Radio 24 - Giuseppe Cruciani
La Zanzara

THE REVIEW

I must say that I have never really understood much about politics, and fundamentally, I have never been genuinely interested in it; however, when I'm in the car in the late afternoon, I have nothing better to do than tune in to Radio24 and immerse myself in the comic-surreal-playful atmosphere of this entertaining broadcast.

The format involves discussing the day's news: people call from home, make some observations, express more or less reasoned opinions... Cruciani, the host, a sort of ultra-fast-talking eccentric fiercely anchored to his ideas, with a strong, right-wing temperament, masterfully flaunts himself by provoking the listeners, or at least most of them, with sarcastic responses that ridicule; or with arguments that are often seemingly subtle yet incoherent, but delivered with such authority and force that they intimidate or provoke anger.

Thus, the classic roles are lost, and one can witness verbal skirmishes where, in the end, the news, the theses, take a backseat, and the theater prevails. It's strange that this happens on the radio, and that's the novelty: in a medium where speech is often calibrated on the registers of politeness and courtesy, one witnesses a surreal staging, in which guests are treated poorly and engage, by calling, in a sadomasochistic encounter, or perhaps a challenge, and the host invades all spaces, shouting his truth.

The other moderator, the journalist Parenzo, who should attempt to balance things out, being (who knows) from the left and vaguely opposed, fails to insert himself effectively, and his sardonic and disinterested approach only elicits a bit of hilarity, such that the listeners more ingenuously attracted by Cruciani's charisma, often bumpkins, never miss an opportunity to hit back at him. Some calls, in my opinion, are cult material.

In short, what better remedy to the greyness of modern life than to watch this stuff for free.