Ironically though, John wasn’t the first breakout “star” of SNL. That title went to Chevy Chase, off the heels of his weekly spot on the satirical Weekend Update, and his signature quote “I’m Chevy Chase, and you’re not.”
My ex and I were fans of the show ever since the first episode with George Carlin hosting. We were blown away by Belushi's imitations (most notably that of Marlon Brando) and quickly became fans of his as well.
I wrote away for tickets to the show after the second episode and about a year later we got our tix. Unfortunately they were only for a rehearsal show (they ran through the show at 7:30 on the night the show was to air). Julian Bond was hosting and it was a pretty uneventful show except for the fact that Belushi climbed onto the railing of the upper deck (where we were sitting in the first row) and was talking to the people next to us (it was evident he knew them). As he was hanging off the railing (10' off the stage floor) he was smoking a joint.
He was the first of the great "fat men" comdians to die early (followed by John Candy and Chris Farley). It would have been awesome to see him later on in his career but I guess his "hunger" for life (and one of the things that made him such a great comic) is the same thing that helped bring him down.
