Television and movie actor Dan Aykroyd is well known for his comedic
roles in films like Ghostbusters and on television shows like
Saturday Night Live. But many fans are unaware that many of his
characters are based on Aykroyd’s strong beliefs in the paranormal
and UFO’s.
As a child, Aykroyd grew up in Canada with
spiritualist parents who often participated in psychic-related
activities and séances. Aykroyd’s father was a psychic researcher
and his great grand-father was a principal member of The British
Society of Psychic Research and The Lily Dale Society. So it’s easy
to say that Aykroyd’s belief in the paranormal started at an early
age. Despite his fame, Aykroyd has never been shy about expressing
his interests in paranormal phenomenon. He has spent much of his
life investigating and educating himself in many paranormal fields
including spiritualism, UFO’s, extra-terrestrials, inter-dimensional
travel, quantum physics, and government cover-ups.
Aykroyd was quoted in the Psychic News, a
British spiritualist newspaper, in April of 2009 saying, “I am a
spiritualist. Mediums and psychic research have gone on for many,
many years. Loads of people have seen spirits. I believe that they
are between here and there, that they exist between the fourth and
fifth dimension, and that they visit us frequently.”
In his body of entertainment work, the
paranormal has not only influenced comedic characters in Coneheads
and Ghostbusters but it has also led to other more dramatic
productions. The television show PSI Factor: Chronicles of the
Paranormal was hosted by Aykroyd from 1996 to 2000. In the first
season, the show would document and recreate paranormal events
investigated and filed by the O.S.I.R. or Office of Scientific
Investigation and Research, a supposed privately funded underground
paranormal investigation organization. The existence of the O.S.I.R.
has been subject of controversy and urban legend. According to some
believers, the secret organization has been in operation in one form
or another for many years, careful not to reveal itself to the
public. However after the first season, PSI Factor became more of a
scripted science fiction show with recurring characters and story
lines. Each episode was still supposedly inspired by actual
paranormal cases from the files of the O.S.I.R. But in the end it
was more similar to The X-Files than a factual show, something that
upset real-life paranormal investigators.
Recently Aykroyd filmed an 80 minute long
interview and documentary about his experience with UFO’s. He is a
supporter and reported member of the Mutual UFO Network (or MUFON). He
also recently filmed several episodes of a paranormal round-table
style talk show for the Sci-Fi Network, but the shows never aired.
The network changed it’s mind about airing the television show at
the last minute without a reason given. Aykroyd believes that the
show, which included open discussions with many credible paranormal
investigators and UFOlogists, was shut down by the infamous 'Men in
Black'. Aykroyd claims in his DVD interview that immediately after
being told of the show being cancelled he encountered two strange
men in a black vehicle. One gave him a serious look before returning
to the car and literally disappearing. Aykroyd believes this was a
non-verbal warning to stop informing the public about the existence
of extra-terrestrials and other paranormal subjects. As he turned
away and looked back again the black car with the ‘Men in Black’
inside had literally disappeared without Aykroyd seeing or hearing
it drive away. He claims to still have copies of the Sci-Fi talk
show episodes that were filmed but they have not been made public -
yet.
While it’s hard to take a funny man like
Aykroyd serious on such a controversial subject, it is a fact that
he has strong beliefs in the paranormal and isn’t afraid to show it.
With the rise of so many paranormal investigator shows bringing such
topics into the mainstream, it won’t be long before Aykroyd finds
himself involved in another similar show and yes, a third Ghostbusters movie which is already in the planning stages.
- Tom Stewart
Celebrity
Paranormal
Xperience
by
Tom
Stewart
Dan Aykroyd Factoids:
(from the IMDB)
As an avid blues fan, he
hosted a nationally syndicated radio show "House of Blues"
as his Blues Brothers character Elwood Blues.
A police buff, he rides an
Ontario Provincial Police motorcycle, collects police
badges, sometimes rides shotgun with detectives in squad
cars, and owns a business in partnership with several
Toronto police officers.
Holds an advisory commission
with the Police Department in Payne City, Georgia.
Is very interested in the supernatural and has an extensive
collection of books on the subject.
His grandfather was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police.
Was once engaged to Carrie Fisher.
Worked as a mail sorter for Canada's national postal service
before he became an actor.
Older brother of Peter Aykroyd. Like Peter, an alumnus of
the Second City comedy troupe in Toronto.
Is a victim of syndactylism, a birth defect where several
digits are fused together. In Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979),
he takes his shoes and socks off on-screen, to reveal this
anomaly.
Has played harmonica since he
was 17 years old.
Was offered the role of "D-Day" in Animal House (1978), but
turned it down.
Once helped to subdue a drunk and disorderly passenger on a
Montreal-to-Los Angeles flight.
After working together on three films, Jamie Lee Curtis
called him the best "screen kisser" who ever had a scene
with her.
Proposed to Donna Dixon on Fran Drescher's porch. Drescher
played a major role in getting them together from the start.
They have three daughters; Danielle (b. 1989), Kingston
Belle (b. 1993) and Stella Irene August (b. 1998)
As a child in the early 1960s, he was diagnosed with
Tourette's syndrome and Asperger syndrome. The symptoms had
mostly subsided by the time he was 14.
He has owned or co-owned several bars and restaurants,
including the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City and the House
of Blues chain.
He met John Belushi in a Chicago speakeasy that was a
favorite night spot of his and put on a blues record to play
in the background while he and Belushi discussed the
possibility of Aykroyd joining "Saturday Night Live" (1975).
Not only did they hit it off and become good friends,
Belushi became fascinated with the blues that was being
played in the background because, to Aykroyd's surprise, the
Chicago-born Belushi was primarily a fan of heavy metal.
Aykroyd's familiarizing Belushi with blues music eventually
led to them forming their popular "Blues Brothers" act, with
a little input from then SNL music director Howard Shore.
Said that his original finished script for The Blues
Brothers (1980) was over 300 pages long, roughly the size of
a phone book. He even sent it to director John Landis in the
guise of a phone book as a joke.
His original idea for Ghost Busters (1984) was set in the
future, where an army of Ghostbusters fought hordes of
ghosts. He used to refer to the green Slimer ghost from
Ghost Busters (1984) as "the ghost of John Belushi", as
Slimer's party animal personality reminded him very much of
his friend.
He's the first male regular cast member of "Saturday Night
Live" (1975) to be nominated for an Academy Award. (Joan
Cusack was the very first regular cast member of the show to
be Oscar-nominated.)
He was awarded the C.M. (Member of the Order of Canada) on
October 21, 1998 for his services to entertainment,
scientific research, Carleton University, and Kingston,
Ontario, Canada.
He and Bill Murray resumed their Ghostbusters roles to visit
a terminally ill child who was a fan of the film and wanted
to meet them.
He is a huge fan of the TV Series "Dragnet" and the show's
star, Jack Webb. So much so that many of his characters are
able to rapidly spit out technical information just as Webb
did reciting laws and regulations as Sgt. Joe Friday. Some
examples of this are: 1. In "The Blues Brothers" when Elwood
describes the specifications of the Bluesmobile. 2. In
"Ghostbusters" when Dr. Raymond Stanz "orders" the demi-god
Zuul to leave New York. 3. In "1941" when Sgt. Tree teaches
the Ned Beatty character how to load and fire the
anti-aircraft gun. 4. During the "SNL" Weekend Update
whenever he would verbally spar with Jane Curtain.
Is part owner of a company that owns the exclusive
distribution rights to Pitrone tequila for the entire
country of Canada. Is now also distilling a Vodka called
"Crystal" to be bottled in a crystal skull.
Quote:
"My attitude has always been, "Hey, wouldn't it be funny if
-." If this makes me laugh, maybe somebody else will laugh
at it, too. That's really where I've always come from. My
whole thing is to entertain, make people laugh and to forget
about the real world for awhile. It's not always easy doing
that. I'm never completely happy with anything I've done. If
I've been successful with 80 percent of everything I've
done, then I'm doing all right by the audience and myself."
