Nothing to dissent about personally today. I’ve been quietly supporting those around me dissenting very loudly. Governor Newsom and Pritzger, all the judges, and then the tens of thousands of courageous people marching at the front lines on right wing extremism. I will join the front lines when the time comes, but so far my location has remained quiet. I need to talk about how art and music bring people together today.

The work of art in question is the Blues Brothers. A film classic from 1980. The setting was the Old Joliet Prison in Joliet, Illinois. Just last Saturday (10-4-2025) Blues Brothers devotees from around the Midwest descended on Joliet to watch a 45th anniversary screening of the film at the old prison. It was a blast.

The prison has been closed since 2002 and many of the structures have suffered from neglect, vandalism, and weather. Some structures are missing the roof. Water damage is everywhere. Rust and peeling paint and even collapses of various sizes are everywhere. The Joliet Historical Society is working hard to repair the damage. The Chapel and Library have seen repairs as have a few other places. We entered the prison through the East Gate where Collins Street runs by. This is the place where Jake exits the prison to be reunited with Elwood and the Blues Mobile (The 1974 Dodge Monaco Mt. Prospect Police Car.)

Our tour through the prison was unguided. We read signs at various locations describing the buildings use and how life for the prisoners were in each location.

History is everywhere you go. There are inscriptions carved in limestone marking the upgrades and remodeling of the prison over the decades. The one below was over the entrance of one of the main cell blocks. I once worked under the supervision (principal) of Governor Stevenson’s grandsons. History touches us everywhere if you pay attention.

The dining hall is full of graffiti. It is quite impressive how the young juveniles can tag a building with feats of artistic promise I can only marvel at.

The cells were very small. They were about 10 feet long and less than six feet wide. Just big enough for a single bed, a privy with a sink and desk with a stool all made of stainless steel. Cramped for one, totally uncomfortable for two. There isn’t much room to even exercise in such a small space. As you can see I do not struggle touching the walls on both sides. You can also see the neglect from weather. The buildings are not heated anymore and water has gotten in through the roof.

Then the car collectors had to bring their blues mobiles to the screening. There were three. All were in functional condition.

The film screening had approximately one thousand in attendance. We were all in the prison yard facing the South West corner of the prison with the chapel straight South of where we sat. The temperature was comfortable and the film was visible from a great distance. The audio was perfect as the sound reverberated from the walls of the prison nicely.

I have been a fan of the film since I first saw it while in middle school. I was just shy of my teenage years when I saw an edited for television version. When we got a video cassette recorder I rented a video cassette a few times to watch the film unedited. I now own it on DVD, but our dvd player no longer works. I loved the music, the quirky and obtuse plot, and the cameos. Oh the cameos: James Brown, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, and Cab Calloway just to name a few. The Blues Brothers introduced my ears to music that was new to my ears. No one played this type of music in my area. It was mostly pop and country music that was safe for sensitive ears… This movie took me down a rabbit hole of rhythm and blues that I continue to enjoy. Apparently I was not the only one.

It turns out there are a whole lot of nerds like me who love this movie. People all around me were quoting their favorite lines softly (I did too.) I caught myself and others singing along. Some better than others. My youngest son says this is his favorite movie of all time. He even bought the soundtrack on Blue Vinyl from the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. I have all the Blues Brothers recordings including Blues Brothers 2000 on Compact Disc. It was amazing how we all enjoyed the film in this unique setting like a family of devotees. No one was obnoxious. No one was rude. We all just devoted two plus hours of our lives to enjoy the film for the 1,259th time together. I know I personally have watched the film around 400 times. It was on syndication on TBS and TNT quite often in the 1990’s. I always managed to watch it over and over again.

Yes, there is all of the talk about the chase scenes, the 1060 West Addison address joke, the Illinois Nazi scenes, and of course Bob’s Country Bunker. Dan Aykroyd wrote an incredible farce devoted to Blues music. The backdrop of Chicago as the scene of the film is also legendary. I still quote lines from the movie when I visit the city and I drive past a location with my friends and family. There is just something that unites us all with this particular film. The music, the characters, and how art imitates life. Or is that life imitates art. I still hate Nazis, fascists, and anyone else that knocks down the little guy.

I just had to turn the channel this week and write about something fun. My wife gets the credit for all of the photos. She also gets all the credit for finding out about this fun little shindig. It was a joy to go. We brought the kids along and much fun was had. If you get a chance to see how life was like in this historic and inhumane place, I suggest you go. It was an ugly experience for sure. If you get a chance. Go watch the Blues Brothers for the first time or millionth time. It will make you forget about the craziness in the United States for a small time. Keep dissenting my friends… on it goes…