is it possible that God does have a role in the lives of Elwood, Jake, the band members, and all of those they come into contact with?

The story of these two admittedly compelling criminal brothers opens as dawn breaks, the sun rising through a haze of smog and smoke from Chicago's factories. Elwood's brother, Jake, is being released from prison after serving three years of a five year sentence, it having been reduced owing to good behavior. An old 1974 Dodge Monaco pulls up outside the jail, and a man in black steps out of the vehicle as the entrance to the prison opens, a maw of bright orange light, against which stands one man, silhouetted.

In this first moment of meeting the brothers, it is as if Jake is ascending from hell, with the light seeming like fires burning bright behind him. It is an apt notion, considering the cramped conditions inside the prison. At the end of the movie, we see the brothers and their band imprisoned in the same jail, with a sign behind them as they perform reading, it's never too late to mend. The prison may be hell, but from the sign, we get the impression that the fires are more purgatorial than punishment indicating that there is hope for the brothers' souls.

This is in stark contrast to the opening of Blues Brothers 2000, which features Elwood finally being released from prison after eighteen years. Elwood's jail is not the old, castle-like building that Jake was housed in, but a more modern style of penitentiary, surrounded by barbed wire. The scene lacks the imagery present in the first movie, with the only suggestion of faith being a male voice singing,

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John the Revelator, alone on the backing track, the song telling the story of Adam and Eve's fall from grace, and the life, passion and resurrection of Christ. This is, perhaps, a suggestion of Elwood as having fallen from grace also, and a hint of his search for the band members, becoming disciples of the blues once more, and the return of the music, as witnessed later on by Mother Mary Stigmata, the nun who along with Curtis, a janitor at the orphanage raised both Elwood and Jake.

We first meet this nun in the first movie, as the boys arrive at the orphanage where they grew up, St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud. Elwood reminds Jake of a promise he made, that he would visit, the Penguin (their nickname for the nun) when Jake got out of prison. Jake initially refuses, but Elwood's insistence that, you can't lie to a nun sees them approaching her office with trepidation. At this point, the nun is Sister Mary, in charge of overseeing the orphanage and educating the children under her care.

It is interesting to note that there is no St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud in Catholic canon. The name was made up. There is, however, a patron saint of converts called Saint Helen. She was married to a Roman General named Constantius Chlorus, and was the mother of Constantine the Great. According to Terry H. Jones, she allegedly made use of her position as the Emperor's mother to help the poor, and following a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, is supposed to have found three crosses. Upon having a sickly woman touch each of them, the woman was apparently instantly healed by one of them, and it was pronounced the true cross (Saints.SQPN.Com).

In the orphanage's office, Sister Mary aka, the Penguin informs Jake and Elwood that the orphanage faces closure unless the Cook County Assessor's Office receives $5000 in taxes from the orphanage. It is Elwood that questions this:

Elwood: But doesn't the church have to pay that? The Penguin: They would if they were interested in keeping the place... but they aren't. The Archbishop wants to sell this building outright to the Board of Education. Jake: But what'll happen to you?

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The Penguin: I'll be sent to the missions. Africa. Latin America... Korea.

It is at this point that Jake and Elwood realize something must be done to help her, with Jake telling the Penguin not to worry they'll have the five thousand dollars by the morning. This, however, only gains her ire, and she forbids them from getting the money by criminal means. Discharged from her office with blows from a ruler, she dismisses them with a harsh assessment of their attitudes, and tells them not to come back, until you've redeemed yourself.

Following the fall down the stairs from the Penguin's office itself perhaps an image of a fall from grace Jake and Elwood are greeted by a voice behind them. Boys? They turn to regard the owner of the voice: Curtis, their mentor and father-figure, and janitor at the orphanage. You gotta learn not to talk to nuns that way.

After enthusiastically greeting him, the boys are taken downstairs to the basement, where Curtis lives. He covers the same issues that the Penguin told them about, and both Jake and Elwood express concern for Curtis, who is touched but seemingly unruffled by the turn of events. He recommends a visit to a local church, the Triple Rock Baptist Church, where a well-known and highly regarded minister is preaching that night. When Jake displays reluctance, Curtis makes it an order: Jake, you get wise. You get to church. Arriving that evening, Jake is still reluctant, but Elwood gently persuades him, pointing out that, all I'm saying is, we've gotta figure out some way to get that money honestly... it's like the Penguin says, we gotta make that move towards redemption. We gotta go to church.

These scenes set up the action that follows, providing a reason for Jake and Elwood's mission from God. What starts as initial concern for the only two parental figures they have known, becomes an opportunity for both men to find redemption even Jake, who had only been released from the purgatory Joliet Prison that morning. This is an interesting point, itself, since Catholic doctrine holds that redemption can only be found in Christ, and all purgatory does is burn away the effect of sin prior to admission to heaven. As if realizing this, other characters Curtis, Elwood and the

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Penguin all remind Jake of the necessity to, get wise by going to church, by redeeming himself.

At the service, we see the first indication that some kind of divine power may be at work in the lives of Jake and Elwood when, during a hymn, a shaft of light shines in through the window and picks out Jake, with only Jake and the minister Reverend Cleophus James being able to see the light.

Jake: (whispered) The band.... The band... Rev. James: Do you see the light?! Jake: The band! Rev. James: Do you see the light?! Elwood: (staring at Jake) What light? Rev. James: Have you seen the light?! Jake: Yes! Yes! Jesus H. Tap-dancing CHRIST! I have seen the light!

When Jake then tells Elwood about his revelation, it takes a few seconds for his brother to process what Jake is talking about, before realizing that they can get the Penguin's tax money by reassembling the band they once toured with the door money from gigs would quickly raise enough to help save the orphanage. It seems that, just like St. Helen, the boys can use their status as musicians to help a worthy cause, and all that was required was the intervention of the divine hand to bring about the realization. It is interesting that Elwood cannot see the light, although neither do the congregation seem to notice it. Perhaps this is owing to Elwood's faith, and prior agreement with Curtis and the Penguin that redemption is necessary. However, it is also possible that it is an indication of Elwood's lack of faith when Jake begins to elaborate on the plan while in the car, Elwood's initial reaction is to cast doubt on it by pointing out that the band split up and took straight jobs.

Elwood, it seems, is quick to doubt, and sometimes, to despair. We see this tendency resurface in Blues Brothers 2000, following his release from prison. As with the first movie, Elwood visits the Penguin by now, Mother Mary, in charge of Our Lady of the Annunciation Hospital where

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Elwood is confronted with the fact that he has lost the only people he regarded as family: Jake died while he was in prison, and Curtis also passed on. Becoming distressed, he points out that, the orphanage is gone, Jake's gone, Curtis is gone. I got no brother, I got no roots. I got no life. I got nothing, for Christ's sake!

The Penguin's response is a sharp blow to Elwood's shoulder with a retractable pointer and a lecture about his attitude: young man! You were not taught and raised by me to fold at the slightest whiff of adverse circumstances! Now Wise up, turn your heart to the creator you're so quick to despair! It seems that Elwood, just like Jake, must get wise, and redeem himself. Prison, just as with purgatory, can only help you to mend your ways and self, but it is God as Christ that redeems, rather than our actions or situations.

Despite the scolding, Elwood remains resentful of his situation, even perhaps especially after the Penguin volunteers him to mentor a young boy, a ward of the state named Buster. All Elwood can think about is getting a new car and getting the band back together. However, even having his band back does not seem to assuage Elwood's grief, and eventually, after the car breaks down having run out of gas five miles from Panther Burn, Mississippi he too seems to break down, running out of fuel.

The only two members of the band who seem to remain hopeful are Buster, and the new lead vocalist, Mack. While Mack's belief in Elwood's motivational speeches is short lived, it is Buster who goes after Elwood, reminding him of his faith in the music and by extension, in God by repeating his sayings to him:

Buster: You're not the Elwood Blues I know. The Elwood Blues I know once said, that no pharmaceutical product could ever equal the rush you get when the band hits that groove, and the people are dancing and shouting and swaying, and the house is rocking. Elwood: Yeah, that was me.... Buster: The music, man. You know you miss the music.

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Fiona Conn

It is this speech that is enough to pull Elwood back out of his depression. The connection between music and faith is tangible here, and Buster's repetition of Elwood's expressions of that faith in the music show how important it is to both of them.

As an interesting aside, that faith seems to come through in the life of actor, Dan Aykroyd, who plays Elwood. Alongside Isaac Tigrett, Aykroyd founded a chain of live music clubs, where music and food feed the soul (House of Blues Wikipedia). Amongst their promotional material is a desktop wallpaper for computers, reading: In Blues We Trust. This imitates the saying printed on American money, in God we trust, but it also shows how deeply connected faith and music may be for Aykroyd, and by extension, Elwood whom he continues to portray on-stage and on a weekly radio show produced by Dial Global, The House of Blues Radio Hour.

Following Buster's verbal equivalent of percussive maintenance, the pair return to the car, where Elwood delivers the motivational speech that the band had been waiting for. Walk away now, he tells them, and you walk away from your skills, your crafts, your vocations.

Considering the previous movie's emphasis on the band's journey as, a mission from God, describing the music as a vocation a term often used for describing religious life seems somewhat appropriate. In the first movie, Elwood even quits his job at the propellants factory by telling his boss that he's going to become a priest. Given the blues' genesis in African American spiritual and folk music, this description gains a great deal of meaning not only for Elwood, Buster, Mack and the band but also for the viewer, as Elwood lists the names of blues artists, and reminds them and us that walking away would mean extinguishing, the fragile candles of blues, R&B and soul, and when those flames flicker and expire... the music... will wither and die on the vine of abandonment and neglect.

Music, for Elwood, Buster, Mack and the band, is akin to a form of ministry. It is their mission from God.

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Unfortunately, other characters do not always see it that way. In the first movie, Jake and Elwood's assertions that their shenanigans are sanctioned by God gains them some strange looks from their band members, and from their booking agent, Maury Sline. The wife of band member, Matt 'Guitar' Murphy, even scolds them for blaspheming and attempts to kick them out of her restaurant. Jake's ex-fiance follows the boys around Chicago, attempting to kill them by any means possible including the use of an anti-tank rifle, blowing up the hotel Elwood lived in, using a flamethrower to explode a tank of gas, and opening fire on them in the maintenance ducts underneath the Palace Hotel Ballroom (at this point, Elwood finally asks, who is that girl?!). That the boys survived each attack unscathed seems to indicate some form of divine providence active in their lives. Rather than it being a punishment from God, they seem to be protected from any form of harm, until their mission is completed. Maybe an indication that God really does love the sinner, even if he is not so keen on the sin itself?

The tendency towards making enemies everywhere they go continues in Blues Brothers 2000, with Elwood first annoying a local police officer named Cabel Chamberlain, and then proceeding to anger the Russian Mafia by attempting to deter them from harassing his drummer, Willie, who, at this point, owned a strip club and was being extorted by the Russians in return for protection. In both cases, however, God appears to intervene, protecting Elwood and the band.

A notable example of this is at the County Fair in Kentucky. As the band sings, Ghost Riders in the Sky which is interesting for its themes of redemption, with the ghosts in the sky warning a cowboy to change his ways, lest he end up like them, a-tryin' to catch the devil's herd across these endless skies one of the Russians climbs a tower, intent on shooting Elwood. However, at the last minute, a lightening strike hits the tower, electrocuting the Russian, and saving Elwood's life. If that is not an indication of God's involvement, then what is?

The song itself could also be viewed as an echo of Elwood's past the concept that, it's never too late to mend, and redemption being a very long road. However, it could also be a sly commentary

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on being chased by Chicago's police force, headed up by Commander Cabel Chamberlain. We first meet Cmdr. Chamberlain when Elwood goes to visit him at the police department, following the Penguin telling him that Chamberlain is Curtis' illegitimate son, born of a relationship Curtis had with a married woman while he was on the road, prior to his becoming a janitor at the orphanage. Elwood automatically decides that this means Chamberlain is his long lost half-brother, since Curtis was akin to an adoptive father to Elwood and Jake. However, the visit doesn't go well, after Elwood drops the bombshell on him, and asks Chamberlain for money, before offering to allow him to join the band. It gets him kicked out of the Commander's office. Buster, who had followed Elwood to the police headquarters, simply pickpockets the Commander, and after using the $500 he needed for the car, Elwood displays a lack of common sense in returning the wallet with a signed note of thanks. Rather than being grateful to have it returned, Chamberlain puts out a state-wide felony theft warrant for Elwood's arrest.

Cmdr. Chamberlain follows Elwood, despite the numerous evasions of arrest, finally catching up with him at a tent revival meeting near Panther Burn, Mississippi. As the choir sings, John the Revelator, he stalks into the make-shift church and orders the music to be stopped Elwood and his band are criminals, and they're under arrest. At this point, Reverend Cleophus James appears from behind the scenes to deal with the situation.

Rev. James: He who does not sin, cast the first stone. Say amen. Crowd: Amen! Rev. James: Say amen. Crowd: Amen! Random Lady: You tell him, Reverend! Rev. Morris: Are not all men alike in their boundless capacity for sin? Random Lady: Yes! Rev. Morris: Can you not forgive? Elwood & Mack: YES!

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Once again, the power of the divine becomes important, as Reverends Morris and James proceed to lecture Chamberlain on his behavior. While he might ask God for forgiveness of his own sins, he won't necessarily forgive his brother, who you see everyday. Morris chimes in that he must, look to yourself for the redemption you seek. For many Christians, this is important and is a command they are reminded of whenever they meditate upon the Lord's prayer and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. If we are to have any hope of forgiveness, we must first forgive those who do us wrong.

This is a concept expounded upon numerous times throughout the bible, such as Matthew 5:23-26, wherein Jesus tells the people that, if they are sacrificing at the temple, and they have had some form of argument with someone, they are to leave their sacrifice at the altar, and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 18:21 has the parable of the unmerciful servant, following Peter's question, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? To illustrate his answer, Jesus tells of a servant forgiven his debt by his master, but who aggressively holds another servant to a lesser debt. Upon hearing of it, the master has the servant imprisoned. Psalm 4:4 tells us, in your anger, do not sin. We see characters such as Joseph (Genesis 50:19-21) and David (1 Samuel 24:10-12) forgiving those who wronged them.

From this, we can see the theme of looking to oneself for the redemption that is sought, a theme which is important to Cmdr. Chamberlain finally seeing the light (in his case, floating into the sky and looking up into the sun before transforming into a Blues Brother). He joins the choir in singing, John the Revelator, pointing out in music that he initially distrusted Elwood, but now understands that Elwood has brought him, closer to my God.

Perhaps Elwood's description of the music as a vocation was more appropriate than even he knew, as it seems that becoming a Blues Brother was the key to Cmdr. Chamberlain's (from here on, known as Cab) redemption, and as previously noted, it brought him, closer to my God. If that is the case, then perhaps, Ghost Riders in the Sky was a parable describing the journey Cab had to make in order to find his redemption and his faith, with John the Revelator describing Cab as

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Adam Elwood's revelation of Cab's background leaves him frightened, and perhaps even slightly ashamed of his roots, just as Adam hid from God because he was, naked and ashamed.

Christ, the song tells us, had twelve disciples three he lead away. Those three reference Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, who accompanied him in prayer at Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-38, via John the Revelator (Song) at Wikipedia). For Elwood, the three that he ends up leading away are Buster, Mack and Cab, as they continue to Queen Mousette's for the Battle of the Bands, a competition between the Blues Brothers, and a supergroup called The Louisiana Gator Boys. The Plantation Club is a fearsome place, guarded by men with guns and alligators. Despite the band's doubts and fears, Elwood firmly notes that, the Lord works in mysterious ways, trying to hold on to his newly found faith. There's an old saying that, he who sings prays twice. This being so, perhaps the music, as well as being a vocation, is a vital form of communication with God. The trip to the Plantation Club is akin to the trip to Gethsemane, with Elwood praying alongside Buster, Mack and Cab, and even his band, through the music, through singing.

During their audition, Queen Mousette turns Elwood, Mack and Cab into zombies after Elwood refuses to sing a Caribbean piece for her. At the end of the song, they retain their statuesque appearance, seemingly unaware of what's going on around them. It is as close to death as the men will ever come in the movie, with them later being resurrected for their performance after the Gator Boys. It is as they perform alongside the victorious Gator Boys that Buster notices the presence of Mother Mary the Penguin in the audience, who, just as in John the Revelator, came to see the resurrection (and get Buster back).

Buster refuses to go back with the Penguin, and, after some discussion with Cab, Mack and Elwood, they agree upon a plan Buster will kidnap Elwood, and they'll tell the band members to meet them further up the road (just as in the song, where Christ tells his disciples to meet him Galilee). As Elwood and Buster coast down the highway, Buster muses that, the Lord does work in mysterious ways, Elwood! Elwood's response is a knowing, yeh-up, and a smile.

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From both movies, it is easy to see that the Lord works in mysterious ways, and appears to have some form of involvement in the lives of Elwood, Jake, Buster, Mack, Cab and the rest of the band members. Whether it's protection from assassination, encouragement in difficult times, or divine revelation, the Lord certainly works in mysterious ways. Music, faith, family and God seem to be so intertwined the mission from God that (temporarily) saved the orphanage, music as a vocation akin to priesthood, music as prayer, Elwood and Jake rescuing the only family they knew, and Elwood's later reunion and discovery of his family. Through the journeys of faith made by the Blues Brothers, they have taught and helped others, saving them from difficult situations or forcing them to reassess their priorities, leading them to redemption, and ultimately, closer to their God. It's never to late to mend, and the Blues Brothers despite their recidivism seem to symbolize that sentiment, as they carry on the legacy of blues, R&B and soul artists, ensuring that, the music that has moved mankind through seven decades leading to the millennium, will be kept alive well into the twenty-first century.

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Word count: 4254

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books: Holy Bible English Standard Version Crossway Bibles, 2003: Wheaton, Illinois.

DVD/Video Recordings: Aykroyd, Dan & Landis, John (Wri., Dir.) The Blues Brothers Perfs. Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi DVD, 2005. Universal.

Aykroyd, Dan & Landis, John (Wri., Dir.) Blues Brothers 2000 Perfs. Dan Aykroyd, J. Evan Bonifant, John Goodman, Joe Morton. DVD, 1998. Universal.

Websites: Apostle.com: St. Helen (Patron of Converts): Apostle.com Catholic Gifts http://apostle.com/st.-helen-patron-of-converts?chapter=1 Last viewed: Monday 29th March

Blues Brothers Central: Original Script :: Blues Brothers Central http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/movies/the-blues-brothers/script/ Last viewed: Monday 29th March 2010

The Speeches :: Blues Brothers Central http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/speeches/#toc5 Last viewed: Tuesday 30th March 2010

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Catholic Encyclopedia at New Advent: Catholic Encyclopedia St. Helena http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07202b.htm Last viewed: Tuesday 30h March 2010

Magnificat Calender: Lives of the Saints, August 18, Saint Helen, Saint Agapetus http://www.magnificat.ca/cal/engl/08-18.htm Last viewed: Monday 29th March 2010

Saints.SQPN.Com Saints.SQPN.com >> Blog Archive >> Saint Helena http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-helena/ Last viewed: Monday 29th March 2010

Wikipedia: Blues Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues Last viewed: Tuesday 30th March 2010

House of Blues Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Blues Last viewed: Friday 2nd April 2010

John the Revelator (song) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Revelator_%28song%29#cite_note-20 Last viewed: Tuesday 30th March 2010