DONATELLA RETTORE
Donatella Rettore started her career in 1973 and her early recordings was oriented to the popular and melodic Italian music. She became successful just in 1979, and for about 5 years she was the most popular and female best selling in Italy second only to Mina. Her most popular hits are: Splendido Splendente (Splendid Shining), Kobra, Donatella, Lamette (Razor Blades), This Time, Io Ho Te (I've Got You), Amore Stella (Love Star) e Di Notte Specialmente (Especially By Night). In 198 Her most albums was a gorgeous mixture of pop, rock, disco music and ska. After 1983 she started her slow decline, and she had to wait 1994 to enter once again in the top 10 Italian charts. Recently she released Stralunata, a double cd set + dvd about her career, her music and her TV performances, which entered directly to n. 2 and stayed in top 10 Italian dvd charts for 2 months.
LAMETTE (1982)
In this song Donatella asks the listener to 'give her a razorblade so that she can slit her wrists. She carefully describes, in a rather sexual way, the effects of the razorblade on her skin and flesh.
KOBRA (1980)
Below, I have translated the lyrics. (Really, they don't make much sense)
The cobra is not a snake
but an obsessive thought
that becomes indecent
when I see you
The cobra is not a serpent
but vapor that crawls
with the marks it leaves
wherever you pass by
the cobra with salt
if you eat it, it will make you feel sick
because that's not the way you're supposed to use it
the cobra is a shield
made of stones and brass
it is a noble slave who lives in prison
the cobra bends
it turns and it nails me
it shuts my mouth
it holds me and touches me
the cobra is not a vampire
but a blade, a sigh
that becomes sincere
whenever I see you
the cobra is not a piton
but a tasty mouthful
that becomes a song
wherever you pass by
(repeat)
RENATO ZERO
From an early age, he would wear make-up and cross-dress. He replied to the criticisms he received (including the recurring insult Sei uno zero! - "You're a "zero"(number)!") by taking on the pseudonym Renato Zero.
He recorded his first two singles in 1965: "Tu, sì", "Il deserto", "La solitudine", which were never issued. His first published single, "Non basta sai/In mezzo ai guai" (1967), sold a total of 20 copies.
He had several different jobs, including an appearance in an advertisement for ice-cream, work as a dancer in a TV show, and playing in two musicals and (minor roles) in two Fellini movies.
In the late 1960s Zero's career was helped along by the glam-rock movement, from which he benefited with his sexual ambiguity and androgynous appearance. At the same time, this led him to being accused of emulating other celebrities like David Bowie. In 1973 he issued his first LP, No! Mamma, no! (live), but still with little success. The follow-up Invenzioni met the same fate.
In the 1980s he began to abandon make-up and greasepaint, but this did not rid Zero of his mania for grandeur: in the 1980 tour, for example, he entered the scene riding a white horse. In 1982 he began a collaboration with the opera director Renato Serio, who was to write the string arrangements for almost all of Zero's following LPs. In late 1983 he took part in RAI's Fantastico 3, then the most popular Italian TV show.
Renato Zero is still the only Italian artist to have reached the number one charts position of singles in 4 different decades (70's, 80's, 90's and 2000's). He had no fewer than 26 albums in the Top 10.
His grand force is regarded to be having shown the normality of the diverse, convincing the public that diversity feeds our human abilities to feel and act with love, respect, solidarity and faith. He has never admitted nor denied being gay.
IL TRIANGOLO
This song talks about Renato being confused because his date (a girl) turns up at his place with a boy. They end up either doing a threesome or at least thinking about it (hence the 'triangle').
IL BARATTO (1979)
In this song the singer proposes his lover to barter various parts of his own body for the partner's love.
JO SQUILLO
Jo Squillo started her career as a teenager, and soon became one of the most popular Italian punk singers during the late 70's early 80's. Her first band, the Kandeggina Gang, an all - girls group founded in 1980, was focused on feminist issues and often created scandal, for instance, when, while performing in Piazza Duomo, Milan, they decided to throw dirty tampons on to a horrified audience.
In the next few years her fame increases also thanks to the transgressive and often sexually explicit contents of her songs. She becomes rather well known outside of Italy too, especially in Germany.
These years also mark her gradual passage to a more commercial and pop sound, which will be established in the following years.
In 1991, Jo Squillo wrote and performed, together with Sabrina Salerno, her most famous pop song, 'Siamo Donne', which made it to the finals of the Sanremo Festival (the most important music festival in Italy).
but a blade, a sigh
that becomes sincere
whenever I see you
the cobra is not a piton
but a tasty mouthful
that becomes a song
wherever you pass by
(repeat)
RENATO ZERO
From an early age, he would wear make-up and cross-dress. He replied to the criticisms he received (including the recurring insult Sei uno zero! - "You're a "zero"(number)!") by taking on the pseudonym Renato Zero.
He recorded his first two singles in 1965: "Tu, sì", "Il deserto", "La solitudine", which were never issued. His first published single, "Non basta sai/In mezzo ai guai" (1967), sold a total of 20 copies.
He had several different jobs, including an appearance in an advertisement for ice-cream, work as a dancer in a TV show, and playing in two musicals and (minor roles) in two Fellini movies.
In the late 1960s Zero's career was helped along by the glam-rock movement, from which he benefited with his sexual ambiguity and androgynous appearance. At the same time, this led him to being accused of emulating other celebrities like David Bowie. In 1973 he issued his first LP, No! Mamma, no! (live), but still with little success. The follow-up Invenzioni met the same fate.
In the 1980s he began to abandon make-up and greasepaint, but this did not rid Zero of his mania for grandeur: in the 1980 tour, for example, he entered the scene riding a white horse. In 1982 he began a collaboration with the opera director Renato Serio, who was to write the string arrangements for almost all of Zero's following LPs. In late 1983 he took part in RAI's Fantastico 3, then the most popular Italian TV show.
Renato Zero is still the only Italian artist to have reached the number one charts position of singles in 4 different decades (70's, 80's, 90's and 2000's). He had no fewer than 26 albums in the Top 10.
His grand force is regarded to be having shown the normality of the diverse, convincing the public that diversity feeds our human abilities to feel and act with love, respect, solidarity and faith. He has never admitted nor denied being gay.
IL TRIANGOLO
This song talks about Renato being confused because his date (a girl) turns up at his place with a boy. They end up either doing a threesome or at least thinking about it (hence the 'triangle').
IL BARATTO (1979)
In this song the singer proposes his lover to barter various parts of his own body for the partner's love.
JO SQUILLO
Jo Squillo started her career as a teenager, and soon became one of the most popular Italian punk singers during the late 70's early 80's. Her first band, the Kandeggina Gang, an all - girls group founded in 1980, was focused on feminist issues and often created scandal, for instance, when, while performing in Piazza Duomo, Milan, they decided to throw dirty tampons on to a horrified audience.
In the next few years her fame increases also thanks to the transgressive and often sexually explicit contents of her songs. She becomes rather well known outside of Italy too, especially in Germany.
These years also mark her gradual passage to a more commercial and pop sound, which will be established in the following years.
In 1991, Jo Squillo wrote and performed, together with Sabrina Salerno, her most famous pop song, 'Siamo Donne', which made it to the finals of the Sanremo Festival (the most important music festival in Italy).
VIOLENTAMI
In this song, Jo Squillo begs a stranger to rape her on the metro.
SIAMO DONNE (with Sabrina Salerno, 1991)
Still very popular in Italy, this song tries to convince the audience that women are not just about 'their legs'.
In this song, Jo Squillo begs a stranger to rape her on the metro.
SIAMO DONNE (with Sabrina Salerno, 1991)
Still very popular in Italy, this song tries to convince the audience that women are not just about 'their legs'.
SABRINA SALERNO
After winning a beauty contest in her native region, Liguria, she started modeling, and in 1985 her debut single was released: Sexy girl the single became a Top20 hit in her native Italy.
In 1988 Sabrina received "The Best European Singer" award, and enjoyed another European-wide summer hit with the single "All Of Me (Boy Oh Boy)" Later in that year, her second album, Super Sabrina, was released, and she established herself as a true European sex symbol thanks to the raunchy videos that accompanied hits such as My Chico and Like A Yo Yo (produced by Giorgio Moroder).
Thanks to the success of the albums and her sexy image, she was soon to perform in several European TV shows and concert such as the Montreux Pop Festival in 1988. Another famous performance was in 1989 at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, where fifty thousand people gathered over three days to enjoy Sabrina's shows & music.
1991 marked a turning point in Sabrina's career: she performed a duet with Italian singer Jo Squillo in singing Siamo donne, her first release in the Italian language. They performed together at 1991's Sanremo Music Festival to much acclaim. Sabrina's third studio album, Over the Pop, was released the same year, and for the first time she was allowed to co-write and produce some of the songs. It was clear that Sabrina's will to mature as an artist were emerging, and this desire for independence and a distancing from her sexy image led to conflict with her management. As a result the album promotion was interrupted and the new single, Cover model, was released only in France. Sabrina parted with her label and management, a decision that took to a four-years hiatus in her career and just in 1995 she was able to come back to show biz, co-hosting some Italian TV shows and releasing with an indie label two new singles, Rockawillie and Angel boy, which were minor successes in Italy and Scandinavian countries.
BOYS (SUMMERTIME LOVE) (1987)
There's not much to explain here.
All the other videos are kind of the same.
Ok, from here on I stopped trying to describe what each song is about because they're just too crazy.
IVAN CATTANEO
Ivan Cattaneo became well known with his single Polisex, which soon became a hymn of the 'alternative 80's' in Italy, especially in Milan.
In 1981 Cattaneo started working on a project which he defined as 'modern archeology' and which consisted in re-arranging famous Italian and international songs from the 60's.
POLISEX (1980)
UNA ZEBRA A POIS
ALBERTO CAMERINI
Alberto Camerini was born in Brasil from Italian parents, and came to live in Italy at the age of eleven. He became well known in the 80's for his stage persona, which he self style on the Commedia Dell' Arte character 'Arlecchino'.
During the 70's, he collaborated as a guitarist with several musicians such as the band Mattia Bazar, and Patty Pravo.
In 1976 he signed a contract with Cramps records for his first solo album 'Cenerentola e il pane quotidiano'.
In 1978 he moved away from Cramps records after having released 'Comici Cosmetici', which is heavily influenced by British glam rock and by his experience as a mime.
His success arrived in the 80's, when he signs with CBS, and released 'Alberto Camerini'.
The apex of his career was marked by 'Rock'n' roll robot', with which Camerini establishes his 'Arlecchino' and glam rock style. His songs are full of references to the Italian and Brasialian carnivals, to food, and to the use of mannequins and theatrical devices in general.
ROCK'N' ROLL ROBOT (1981)
TANZ BAMBOLINA (1982)
Just dance! Or maybe not...
----
UNA ZEBRA A POIS
ALBERTO CAMERINI
Alberto Camerini was born in Brasil from Italian parents, and came to live in Italy at the age of eleven. He became well known in the 80's for his stage persona, which he self style on the Commedia Dell' Arte character 'Arlecchino'.
During the 70's, he collaborated as a guitarist with several musicians such as the band Mattia Bazar, and Patty Pravo.
In 1976 he signed a contract with Cramps records for his first solo album 'Cenerentola e il pane quotidiano'.
In 1978 he moved away from Cramps records after having released 'Comici Cosmetici', which is heavily influenced by British glam rock and by his experience as a mime.
His success arrived in the 80's, when he signs with CBS, and released 'Alberto Camerini'.
The apex of his career was marked by 'Rock'n' roll robot', with which Camerini establishes his 'Arlecchino' and glam rock style. His songs are full of references to the Italian and Brasialian carnivals, to food, and to the use of mannequins and theatrical devices in general.
ROCK'N' ROLL ROBOT (1981)
TANZ BAMBOLINA (1982)
Just dance! Or maybe not...
----
*
p.s. Hey. Oscar B is up today with a multi-media history lesson for you guys. That it happens to be a killer of time, ignorance, and probably even some brain cells is a given. Peruse and poke it, and find out for yourself. Thank you kindly, big O, and, you know, kudos and thanks to all of you who take the bait and tell your host what you did and thought in the post's regard. For what it's worth, I was mistaken when I said that Arte interview thing yesterday was going out live, so, correction: If you get the French/ German Arte TV channel where you are or live, Gisele Vienne and I are interviewed in the cultural segment of the channel's nightly news program tonight. The news program starts at 7 pm, I think. They'll also be showing an excerpt from 'This Is How You Will Disappear'. We have one final matinee performance of 'TIHYWD' this afternoon, and then tomorrow morning we're out of here. I'll just wrap up by saying the shows here have gone as incredibly well as we ever could have hoped, and we're all pretty psyched. Speaking of tomorrow, I'll have a morning meeting with one last group of French high school students who saw 'TIHYWD', and then I'll train back to Paris. This means there won't be a full-fledged p.s. tomorrow, just a quick hello and an intro to the day's post. I'll be back to catch up with everyone in full p.s. mode on Saturday. ** Brendan, Welcome to the 'First' Club. It's a very prestigious group. ** Pilgarlic, Hey, man. Really glad you dug the post and that you're a fellow adorer of that crazy instrument. Have you seen that 'Mellodrama' documentary? I haven't yet, but I hear it's quite good. ** Shane Le Vein, Oops, yeah, sorry about my fuck-up on the Arte thing. I was mislead. I can't guarantee that what gets broadcast will trump that undoubtedly pretty static, though. How are you, man? When can I tell the world about your new site/blog? ** Scunnard, You know, when I saw that guy's exploding afro and mutton chops, I was almost sure it was you. Chalk one up for my instincts. ** David Ehrenstein, I'll try to see that film somehow. It's on DVD maybe? Love Romy Schneider, of course. Wonderful run down and info on the film and event for which I'm most appreciative. ** Paul Curran, Ah, the Leslie cabinet. It deserves its own Day. I have a special attachment to it because George Miles played keyboards/organ and had a Leslie when he and I were in that awful band together and had to lug his back-breaking Leslie around. Yeah, that comment screw up was charmingly weird. I don't have a clue why it happened. If it happens again, all the charm will be off for me at least. ** Dan Callahan, Hey, Dan! Great to see you! Thanks a lot about 'SiH'. Having sat across a small cocktail table from him for that very interview, I can confirm your hotness diagnosis. You doing really well, I hope? ** Alan, Hey. Oh, I'm very happy with how the texts ended up working in the piece. It was definitely a struggle to get them to work right. For a while, their emotionality was at odds with the piece rather than creating a sink hole into the piece's emotional tenor and story line, as I had intended. Most of them were for Jonathan Schatz's character, and when he was changed from a real figure into a phantom/ hallucination of Jonathan C., things went haywire. But we finessed it thanks in no small part to the brilliance of Jonathan C. who was asked to convey the fragility and misery and so on while simultaneously conveying the kind of schizophrenia of his character. That curator/ hater might still hate the text parts, but now I'm sure she's wrong, and there's been a great response to the texts from the audience and critics. So, yeah, I'm quite satisfied. Thanks for asking, man. ** Stan_cz, That thing with your neighbors and the cops is so incredibly LA somehow, it gave me tingles. A drag for you, but kind of fascinating too. Wow, hm, I can't tell what that sentence means exactly. Maybe you are in the clear, but that does seem an awfully lucky break if so. ** Sypha, Well, you probably know I think a Wes Anderson-like novel is a fantastic idea. I've always wanted to write a Jacques Tati-like novel, which is a different but not entirely different idea. I say go for it, obviously. ** Steevee, That's really cool that you and Lou Barlow were friends. Sebadoh up through 'Bubble and Scrape' are one of my favorite all time bands, and I love the very early Sentridoh stuff too. How did you like the Solondz? ** Jeff, Saying you deserve it gives that site's little game too much power, I say. You didn't, I say. ** Tao Lin, Thanks for finding my Twitter account. I actually tried to find it yesterday and couldn't. All right, I'll try to start buckling down there. Thanks a lot, Tao. ** Tomkendall, Hey, T. That wasn't too exhaustive at all. You know I'm a big process junkie, and your process particularly, of course. I was almost exactly where you are with my novel before I came down here. I'm hoping a week mostly away will clear my head a bit. Sounds really fascinating, man. Well, there's a book in the long term works that would be a big coffee table-style book of texts, images, and maybe the soundtracks of the five pieces Gisele and I have done together. Also, my French publisher said the other day that he'd like to do a book of/about 'TIHYWD', which would include images, the texts, and possibly the 23 or so texts I wrote for the piece that didn't end up being used. That might be interesting, if it ends up happening. ** Bill, Hey, Bill! It was so great to see you! I guess you made your train. I made it 'home' eventually, although it was like trying to walk through a raging river the wrong way. Thanks so much for coming, and I can't wait to see you in Paris in a short time. Lots of love. ** Jesse Hudson, Hey, Jesse! So, if I was going to read one Straub book to start with -- I've never read him, I'm embarrassed to say -- what would you recommend as my intro? ** Emily, Hey, Emily. Anyone who has Sparks in their favorite bands of all time is immediately my soul mate and buddy forever, so welcome to my ... nightmare? ** Ken Baumann, Hey, Ken. Yeah, maybe that garbled p.s. section could catch on and be the next big thing, or the next Kenji Siratori at least. Mm, I love your talk about the dialogue. Yeah, I love that kind of talking around talking a lot too. It's a great goal. I try for it a bunch too. Thanks for telling me that. You know how much I love that stuff. My novel's 99% on hold until I get back to Paris. I've opened the doc a few times while here and tried to work, but that heat is too frying. Btw, did you ever hear from Carrie or anyone over there? I ... well, best to talk to you about the stuff privately, I guess. One of the cool things about being in France is I can't understand the hype here enough to fall for it, i.e. re: 'Inception'. I wish DiCaprio wasn't the star. I'm just so kind of totally bored by him these days. ** Frank Jaffe, Awesome about the movies' goodness and about you and David E interlocking your considerable mind powers. Oh, going out for Margaritas ... another classic LA thing. I'm so homesick right now. The Egyptian's terrific, a great place to see movies. Technically, the best place in LA, I'd say. Enjoy that Margarita or two or three for me, man. ** JW Veldhoen, Maybe they were trying to see the label on your outfit because they liked the cut of your jib. ** The Dreadful Flying Glove, I was hoping it would find favor with you, so cool. Lovely Fripp quote, and I didn't know that the sublime Groundhogs used a Mellotron. Wow. Thank you for that, and I'll drift away into it a little later. So hard to pick a favorite Mellotron enhanced track, but I do so love its stuttering in 'We Love You'. Oh, and examples of your 'mellotron' adventures, fuckin' A! I'll get to discover them later, but ... Everyone, The (One and Only) Dreadful Flying Glove tried his hand at mellotron impersonation in his bedroom back in 1999, and the results are surely an absolute must. They're here and here. ** Killer Luka, Oh, well, ahem, that's an instrument of a different color. Well, uh ... oh, why not? Everyone, take your chances if you like with this clip of a young fellow playing with his remotely musical instrument as recommended by, who else, Killer Luka! I'll, err, watch it later. Thanks, KL! ** Misanthrope, I've never seen an open coffin thing, and if I have my way, I never will. Well, of course you volunteered, you big sweetie you. ** Inthemostpeculiarway, Sorry for my very experimental day report yesterday. My place is on Melrose? Hm, oh, I was saying that I even liked 'Melrose Place'. I'm sure I've mentioned that my LA apartment is literally one block from 'Melrose Place', or rather from the building where it was set and whose exterior was used in the show. I probably also mentioned that the same building was where Giles lived in 'Buffy'. Wolf and Tender Prey said they liked the piece, but what are they going to say, right? I think they did, but they'll have to say so for themselves to be sure. I think it's nice that the friend of a friend wanted your advice about Florida. It speaks to your fine character or something. Octopuses are really scary, I agree. And they're supposed to be relatively intelligent, and that's scary too. Things that look like that shouldn't be too intelligent. All of which makes them a very cool species, but, as a pet, I'm with you, nope. My day, if it survives Blogger's weirdness: Well, Gisele and I did two interviews. The first was a live radio interview on France Culture. It was a nightmare for me because there was a woman there who was translating what I said simultaneously, and it totally disoriented me. I literally could not think, and I sounded as vague and stupid as I have ever sounded, not to mention fucking things up by suddenly stopping in the middle of a confused sounding sentence to say, 'This too weird, I can't do this' live on the radio. They stopped asking me questions after that, and I felt ashamed. Then we did the TV interview for Arte. That was okay. They put make-up on us and everything, and the questions were easy, and I think it probably was all right. Then I came back to the theater and met up with our pal Bill for a little while. We had cold drinks in the shade and talked, and it was very cool. Then I came back to the theater, and we did the show. It went really well. We didn't get any boos, and it had the least little technical problems we've had so far. Afterwards, we accepted our kudos and all that, and then Bill and I got a sandwich and ice cream and sat around in the packed main square of Avignon visiting, whereupon I walked him almost all the way to the train station. It was Bastille Day, and the city was completely jammed with people waiting for a free concert and fireworks and stuff. I'd thought earlier about hanging out to watch that, but it was so miserably hot and crowded that I said fuck it and went back to my temporary hovel to sit in the way of my fan and watch the fireworks through my window. Then I sort of slept. One more day of this murdering weather before I get back to Paris where says it's been chilly and raining, which sounds heaven on earth, I tell you. So, that's that. Gimme your Thursday please. ** Math, Yikes about the cramp and the scary new roommates and all that. And, okay, yeah, about the heroin. You know I hate heroin and think it is evil, so ... yeah. I'll just leave it at that. So, are you, like, carrying your laptop with you everywhere you go until further notice or just crossing your fingers? Any chance you can get a new temporary pad any second now? Big love, Math. ** 'Stoopid Slapped Puppies', Hey, Nick. Tell me that you're going to make sure at least one of those performances is videotaped, please? I'd really, really love to see it somehow at some point. I'm very, very glad to hear that the highs and lows are merging and starting to cancel each other out. What with my over-busyness and serious paucity of internet here, I haven't been able to check out your new extended piece. I can not wait to, on my arrival back in Paris if not sooner. Yeah, it would be fantastic if you're interested in having the piece in the blog's Writers Workshop. Of course. You get a huge yes from on that right now. Don't hesitate if the idea continues to interest you. I'm fine, very exhausted from the 12 straight days of furious heat and heavy stress and excitement and all that. Dying to get back to my quiet Paris room where it will mostly be me and my novel again. Take care, my man. ** Little foal, Hi, Darren! So very nice to see you, of course! Things are good here, yeah. It's pretty amazing to work so hard for such a long time to make something and then have it be, I don't know, a big hit, I guess. But I'm pretty pooped too. It's been a long 12 days down here. I'm very pleased to hear the university is cool with the extension. Yeah, that meeting stuff is just like protocol or something usually. And, yeah, don't take customers' weirdness personally. They're just wrapped in their own stuff and using your 'subservient' status as a safe place to unleash it. Excellent haul of books you got there, that's for sure. All right, my friend, you take care today. ** So, I need to go do our last show in a few minutes. Like I said, I'll see you here briefly tomorrow and then more lengthily on Saturday. Please dance your little hearts out at Oscar's soiree today. Or tap your big toes out at least. Gotta go. See ya.
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