NEED TO KNOW
Stephen Bishop still owns the guitar that John Belushi smashed against a wall in Animal House. While the instrument, or rather, the remains of it, isn’t for sale, it’s likely worth a pretty penny, based on offers the two-time Grammy nominee has received.
“We’ve been offered. We just declined,” he tells PEOPLE exclusively. “The Smithsonian offered $1 million, and we said no, it wasn’t enough. And then we got offered $5 million, and then the guy died. But no, it’s not for sale currently.”
During a cameo in the 1978 film, Bishop strums his guitar while sitting on a stairwell. As several women listen intently, Belushi, donning a toga, rips the guitar out of Bishop’s hands and smashes it into a wall. The late actor then hands the neck of the guitar back to the “charming guitar guy,” shrugs and apologizes before heading down the stairs.
Universal Pictures
That guitar, which now hangs on a wall inside the “On and On” singer’s Aspen, Colo., home, was signed by the cast of the film.
While Bishop, 73, has had minor roles in many films, music is more of his strong suit. The musician released his 20th and final album, THIMK — which includes collaborations with Eric Clapton, Sting, Kenny Loggins, Art Garfunkel and more — in August 2025.
Clapton has now been featured on four of Bishop’s albums.
“He has always been there for me. I wound up hanging out with him a lot in the early days, and we got to know each other really well. I was so fortunate to write a song with him,” Bishop shares, joking, “And he still answers FaceTimes. He still answers my emails.”
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Given their history, it only made sense for the English songwriter to appear on Bishop’s final album. Despite decades of success, Bishop is clear that THIMK will close out his 50-year music career.
“It’s my last album,” he says, noting that his desire to be a present father to his 2-year-old son supersedes his desire to record music or tour. In fact, the toddler’s laugh can actually be heard on the record.
“I never really got much attention from my dad when I was a kid. He was always on the golf course,” Bishop says. “I’m gonna look after my new baby and enjoy my surroundings… I watch a lot of Elmo, a lot of Elmo.”
Bishop has been married to Liz Kamlet, who is also his manager, since 2021. They share one child.
