Friday, December 15, 2017

I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE

Joe was back to work very jet-lagged. 

He started the day checking online news just to see what he'd missed in the previous 2 weeks. “How was California?” Quinta asked, Joe cut it short “I preferred Nevada”

A couple of hours later he considered if there was any point in continuing his martyrdom. Still undecided he opted for a coffee. When he got in the kitchen he bumped into Yuri who smiled at him “You look pretty fucked up”. Joe answered in a flash “I landed last night flying all the way from San Francisco, how the hell am I supposed to look like?”. Yuri turned puzzled “how come you didn’t ring sick?”, Joe looked down on him “I never ring sick, you should know that by now”. 

Yuri shook his head in disbelief “And how do you reckon you will enjoy the concert tonight without any rest?”. Something dawned on Joe “The concert?”. Yuri retorted “Soundgarden, remember? We bought the tickets 6 months ago…”. “Scheiße, I’d forgotten about that!”. Yuri left still shaking his head in disbelief. 

Joe used all his resources to finish the working day without damages. Afterwards, he ran home, changed his clothes and rushed to the O2 to watch Cornell & Co for the first time in his life. Yuri smiled at him “You made it! I was not so sure this morning”, Joe fancied himself “People tend to underestimate me”. 

When the supporting band was about to finish an unknown number called. “Who is this?” Joe answered annoyed. “Luke! Do I need to take a cab?”. Joe didn’t get it “What are you talking about?”, Luke retorted “Soundgarden! Have they started yet?”. Joe got even more confused “How do you know I’m here, we haven’t talked in 2 years…”. “Where else could you possibly be today?”. Luke’s voice sounded so definitive Joe couldn’t help saying “They will start in 5 minutes, get a taxi, I’ll hold a standing space for you, we are pretty close to the stage”. 

Luke arrived on time, the 3 of them enjoyed a good but slightly sad concert. However, none of them could anticipate they would never have a chance to see Cornell again. Joe, still dizzy from the US trip, couldn’t stop thinking about Luke’s words “Where else could you possibly be today?”. Was that a good thing? Or just a sign of predictability? 

Very confused he looked at Chris who was saying “My Wave was written for the first Iraq War: most people don’t look out of their own garden, we should care instead if we want to make the world a better place”. Cornell seemed genuinely moved while saying these words. 

Joe felt a connection for the vulnerability shown a by someone always imagined as a happy, successful superstar. “It’s only you and Eddie left, kick the ghosts away Chris” Joe sensed Nostalgia for the teen-aging time when he picked the name Cornell for his email to be. 

The concert ended with a strange sadness and Joe couldn't help but walk back home with a nirvanian sensation not to be the only one…

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Elezioni 2018: cosa accadra'

Lo dico a Novembre 2017 con 5 mesi di anticipo sperando che le cose non vadano come prevedo nel video perche’ se cio accadesse avremmo la conferma di 2 cose:

  1. Votare e’ inutile
  2. Gli italiani sono gran coglioni che si credono furbi...


Friday, October 13, 2017

WHY MUDHONEY ARE THE GREATEST

Knowing my passion for r&r people often ask me “How come you consider Muhoney the greatest? It makes no sense”.

I never liked perfection, it bores me to death.

I hardly ever adored artists who were universally acknowledged as the greatest.

I like seminal creators who start cultural movements that change things for real without being credited by the mass.

When you are at a small concert, and you look at a stranger and the 2 of you wink there’s no need to talk. Because you 2 know.

I adore those who create little masterpieces without ever losing contact with reality, probably due to lack of mass success.

And when you go see them 20 years later they give you same emotions

p.s.


Who says Pearl Jam are the last grunge band alive knows nothing about Seattle sound...



Friday, September 29, 2017

GOD HATES US ALL?

“Could you give us an example of when you had to act quickly showing proactivity?" the young lady interviewer asked the candidate the standard question while the older colleague nodded.

 "Yes” Igor responded, “I retained a Platinum client who threatened to rip his membership card; he spent a lot of money in the company hotels and was very upset: I called him straight away, gave him half of what he demanded and cooled him off. Losing him would have been a disaster, I got a commendation for that by the way".

The 2 lady examiners nodded, pleased with that response.

Igor started to believe he was close to getting the job.

"One last question and we are done" the older lady interviewer said, "can you tell us if you ever took an initiative that made your boss change a decision turning out to be beneficial for the company? "

Igor's facial expression changed drastically, "What the fuck is this? "

Both ladies got shocked, “I beg your pardon?” said the older one.

"Why don’t you ask the appropriate question: can you fit into this role? Can you become our puppy, never discuss the guidelines that come from above? Be a performer? Not question incomprehensible choices? Be like those 2 fat cows who drink our shitty coffee 3 times a day as if it tasted good? If you convince us and if you prove it in the next 6 month-probation you will become a proud member of our living dead company!”

The two ladies stared at the guy in disbelief.

“Why did you apply for this job if you see things that way?”

The answer came in a flash “because I need the money. and because God hates us all”...

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

BEST ACTING PERFORMANCES EVER

Ever since I turned 20 I stopped checking actors and started following directors.

However, I remember a bunch of acting performances that I can’t forget and I really doubt they will ever be bettered.

Chronologically:


 1)     Pierre Lorre – M

 2)     Orson Wells - Citizen Cane

 3)     Humphrey Bogart – Casablanca

 4)     Ingrid Bergman – Casablanca

 5)     James Stewart – Rope

 6)     Toshirô Mifune – Seven Samurai

 7)     Cary Grant – North by Northwest

 8)     Jack Lemmon - The Apartment

 9)     Liv Ullmann – Persona

10)    Marlon Brando – The Godfather 

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

WHY CINEMA IS DEAD

The “Godfather of Gore” Lucio Fulci predicted in the early 90s “Cinema won’t survive this era. Why? It can only be made for real in America since the real money is there. But they have no ideas. From now on you will only see remakes and sequels”

The one and only George Romero was asked last year “Why modern directors don’t make movies that show their personal view anymore?”. Romero answered in a flash “Why would they? Nobody cares what they really think. Besides, they know very well if they look for a budget they need to propose movies which don’t upset anyone. When they look for a distribution they know far too well what kind of product is likely to be financed”. 

Only real Independent Cinema can make real films: movies which look for something more than pure revenue (i.e. Art concept).

The problem for Independent Cinema is

1)     To exist a movie needs to be seen.
2)     To be seen a film needs a distribution
3)     Distributors just look for money (isn’t it Netflix?) so won’t take risks, they won’t show real movies, those which dare. That’s it.

Hence: Cinema is dead, long live the Cinema...

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

ABOUT ROCK & ROLL

”You said rock&roll comes before everything else for you, why?”. 

Joe thought this through for a few seconds before responding “I was 17 and I’d never listened to rock & roll. During a student assembly I was on my own, as usual. A couple of class-mates came over with a Walkman: ‘Check this out!’. ‘What’s that?’ I asked. ‘Just try it’. I put skeptically the earphones on and it all happened in a flash: a pure explosion of sensations, expressions, happiness. Above all a relief, a Nirvana feeling: no matter what your age is you’re not the only one. It all started then and there was no return. You see I can stay away from everything in my life: I didn’t watch movies for a decade, I didn’t read books for years, I didn’t even meet any human being for months but if I didn’t listen to rock & roll a few hours a day I wouldn't get out of bed”.

The interviewer looked at the novelist with a puzzled face “If music is so important to you why do you write instead of playing?”.  Joe looked away for a few seconds then back to the guy and smiled sly...


Tuesday, July 4, 2017

HELLFIRE


Sometimes picnics end up in an unexpected way…  

Friday, May 26, 2017

“What’s to explain about Grunge?”


Lately I see a question often posed by people in their 20s or early 30s: “What’s to explain about Grunge?” with an irritated tone for feeling treated as if they weren’t good enough to understand.

The point is it’s not that easy to explain what grunge represented for those who were teen-agers back in the days.

The 80’s was the quintessential hedonist decade: yuppies careerists, movies about steroid abusers fighting “the reds”, hair metal-hard rock bands celebrating money and success.

But then the magic happened.

A bunch of guys coming from Washington state dressed with ripped jeans, simple T-shirts and Converse shoes said enough with this shit, let’s talk about real people, real problems.

The “Losers” took over the “Successful ones”.

No more Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Europe and above all Gun’s N’ Roses.

Just drum, bass, guitar and distortion.

And anger expressed through art.

And us empathizing with them, feeling finally represented.

For a lustrum we were king.

That was it


Friday, February 17, 2017

Casa Nostra Abroad - Ep 5

Au Pairs and Brazilians...


Thursday, February 9, 2017

TRAINSPOTTING 2 - review

When I first watched Trainspotting (1996) what I appreciated the most was the capability of Welsh (to write) and Boyle (to stage) a reality with neither filters nor hypocrisy. 
The characters were a bunch of losers, ‘’cunts’’ who were living in a society based on rules and people that weren’t any less cunty than them. 
 Mark, Spud, Sick Boy, (somehow even Begbie but not Tommy) preferred to stay away from that banal, hypocritical world and yet reminding one way or another of the guys-next-door. Is drug addiction not that worse than the bourgeois falsehoods? Who knows… 
Trainspotting 2 manages to give some continuity: when you are in your mid 40s people who haven’t seen you in a very long time expect you to be a sensible grown-up with a family, kids, a respectable job and ‘’all sorts of other shite’’. 
What happens if you don’t? Should you feel ashamed and find a quick way not to disappoint those expectations or should you feel proud to be who you are? Is your real nature to be pushed away or embraced? Everybody has their own answer. 
What is clear is that once again Boyle moves from drama to comedy, surreal, grotesque in a matter of seconds with a bunch of Dutch tilts and all the stylistic elements of his way of directing. At the end of the day this is a film which is very consistent with the original philosophy


 

Monday, January 9, 2017

Top 10 movies 2016!

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Casa Nostra Abroad - Ep 4

New Episode of Casa Nostra Abroad with subtitles (do not empathize with those who are looking for an accommodation: reality is far worse than that!)
Nuovo episodio di Casa Nostra Abroad con sottotitoli (non immedesimatevi in quelli che cercano casa: la realta’ e’ molto peggio!)