When I Left Home: My Story
by Buddy Guy with David Ritz (Da Capo, 2012)
audiobook read by Mirron Willis (Blackstone, 2012)
Blues legend Buddy Guy tells his life story without affectation or self-aggrandisement, laying down priceless memories of the Chicago scene (particularly during the 1950s-1970s). Guy riffs sincerely on the sustaining power of the blues, expressing love and respect for his musical forebears.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
dir. John Hughes (1986)
Thirty years on, the coming of age story of Cameron Frye—a downtrodden Chicago teen trailing in the wake of his best friend’s extraordinary chutzpah—remains timeless. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is relentlessly funny, eminently quotable, and perfectly cast: a true classic.
The Blues Brothers
dir. John Landis (1980)
Instantly recognisable and eminently quotable; musically unimpeachable and with widespread cult appeal; spectacularly over-the-top yet brilliantly underplayed: band-on-the-run redemption comedy (and Chicago time capsule) The Blues Brothers must go down as one of the greatest movies — certainly the greatest musical — ever made.