THE BARD AND THE QUEEN

THE BARD AND THE QUEEN

Oct 5, 2024 | BOOKS, BOOKS

The Bard and the Queen is the book I received as a gift from my aunt and uncle, written by Paola Zannoner, known for writing many books for children, and published by DeA Planeta.

Paola Zannoner has a WordPress blog and the first thing she says about herself is that she lives in Florence.

I imagine that living in cities of art can confer the privilege of having an immense source of inspiration.

And it is the subject of inspiration that I would like to put to you, starting with this book.

I would say that there is no need to explain what a story entitled The Bard and the Queen could possibly be about.

I don’t know about you, but I have a particular fondness for Shakespeare.

I started reading the bilingual books, remember them? Every page had the text in the language opposite.

Il Bardo e la Regina

Back in the glorious days, which as you know I often quote, finding ways to learn languages was not a click away, and these books offered the possibility of having the translation available simultaneously, a bit like today’s online translators, and I point out ‘just a bit’ 🙂

Given that it is certainly not easy to choose, do you have a favourite work among all that Shakespeare has left us?

The book The Bard and the Queen mentions some of them in the course of our William’s life, explaining how they came about, that is, from the events that one day after another make up what is a person’s journey.

Do you think this is necessarily so?

I mean: can one write well about something one does not know?

Did Shakespeare live in the shoes of his characters?

Reading this book I visualised all the time the faces of the performers in the film Shakespeare in love.

But while my imagination did not particularly run to the faces, this book has in my opinion the merit of being sensory.

Smell.

The writer’s meticulous research focused my attention on the olfactory sense, succeeding in describing the atmosphere of a London that is not usually considered in this respect.

Have you ever read a book that was able to materialise one of the five senses?

I HAVE SEEN HER

I HAVE SEEN HER

Mar 9, 2024 | A COFFEE WITH, WOMEN, MUSIC, MUSIC, A COFFEE WITH, WOMEN

I saw her win it …

And “it” is the BB Global Force award presented by Billboard magazine during the BB Women in music ceremony. 

Global Force as an award given in recognition of a woman in the music industry who has made a significant contribution to the business and who, through her work and continued success, inspires generations of women to take on increasing responsibilities in the field.

The Women in music event celebrates women at the forefront of all fields of music from composers and songwriters to educators and all other music professions.

I saw her …

She needs no introduction: Annalisa, @nali is Global Force.

I did not follow her debut, and the first time I heard of her was in the measure of “good but second best.”

Until during a play organised by the middle school my son attends, a pupil struck me by singing about a blue cat. 

I then went to research and discovered that the song was by Annalisa.

Annalisa who for all these years has continued undaunted to be “good, but in second place”.

And yet there is not a person who does not know her ‘I saw her …’.

Despite having my radio perpetually on the frequency of Virgin, a radio that only plays rock music, without really knowing how or why, I have found the refrain of Mon amour in my head.

And ‘I saw her…’ has officially become part of my way of speaking: when I find myself describing something mixed, tangled, entangled.

Physics graduate Annalisa Scarrone, Nali, teaches us how to chase dreams and show the world the Global Force.

Did you see her win?

I dedicate this photo to Tony: ultimate Katy Perry connoisseur.

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL

Jul 1, 2023 | MUSIC, ROCK, WORLD

Glastonbury Festival is another iconic music event that takes place in the days following the summer solstice. 

Glastonbury is located about an hour from Stonehenge and is famous for the Glastonbury Tor or a hill on which St. Michael’s Tower is located.

 

There are legends about this place that lead back to Avalon, Ynys yr Afalon, the famous island linked to the myth of King Arthur, very exciting indeed.

Glastonbury also stands on a Ley line: a temporary line i.e. one of the lines that virtually connect places of historical significance related to the spiritual sphere.

Glastonbury Festival on the other hand concerns the musical sphere and was born in 1970 from the inspiration of Michael Evis after attending a Led Zeppelin performance.

What can we say … there is to be understood.

Throughout the years there have been memorable performances, difficult even to rank, out of all of them I would like to mention this one

Recently R.E.M. published on their twitter profile five songs taken from their 1999 concert asking their fans to vote for the best among: Loosing my religion, It’s the end of the world as we know it (we have already chatted about this song here)  Everybody hurts, At my most beautiful and Man on the moon. 

Would you know how to choose?
Or do you have your own favorite performance by any other artist?

The Glastonbury Festival is also a case opportunity to indulge in distinctive outfits, but they turn out differently than those sported in the California sunshine for Coachella. 

The British weather calls for raincoats and boots: here is a roundup of looks  among which we can admire Emma Watson. 

How about?
Sun or rain as long as there is good music!

And of course coffee 🙂 

CAT AT THE MET

CAT AT THE MET

May 6, 2023 | FASHION, MUSIC

 

Cat at the Met is the description that came to mind when I saw these images

 

 

on the instant I smiled but then I wondered what prompted Jared Leto to dress up as a cat. 

This is the Met Gala: an event created to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute that over the years has become such a prestigious and coveted event not only in the fashion world that tickets, for those not included on the invitation list, are astronomically priced.

Nevertheless, the Met Gala has a strict rule: no cell phones and consequently no sharing on social media.

This perhaps contributes to the idea of exclusivity that Anna Wintour has built over the years making it an event that some refer to as “the Oscars of fashion.”

As a Meryl fan I inevitably associate Miranda Priestly,  by the way did you see that Andy was actually appearing in the video? 🙂

So back to the cat: Jared Leto was not the only one who wanted to follow the dress code of this edition by paying homage to Choupette, aka Karl Lagerfeld’s cat.

In fact, the Met Gala 2023 was also dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld as a preview of the Costume Institute’s exhibition A line of beauty:  at the Metropolitan Museum from May 5 to July 16.

Undoubtedly dressing up as a cat has made even we in our own small way are talking about it, but beyond that, do you find it a brilliant or irreverent idea?

Do you think this participation added a valuable contribution, or the risk of slipping into style fall?

Can we see it as a touch of irony or can it be a missed opportunity to give a message?

In general I think we all have a great need for levity, certainly we also have to learn from cats.

In the meantime we should maybe convince Jared Leto to be less tea guy 🙂 what do you think?

And maybe even less Cat at the Met.

Joking aside, now that he has felinely got our attention, we expect great things from the new Thirty seconds to Mars album due out on May 8, especially after the statements he made in an interview: listening to Italian 80s music during the filming of the movie House of Gucci  in which Jared played Paolo Gucci, left an important imprint of inspiration because it was able to reach the heart.

How can you blame him?

72 SEASONS

72 SEASONS

Apr 15, 2023 | ROCK

72 Seasons is the title chosen by Metallica for their new album released yesterday and anticipated by a global premiere on Thursday, April 13 at the same time in cinemas around the world.

72 Seasons equals the first eighteen years of life.

The 72 seasons of life before coming of age, before becoming an adult.

James Hetfield said he was inspired by the idea of maturation that occurs during these years reading a book.

None of the interviews I found ever asked what this book was, yet that is the first question I would ever ask, “James what book did you read?”

In general, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo 72 seasons have not been easy, and I think each of us periodically rethink to the 72 seasons period.

For example, I often say that after a carefree childhood, adolescence was a bit of a middle age in its negative sense.

What memories do you have of your 72 Seasons?

Still talking about darkness: James Hetfield reminds us of its importance because without it there would be no light.

I reflected on this concept for the first time precisely during my 72 Seasons ….

Speaking of light, Lux Æterna is the debut single from this album and by associating it with Memento Mori I wondered if these obvious references are a consequence of the historical period in which we are living.

Instead, James Hetfield called Lux Æterna a joyful song and a kind of throwback to the 80s. 

What do you think about this definition?

I personally haven’t decided yet if I completely agree with it, however, I am sure of one thing: the second excerpted track If Darkness had a son is perfect to give a remarkable power.

My son and I listened to it in the morning while we were in the car on our way to school and the office, and we had fun and nice smiling.

Indeed I’m not the only one who gets energy from Metallica, as the Virginia Tech team uses Enter Sandman for pre-game … of course you can’t compare it to aka, but for those without Maori roots and ancestors, the effect is powerful enough, isn’t it?

Aside from coffee, of course, what gets your power?

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