Blues Brother backs Lanark musician

When Jim set about recording a double album of songs about the environment built around a science fiction fantasy, he “just took a punt” in asking the Hollywood comedy star to contribute the spoken links between the tracks, knowing he was sympathetic to green issues and also shared Jim’s passions for blues music, sci-fi and the supernatural.

And Akyroyd, aka Elwood Blues, immediately said “Yes” .

When not writing music and gigging, Jim works with Symington-based company Eco-Fast Ltd. promoting a new, environmentally-friendly building material he hopes will soon attract a major backer to allow major production and use. One of the world’s largest concrete manufactures is currently showing interest,

Feeling an urge to put his concerns about the state of the planet to music, Jim began writing and recording songs for a ‘themed’ album and sent some of the tracks off to Ackyroyd, best known for the major 1980 hit film The Blues Brothers in which he starred with his late friend John Belushi.

Four years after that smash, Dan was involved in another blockbuster, this time with a strong supernatural theme - Ghostbusters.

He also led the cast in a successful sequel and the film has just recently been remade with an all-female cast.

The album he is backing creates a scenario of alien involvement in the Earth’s affairs with a whole new concept of who the environmental ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’ are - identifiable by what kind of music they play and listen to!

(Warning; heavy metal fans might not be entirely pleased with the creatures they represent....)

The 64-year-old Canadian/American, actor/comedian/musician and writer was so keen to express his backing for Jim and his sci-fi concept album, he released a statement to the Gazette, indicating he thinks that some of the science fiction in Jim’s work might not be all THAT fictional.

He said: “It was an honour and a pleasure as a voice-over artist to participate in Jim’s project because of its true artistic essence.

“I’m way past merely believing that unexplained aerial constructs and their advanced humanoid operators exist. Now, to me, it’s all about art and entertainment as a builder of awareness indicating the coming leap in mass consciousness implicit as more and more people are confronted with the reality of these aerodynamically hyper-advanced manifestations and their organic occupants.

“Former British Government Defense Executive Lord Hill Norton is quoted as saying he believes there were at least 23 varieties of ships.”

He modestly signs himself ‘Dan Aykroyd - Voiceover Artist’.

Back down to boring reality, there is the problem of financing the project for Jim, essentially working as an independant musician who neither has nor wants major record company backing for this particular work.

He has found a local sponsor in the form of Big B’s Automotive Care Specialists in Biggar and is hoping to attract more support so that his album will son be on release.

And that’s nothing to be ‘Blue’ about.