telespallabob

"It’s when we bring this sport to Italy at a national level that we make it rhetoric and a clumsy imitation." Look, rugby has been played in Italy for quite some time (in some cities for 80 years!). There are major municipalities (Rovigo, L'Aquila, Padova) where rugby is the most followed and practiced sport. The true enthusiast doesn’t indulge in rhetoric; they care about what they do. It’s not a clumsy imitation. Have you ever watched a match in your life? Have you ever met players or club officials? It’s not like we just came down from a soap mountain and found 15 expatriates to form a national team. There has been a lot of work done by people who love this sport and have played it for years without any national spotlight! Regarding the Haka, I won’t comment; it’s their tradition and should be asked of them. I respect their tradition, plain and simple. They did not deceive us; that's a harsh word. Let's say there were grounds for granting a technical try in favor. However, that would need some explanation, and one would need to clearly understand the match, to have watched it and all that. Describing it like this in two lines isn’t easy.

Look, rugby isn’t just for brutes (as it’s easy to think). With your characteristics, you could play as a wing or a fullback. You live in Milan? Here’s some advice. Go check out a few matches of Amatori Milano, they're in the same division as Brescia (and at the end of the month they’re coming to play right here at Invernici). They’re currently playing in Zona Lambrate and should be moving soon (perhaps starting with the next matches at Arena Civica). Go, you’ll definitely enjoy it (and maybe try to find someone you know, so you can start learning).

So, I follow Rugby and I also attend regularly (since I have a subscription for the home matches of Rugby Banco di Brescia, Serie A. A top-notch category). I discovered rugby late and it’s something I regret. The 1% represents 800 people, it’s a ruthless and even false statistic. It’s true that many of the spectators at San Siro were there for the event and for the opponent (if they had played against Ireland, Wales, or South Africa, who are stronger than the current All Blacks, it wouldn’t have sold out. But I’m sure it would have been 4/5 full). However, many also had the chance to admire the national team (and for those living in the North, it’s a disadvantage that the National team, which is required by the Six Nations regulations, must play in Rome), to see a rugby match as an amateur player who watches more famous ones or as a simple enthusiast (which I am). I don’t believe this will just be a passing trend; I’m convinced that someone will say: why not give it a try? It can be done at many ages, even at 40 (there are amateur teams). Rugby is rooted in Italian sports culture, especially in certain areas (it’s played a lot in Brescia, there are towns where Rugby is an institution, it’s the main sport that everyone practices. In my town, the Rugby Festival is the most important and the most felt. Then there’s the North-East, the Rome area, in L'Aquila where football has to play in a rugby stadium!, Parma and its province, and in the south, it’s widely practiced in Sicily. The values of Rugby don’t clash with the Italian spirit; they clash with those who can’t absorb them. Rugby is to football what World War I is to World War II. You’re in the trenches and you give it your all. It’s a sport with a lot of rules, hard to understand. You have to get into it; it’s not just about crossing a line. Don’t believe it. Just reaching a try is crucial for joy because in 3 seconds you can nullify 10 minutes of struggle where you’ve been inches away, maybe you make a mistake and go back 30 or even 40 meters. It’s like working hard at your job and then seeing your effort go to waste. Let’s not even talk about how you feel about it. But in Rugby, you can’t think about that; you’ve got a line-out to execute immediately. There’s also space for individuality, and you can see it; you can spot someone who is better, has more personality, and is able to set up the play to help others. Last Saturday, something like this was seen in a nice play by Parisse, kicking the ball forward into an area not occupied by opponents, and he picked it up, thanks also to the support of others around him. This way, he gained at least 20 meters. Individual actions matter, but they always need to be supported by the team, and that’s a nice thing, even from a moral standpoint. It’s brute strength… you’re using a harsh concept. It’s effort, it’s struggle because it’s tough to bring down a hooker weighing 110 kg. Rugby is beautiful, watch it and live it. At the end of the matches, applaud them, all 30 of them. Feel good when you applaud, when you look them in the face, having given their all. Algol, it’s great advice I’m giving you. P.S. I didn’t go to the stadium and I regret it; I would have liked to see the atmosphere especially since I’m used to a small stadium where it’s always the same people. San Siro is quite different from Invernici, not that one is better. I’m not making comparisons.

I don't know, it has always seemed to me like an inflated phenomenon for no particular reason. I've never liked it, not even in the early albums. Compared to others that have come and gone, this one felt particularly overhyped. Then there's Caselli, who thinks she's a god on earth and therefore contributes negatively. However, on the last point, the artists aren't entirely to blame; the clarity of those who produce records in Italy has often been very limited.

Compared to the previous one, I found it better to listen to, more direct. P.S. Is "Stain" a masterpiece? Then what is Vivid?

I hope there are all those references you mentioned (Mamas and Papas, Badalamenti), because the way you described it sounds really nice. Put like that, I definitely like it.

Well done, these are tough (and the reference to GFR is absolutely right).

A good album, perhaps it doesn't hit as hard as the first one but it's absolutely deserving. Respect for the Mountain.

Well done, great choice. "Decoupage" is an insane album, beautiful to listen to. A gem, it sounds incredible. This one is a bit weaker but of great quality because the Chat Noir are talented.

Welcome to DeBaser (nice nickname, by the way). You shouldn’t have jumped right into certain albums; it’s not easy for everyone, and especially not for those who are starting out (no one is born knowing, not even me. Trust me). You’ve chosen a beautiful album, and that makes me happy, as you could explore other records too (like the mentioned Colosseum, which are not widely discussed here but are fantastic). Anyway, don’t get discouraged. P.S. Of the first three, this is my favorite.