Socrates

The samples didn't completely convince me. As you know, I'm not an advocate of thirty seconds which, in my opinion, can sometimes be more misleading than clarifying. After all, you gave a 3, so watch out...

Minister, you insist on emphasizing the political aspect, stirring the poorly re-heated soup of the supposed ethical superiority of the left, a topic I would leave to the dull pen of a Farina or a Feltri. As far as I’m concerned, I have never believed that thieves, the corrupt, etc. are all on one side. However, I do believe that in Colli's party, the percentage of them is higher. I won’t go into the subjects on which I base this conviction, nor do I want, I’m well aware of it, to convince you of it, knowing full well that it would be a futile endeavor. The fact remains that reading this "Gaberian" diatribe while playing the anthem of the blue party creates a certain dismay. I certainly did not expect Gaber to leave his wife for his political activism, but I merely wondered how the singer-songwriter viewed this; whether he shared such a choice; whether he simply tolerated it in the name of love; or, a bit bourgeois, did not agree with it and, for the sake of quiet living, lacked the courage to address the issue. I believe that men, even when they are extraordinary talents, should never be idealized. Gaber could have had some character weaknesses too. P.(D.)S. I congratulate you on the remembrance of the football player, who you will certainly associate not only with the victorious World Cup in Spain but also with the rise of Spadolini, the first layman to hold the Presidency of the Council.

Comrade Massimo, your proverbial sharpness has this time fallen short, probably due to a tiring post-lunch haze. I imagine that, due to professional distortion, you have "thrown it into politics," but my comment was of a purely human nature; it raised a question that some of Gaber's admirers, not necessarily on the left, have long been pondering. No one has, even implicitly, called anyone a "fool." The question is: is it possible to reconcile the sharp, focused accusations against the Christian Democracy and Moro, in particular, while calmly accepting that your wife receives orders from Formigoni, Pisanu, and other schemers and fraudsters, frequenters of the province of Milan, who wouldn't have been able to carry, not to mention deliver a coffee, to Moro at Piazza del Gesù? My perhaps naive question is this, and I have also hypothesized a possible explanation, namely the blindness of love, which affects even the great minds, from Einstein downwards. However, it is inevitable, while maintaining admiration and respect for the artist, to highlight a blatant contradiction. If, in your broader view of checks and balances, you haven’t noticed any of this, it’s no big deal: comrades as before.

"one of the..."

I've always wondered how such an intelligent man, who had such strongly critical opinions about Italian politics (which I largely share) and more generally about the Bel Paese, could continue to stay together with Ombretta Colli, who became one of the leading figures of Forza Italia in Milan (!) and also the acclaimed president of the Province. To me, it's a mystery that even love cannot fully explain. As far as I know, they have never separated. Oh well!

I bought and read, albeit superficially, Mucchio Extra. Carlo Bordone has undoubtedly done a good job; many of the choices are commendable, but above all, there is the acknowledgment of mistakes made not too long ago in evaluating both the pop genre as a whole, often seen as a sort of antithesis to rock, and some fundamental albums. In fact, in certain cases, like Marxists trained in planned economies suddenly enlightened, after the "fall of the wall," on the road to Damascus regarding the splendid and progressive prospects of a market economy, they go too far, see Abba or Human League. I am also very pleased that some albums I intended to discuss in the upcoming occasions, like Edwyn Collins' album, are given significant consideration. I copy and paste, not out of narcissism, a post of mine in response to Donjunio's commendable review of "Behavior" by the Pet Shop Boys: "When I bought it, I was criticized, but time is a gentleman, and the Manichaeans of that time, including some prominent critics from well-known music magazines, had to subsequently acknowledge the misjudgment. A superior pop album, for me the duo's most successful" (3/25/06). Do you think this record is among the top 50 all-time pop albums according to Mucchio? Yes, you guessed it.

A timeless classic. I believe that Wyatt, and this album in particular, played a significant role in the turning point of Radiohead.

You’re piquing my curiosity: later I’m going to my trusted newsagent and I’ll sign the check. :-)

The review of the nonexistent album is fascinating, it intrigues me. A bit like Borges' quotes from nonexistent authors, which were as believable as the real ones. "Scripsi ergo sunt". :-)

I used to buy a bit of everything; for a few years now, I hardly buy anything. And, in any case, I always check. By now, I hardly trust anyone anymore without looking first.