Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/9/2010 (4264 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Dan Aykroyd's "Gratitude Tour" passed through Winnipeg on Saturday.
The actor and musician is driving across Canada to thank liquor agencies, distributors and consumers for patronizing the Aykroyd family of wines, Crystal Head vodka and Patron tequila.
Saturday's stop was slightly different than his previous visit to Winnipeg in the spring of 2009, when the wines were his focus. This time, he and his entourage rolled into town in a white, six-cylinder, 13-speed RV emblazoned with Crystal Head's skull logo on each side. It has been affectionately dubbed, "The Head Mobile" or "The Skull Wagon."
"It's better than a bus. It's a rolling billboard," Aykroyd said Saturday morning in the lounge at the Fairmont Winnipeg.
The star of The Blues Brothers and a pair of Ghostbusters movies said he's an active participant with the wines and spirits because he believes in using celebrity status to please people.
"I've put experiences in people's ears, I've put experiences in people's eyes and minds but I haven't put experiences on people's tongues until I got into this business. This is a tangible, material taste I put on people's tongues," he said.
As the owner of the Aykroyd brand and licence and a part-owner in Diamond Estates, which distributes all three liquids, he said he has a vested interested in the quality of what goes in the bottle, and the price.
He said Crystal Head has carved out a significant niche in North America's premium vodka market since last spring, recently surpassing the 1-million-bottle mark.
"It's nice to ride a winner. I've flogged a lot of bad movies that I'd be telling you about how funny they were on Wednesday but by Friday, I'd know they were dead," he said.
This will be the last liquor tour for Aykroyd for awhile. He said much of his time will soon be taken up by Ghostbusters III, which begins shooting next spring.
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
