Il_Paolo

Enbar77, thank you: if it tries to take off, it forgets to "close" the landing gear, which instead "opens" when landing. I hope you don’t become an airplane pilot ;))))))))))))))))))

Dear Kosmogabri, Rostagno was from the Saman community, a different story. I would think of Siani, rather, the young journalist murdered in 1985 by the Camorra. I may be contentious – and I hope for Saviano’s sake that the facts don’t prove me wrong! – but organized crime does not kill those who speak, write, babble, but rather those who concretely touch its interests, usually before those interests are touched, and thus, investigative journalists as well. They are already making Saviano pay, because a breeze of slander has risen against him, the suspicion that in the end, as they sent word from prison, he is “a great novelist,” which – if you know a certain southern Italian mentality – would mean a great “quaquaraquà.” Not “ominicchio,” worse: “quaquaraquà.” In a sense, they have already killed Saviano, because he has been reduced to an image, a myth, a martyr in pectore, a character... which means stripping him of any function, ultimately. He won’t write any more books like “Gomorra,” and, once the storm passes, he will be normalized into being just a character, a Neapolitan nativity figurine (which they have already dedicated to him). Carrà, Rat, Pack, Sinatra, D'Alessio: it speaks volumes about the gray area. James Ellroy wrote a very interesting novel that I recommend, which touches on all these themes, “American Tabloid.” A young Italian writer, imitating him, wrote something similar: his name is Simone Sarasso and the book is “Confine di Stato.” ST, Il_Paolo

No, Sinatra was not a mobster. He associated with mobsters – Giancana, for example – along with the whole Rat Pack (even Laughton, brother-in-law of the Kennedys), and he enjoyed women, drugs, and other things provided by the mobsters – in The Godfather, he is the one referenced in the scene with the horse's head, but he was not a mobster. And then, dear Panthera, do you really think someone who sings songs like "My Way," who gets buried with the Genoa flag, who has a fling with Raffaella Carrà, could have the dark heart of a mobster?!? In my opinion, no. It would be like saying that Gigi d'Alessio is a camorrista, Franco Franchi from Cosa Nostra, etc. No. Art is one thing, crime is another.

Dear Genoo, unfortunately, many artists or successful figures down south are co-opted for parties and little celebrations of dubious individuals. This also happened to Franco Franchi, who, poor thing, ended up dying from it. Or to Maradona. Or to Frank Sinatra. I think Gigi d'Alessio is an okay guy; if he sings at weddings, that’s not my problem. What matters is the work, not the person. The person dies, the work remains forever, and it's the "minor" works that I focus on. ST, Il_Paolo

Very migrant with the pup (good, it follows you everywhere!) brings me joy and sadness together: sometimes I wonder what it's like to live among the mountains, especially if you're a bit southern. A tear rolls down my face as I imagine him cooking horse sausages while dreaming of the coast. @Conte: how's it going? I'm still moving forward with that double sketch stuff you wanted to offer me. I hope it's good to eat.

@NEU2!: for "minor," check out my page. Sure, krautrock bands aren't "minor" at all in terms of quality - I like them, even L.A. Dusseldorf, if you want - but they are when it comes to commercial impact and, if you'll allow me, their appeal and memory with the general public. Beyond all that, not many people know them: to give you an idea, even in Germany, this music doesn't get much attention, and paradoxically, our Ramazzotti, Pausini, and, of course, my classics like Romina & Al Bano (now just Al Bano) are more well-known. ST, Il_Paolo

@Blackdog: the one about "Zappatore" and "Funiculì Funiculà," on which I wrote in less suspicious times. But also that of the real Nino d'Angelo, or even of Gigi d'Alessio. A good and popular Naples, where the sentiment inspired by natural beauties, the sea, the mandolin, pizza, and Vesuvius sweeps away the ugliness of men and the munnezza. Onirically Yours, Il_Paolo

A very interesting book, not only for the description of certain "exemplary" events (seen in the film as well) but especially for the analysis - noted by many - of the relationships between the "real" economy, the "legal" economy, and organized crime: the gray area is quite vast, and the wealth of a good part of Italy, including the north, passes through the hell of Scampia and its surroundings. It may seem paradoxical, and obviously very sad, that the real economy and the "black" that dominates it are Italy's salvation during a time of economic and financial storms. Saviano, at under thirty, has written the book of his life: his young age protects him from accusations of cynicism, speculation, and protagonism that, in other times, would and have struck those who have dealt with these issues so effectively. The doubt remains: can writing, and a book, not only change the perception of reality but also induce it to change? Who knows. I prefer to dream of the Naples of Merola. SV, Il_Paolo

Certainly a nice book - a friend lent it to me - and useful for getting to know some "minor" groups of the scene (like the Cluster, not the ones from Rai2), but, indeed, not what I would call a serious musical critique and analysis of the phenomenon. A collection of opinions, motivated and not trivial, from a small icon of the '80s like Cope.

Thank you, Hypnosphere Boy, for your insightful comment. First of all, I clarify that at the rest area the under 21 that the truck driver and I saw was not a girl, but rather the national soccer team. The review was intended to be composed of a description of the journey to the concert – acclimatizing the reader to the idea of the highway and rest area, leading up to an impactful finale – and the concert itself. It may not be obvious that I truly "love" Sonic Youth (otherwise, I would have stayed at home!), and that, in particular, I have always had a strong passion for their bassist. The fact that I described their "limits" – due to age and its progression – was a way to humorously acknowledge the decline of one's idols ("Kill Your Idols" is their first album) and reflect on the notion that this music (which started as "youthful" music, or in any case a break from tradition) has gradually strayed from its origins – which is as natural as menopause – until it became something different. The reference to the audience was not a lament for my twenties (perhaps less interesting than those of today), but rather an observation that the demographic of those present somehow mirrors the demographic that the band's music has taken on. This impression was confirmed by my purchase this morning of "Rather Ripped," which in its rhythmic and harmonic solutions does not stray much from a certain '70s rock (which is not a bad thing in itself!), marking a strong return of the band to tradition: isn't it true that those who are born incendiary also die as firefighters in the noise? With respect, Il_Paolo