fusillo

@ajejebrazorf: Let’s recap: uncritical, malicious, biased, arrogant, and even crazy. Thank you, but I don’t deserve so many compliments. I’ll tell you, with all due respect, that “the anxiety to establish records” is all Scaruffi’s. I don’t feel it and I have no desire to declare who the greatest singer in history is. And do you know why? BECAUSE I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE ISSUE or, quoting my previous post, I DON’T HAVE THE PROBLEM!!!!!! Have you understood that now? I hope so... I come to Debaser not to be a critic. I come to share albums and artists that I like. It’s that thing that outside the web is called word of mouth. And I’m not scared if this word of mouth here takes the form of “review + comments.” I avoid discussions that arise among aspiring critics (and there are indeed some on Deb) that go on for pages and attempt to establish whether the first Black Sabbath album is hard rock or heavy metal like the plague. When I write reviews, I always put some links besides the more-info, either official or unofficial sites, so that readers can better inform themselves, possibly in the artist's own words. That’s how many reviewers I appreciate do. On Scaruffi’s site, nothing of the sort. To discover Tim Buckley’s site, I went through Google and not through a critic. Does Lee Underwood act as a critic? And so what? He has every right to. He’s a MUSICIAN. The analysis by Frederick that I pointed out to you is a description of Nick Drake’s music, not a statement like “He’s the greatest!” or “He’s the worst.” And there isn’t even a catchy phrase. Also, let it be known that Lee Underwood is not my relative: if he writes like Frederick, he’s a good critic; if he doesn’t and spouts nonsense, he magically becomes an idiot. Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, I have no issues appreciating a critic’s work if it is balanced. On Scaruffi’s site, which we are discussing, I didn’t just point out some dating errors. I pointed out some CONCEPTUAL FLAWS that, damn it, I am not willing to overlook. Are you angry if I say that Scaruffi’s site is useless? Great, I get angry if someone says that Buster Keaton was misogynistic. The “Should I read Scaruffi?” were rhetorical questions that didn’t need answers and served only to clarify the point that one can easily do without Scaruffi (with all due sympathy for him—if I keep talking about him, he might really become sympathetic to me...). Now, do you want to tell me if you’ve seen the video I pointed out? Or do you want to make me age in uncertainty? Bye.

@M.Poletti: I owe you an apology. In your post last night, I thought it was a joke. Reading it again now, I don’t find any traces of that. I was really rude. Sorry... @Riccardo. Your way of reasoning is truly unique. You think in formulas. Does anyone who doesn’t read Scaruffi and provides arguments in support automatically become an "anti-scaruffi hooligan"? Hooligans don’t reason; they huff, grunt, and smash each other’s heads. Neither I, Bjorky, nor Flinstone do any of that. Besides, I have never joined any party, let alone that of "criticism is useless." If you really want to use them, please try to use less unfortunate definitions. Thank you.

Well Poletti, frankly, I don't really care too much about what you think.

Well done!

Dear Ajeje, that’s enough, sorry but you’ve really worn me out. The claim about the best singer in the history of music is the first thing you read on Scaruffi's page. I didn’t have to search for it with a lantern. Did he do well to say something like that? I don’t know, as I told you I don't engage with the problem. You ask me for the name of a credible critic? Very clever, great question and I don’t know: I don’t read even one. On the official Tim Buckley website, a site you’ve surely visited, you can find all sorts of information: particularly interesting are the interviews where Tim talks about his music with the intellectual honesty that characterized him. In one of those interviews, I read for the first time the name of Dr. John The Night Tripper. On that site and many unofficial ones, there are stories from people who worked with Tim and from ordinary folks who just saw him in concert. See, these are the things I like: direct testimonies, not the exaggerated analysis of the current critic. In this sense, Scaruffi's page is completely useless in my eyes. Do we understand each other? Fortunately, similar documents exist for all "historic" artists and for many contemporary ones. I’ll give you another example: Have you ever read Frank Zappa's autobiography? There’s everything you need to know about his music and lyrics. It also includes an analysis of his role as an entertainment entrepreneur and a real study on the art of recording. You can also find tons of hilarious anecdotes about a bunch of eccentric characters. An engaging read. Then, if you want something more recent (the book is from 1988), you can find some interviews given by FZ shortly before he died online. And should I read the deadly Scaruffi page? Third example: You like Nick Drake, right? Good, there’s a site (Nick Drake files) that collects an incredible amount of writings that tell the life, death, and especially the miracles of Nicolino from Tanworth. There I found the story of Robin Frederick, which I have, in my small way, tried to disseminate with the review of "Time of No Reply." By the way, on Frederick's site, there’s a thorough analysis of Nick’s music, with particular attention to his guitar style. Analysis done by a MUSICIAN, not by a critic. And I should read Scaruffi? No thanks, you read it. If he at least included some interesting links on his site, but no, it’s completely self-referential... And now, enough of the nonsense. Did you see the video I pointed out? If you haven’t seen it, you know where to find it. Bye.

So, I read the page on Tim Buckley. Better than the one on Frank Zappa and Jeff Buckley, but I notice the usual anxiety to establish records: "Tim Buckley is the most brilliant singer in the history of rock music, and perhaps in the entire history of music," "Phantasmagoria In Two, the most beautiful love song of all time." This need is something I can't understand and it was making me hesitate. I don't know, maybe it's just that I don't really have that issue at all. In the analysis of the songs, an exhausting track by track multiplied by the four or five most important albums, Scaruffi sometimes uses figurative language that doesn't resonate with me and feels a bit like fluff. For example, I quote this passage regarding the singing in "Hallucination": "...surrounded by celestial sounds, it presents itself as a vortex that gradually tightens around the trembling image of a vision and finally swallows it in a bubble of water." I admit, however, that such language may exercise some charm. Not on me, but I don't set the rules. Moreover, Scaruffi only gives hints about the autobiographical element of the lyrics of certain songs that perhaps deserved a bit more in-depth investigation. Just to clarify, "dream letter" is barely mentioned. Anyway, I reiterate: better than the other pages I've read. And now, two recommendations: online there’s a concert video of Tim from an American television channel, dating back to the "starsailor" period. It's called "Boboquivari (live KCET Tv, L. A. 1970)." Then, if you want to hear an album that greatly influenced Buckley during that time (an influence acknowledged by Buckley himself and, alas, not mentioned by Scaruffi:-)), get "Babylon" by Dr John The Night Tripper. Bye.

Thank you Riccardo, Tim Buckley is perfect. I’ll take some time (I have to go now) and I'll let you know. Bye.

No ajeje, we’re just not on the same page. You're repeating what I've already read in your posts and those of other users. And above all, I won’t accept accusations of populism. I have no problems appreciating a critic who gives balanced judgments. The profile on Buckley Jr. is simply not balanced, and I've explained why above; the same goes for Frank Zappa and the one on Keaton as well. Let’s do this: suggest a page that you think is worth reading, I’ll read it and let you know...

@ajejebrazorf: I don't know if Scaruffi has really signed up for Deb, and to be honest, I don't care. But still, if someone is wasting their time creating a site like that, it's not out of the question that they might also waste some time on Debaser. Anyway, as you may have noticed, I've given him the benefit of the doubt. Regarding Scaruffi: I notice that no one has yet challenged the CONCEPTUAL errors pointed out by me and Flinstone; at most, they say, "Yeah, well, out of twenty thousand reviews of forty thousand records, sixty thousand errors can happen." I've looked at three pages of Scaruffi, and I wasn't satisfied with any of them. I've already talked about the ones on Jeff Buckley and Frank Zappa; now I’ll point out the one on Buster Keaton. In the film "Go West," Buster is always trailing behind a cow; it's no coincidence that the Italian title reads "Io e la vacca." Scaruffi's judgment: in this film, Keaton shows a "hardcore resentment against women." HARDCORE RESENTMENT?!? Are we kidding? The equation is quite simple: Keaton is always attached to a cow; therefore, he hates women. That's an association worthy of a pig with a degree in pure mathematics, just to quote De André. So, three pages consulted, three enormous nonsense. Why on earth should I keep browsing Scaruffi's site? To appreciate the effort of reviewing 20,000 records and eighty thousand films? Should I forget his colossal errors because he's a Renaissance man born purely by chance in the twentieth century? I mean, are you guys pulling my leg? Scaruffi’s site is completely useless. There’s all sorts of informative sites, official and unofficial, about musicians, filmmakers, etc. Each of these sites is more reliable than any page of Scaruffi. Moreover, when I'm looking up an artist, frankly, the "migrations of music" interest me very little. Lastly, I don’t know about Micio Tempio, but Gianni Rodari definitely deserves a place in the history of literature. Hello everyone.

I've never liked his songs, but I find him likable. He really hit rock bottom in the version of "un giudice" done with a guy named MegaHertz.