Il_Paolo

I don’t know… with all due respect, a few years ago a friend immersed himself in this character and became steeped in his philosophy: a) he came out, fifteen years after I had told him he reminded me of Aldo Busi; b) he explained to me why he didn’t give in to the charms of the most beautiful girl in town; c) he quit a promising career with prospects for earnings and international visibility; d) he went back to rot in the village and changed jobs a bunch of times; e) he frequents dedicated “chats” while he could have been mingling with the industry’s jet set doing his previous job... It goes without saying that we haven’t spoken since then. In some ways, Osho and these Eastern philosophies seem to bring bad luck - as in this case - or serve as a great justification for rampant misfortune. Better to reread Socrates, or, if you enjoy contemporary thought, Raffaele Morelli! Best regards, Il_Paolo

"The shape of the milling cutter"... "of the phrase". The milling cutter is where the big shots of the site would place you, me, Rivoli, Birba, etc!!!

"The shape of the milling cutter"... "of the phrase". The milling cutter is where the big shots of the site would place you, me, Rivoli, Birba, etc!!!

Dear Romeo1985, I greatly appreciate the subject (one of those I would have chosen if…) as well as the tone, balanced and soft, of your review. Baldan was the man of a song and a season, but having written a must for outings and picnics, under the banner of friendship as the only inclusive universal feeling, rather than exclusive, elevates him to the altars. A particular mention to the phrase in which you say <<non mancava una festa che non cantavo questa canzone con una ragazza che mi piaceva molto>>. Here you give me an opportunity to refute the undue comparisons that many here make between you and the (late) me, almost saying “Romeo is good, but Il_Paolo is another thing, he would have elaborated more.” You are very good and have an autonomous expressive style that should neither be underestimated nor compared to that of others, myself included: this very phrase has a dry descriptivism and is almost Tacitean, in a structure nourished by ellipses and parataxis, rather than long digressions and hypotaxis, but at the same time carries an ethical/moral core, drawn from lived experience. You seem to limit yourself, in this case, to say that you were going to a party singing this song with a girl you liked very much: but here, dear superficial readers, Romeo tells us a few words about his pain for this misunderstood and unreciprocated feeling for this fresh (I assume) young girl (I assume) who instead of sneaking away with our young (I assume) reviewer, merely sang in chorus with him (if I am wrong, I apologize). And note the structure of the phrase: the anaphora of “non” that expresses a negative thought – because that singing frustrated expectations – interrupted by the affirmative, albeit declined in the imperfect, “mi piaceva.” Here this dry, seemingly innocuous phrase says a lot about the relationship between feelings, and between love and friendship, revealing from within the meaning of Baldan Bembo's song: sometimes being friends can be painful, more excluding than inclusive. Very well done, keep it up. Yours sincerely, Il_Paolo.

Thank you 4TU, I’m touched (hoping it’s YOU and not just 4TU), it’s the first time an artist has contacted me to thank me for what I write. As my resume here shows, my reviews actually need to be read and reread if you’re not used to them! Keep it up and say hi to Anna for me. Fiercely Yours, Il_Paolo

The review is very nice; having done Wilma Goich and you did him, only the Vianella remain, to be assigned to Romeo1985 or to the Avenger. On this music, it holds more or less the same judgment I gave a year ago about Raoul Casadei: popular and simple music, in which the melody and rhythm are also an occasion for fun and gathering in dance halls or along the seafront. I have followed the debate on De André only from a distance: it being stated that I like some of his songs and that several of his albums are masterpieces of Italian music (I think of “Creuza de Ma,” but also everything that came out from ’75 to ’81, by my taste), I tend to agree with those who, ten years after his death, take away a bit of the hypocritical mold that looms over the person and the character. The classic example of an Italian upper-bourgeois – with a father who was an executive at Eridania, a lawyer brother in Genoa, and to whom the criminal chamber is dedicated – who pontificated from the heights of his apartments and excessive well-being, only to discover a late pastoral and rural vocation in Supramonte (a thousand times better is the cynicism of his friend Villaggio). Better Dori Ghezzi. And also Wess.

Thank you all for the comments, especially to Ole and Muffin and their - legendary, but affectionate - double 1s. I missed you!! Also lovely was Sbillo's comment; it gratifies me and makes me dream of another life as a luminary of the "minor arts" (the Italian university system is unfortunately still behind on this point, we could use something like the "Marylin Monroe" school of "Bianca"). Of course, thanks to Rivoli, Romeo, Giustiziere: please settle for this my incursion driven by the expressive urgency to talk to you about "Cleo," even if the future is always uncertain. A bit of errata corrige: it was Algol who called for my return, not Panapp. I apologize to those concerned. There are also some serious mistakes regarding the fascinating Karima: she is not of Moroccan origins - that's Malika - but Algerian; moreover, she did not go to frolic on "Amici" in 2008, but rather in the now distant 2006. I also apologize for this to those concerned. Urgently Yours, Il_Paolo

Dear Romeo, I can't even get back home from my post-Easter outing when I find this delightful review on my page! My weakness for the lady is well known, and I'll not dwell on it further, though I do want to point out one characteristic of hers that I wish to share with you and the users: being Moroccan, Malika probably doesn’t think in Italian, which isn't even her native language, even though she has lived in Milan for quite some time. This, if you notice, gives her singing a total detachment, in the sense that, while she narrates devastating passions and mortifying feelings like nostalgia and regret for something that could have been and never will be, it almost seems like none of it truly belongs to her, as it is expressed in a language and a mood not her own (note, for example, how she glosses over, almost 'plays' with words and notes, treating the text as if it were something else, any sort of writing, with an apathetic detachment that is even more heart-wrenching because one would expect a greater empathy, as is the case with Elisa or Pausini herself). This makes the interpretation truly splendid (perhaps surpassing Karima, who, by the way, has an Italian mother and therefore is more immersed in our culture). Regarding the lyrics, I am suggested a very interesting parallel with some Greek poets on the transience of life and leaves, but especially with Ungaretti, when he says that we are like leaves in autumn on the trees. Here, the transience is rightly anticipated by the imminent summer – a fleeting season by definition – but in reality, this sense of incompleteness is universal, transcending the seasons which are our clumsy attempt to measure eternity and the circularity of time (especially since every Italian winter corresponds to an austral summer, and vice versa). Yours circularly, Il_Paolo.

Here, dear Romeo1985, I didn't quite like you. I know I'm being hard on you, and for that, I must obviously apologize. A review like this marks a path of normalization that I just don't see in you. I suggest you create a fake account – as I told the Avenger – if you want to discuss a film like "Riso amaro." The film is remembered for the erotic charge of Mangano, and not much else (plus Gassmann in the role of the villain).

A step back from your usual standards, therefore I won't vote for you even though I appreciate the presentation style. In my opinion, when you have genuine and authentic inspirations like yours, and you want to write about something different as in this case, it's better to create a fake (like I did for years before writing directly as Il_Paolo), otherwise it creates confusion in the average user: how is it possible that the Giustiziere listens to and writes about Franco Simone and then switches to this high-quality but somewhat superficial progressive pop from across the sea, even a bit sycophantic? Truly Yours, Il_Paolo