EXERCISES IN STYLE

EXERCISES IN STYLE

May 24, 2025 | BOOKS

I read Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in style in the version edited by Stefano Bartezzaghi, Super ET edition by Giulio Einaudi Editore with French text opposite and preface by Umberto Eco, thanks to my colleague.

The first edition dates back to 1947, Éditions Gallimard.

I quote Eco‘s words: an episode of everyday life of disconcerting banality and ninety-nine variations on the theme in which the story is retold by putting all the rhetorical figures to the test.

You surely are very familiar with figures of speech, whereas I, on the other hand, unfortunately have to admit that I learned them with my son while he was studying them.

We both attended a technical institute, off course the syllabuses have changed, but I believe it is also a matter of luck in having the right teachers.

Anyway, delving into language is something that always fascinated me, I was amused to discover how Queneau managed to narrate the same scene in ninety-nine different ways.

Actually the versions would be more, in the course of revisions Queneau added, but also removed, because for him the number had to remain the same: ninety-nine.

Exercises in style but not only that: Bartezzaghi illustrates the number game because everything is a logical balance:
Raymond = 7 letters
Queneau = 7 letters

the second name is also 7 letters = Alfonse

7×7 + 1 7×7

that one in the middle, the same one that is missing to reach a hundred, what do you think it represents?

Exercises in style, but not only that: the inspiration comes from music and more precisely from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations, or thirty variations for harpsichord.

Matatavitatau,  La regina gioiosa:  feel free to add details if you wish.

Exercises in style but not only that: even fantasy, Eco himself defining the Lipogram as the most typical example of “perfectionism” admits the temptation to try to produce twenty-one versions of it, as well as proposing further exercises.

Speaking of lipograms, Luisa is a master, click on the Words and Music and Stories link. 

And you? Are you a perfectionist?

Have I whetted your appetite for style exercises?

Do you remember the nose monologue in Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac?

Which subject/object would you choose instead?

 

SHOUT SONGS

SHOUT SONGS

Mar 9, 2025 | MUSIC, ROCK

Basically, the definition of shout songs refers to the Gospel genre: a strongly rhythmic religious song in the African-American folk tradition, characterised by chants or shouts of response between the leader and the congregation.

Shouts of invocation, we can say of a joyful kind.

However, when I think of shout songs, completely different songs immediately materialise in my mind.

Songs that are irresistible to me, in the sense that when I listen to them, I feel strongly involved and find myself singing with an unequivocally liberating emphasis.

Shouts that drag out a load of emotions.

What is the quintessential shout song in your opinion?

Wandering around the web in search of answers, the song mentioned the most left me somewhat perplexed.

It is actually one of the songs in the index of my Heron Formula, so it has a special meaning for me, but for my vision it does not exactly correspond to the idea of a shout song: Won’t Get Fooled Again – Roger Daltrey – The Who.

What do you think?

Going on a sort of statistics of the most quoted songs, I realised that a high percentage of them are in my index. 

A fluke? Definitely not: obviously it all comes down to my vision of music.

What do you prefer to sing instead?

I know, I should use the verb to listen, but shout songs provides an additional level of involvement.

Speaking of involvement, I also take this opportunity to talk about Emily Armstrong.

shout songs

Her singing screamed a huge responsibility: to get on stage with Linkin Park.

Surely no one considered the thought of a replacement: impossible, but still a huge perplexity remained.

That’s why I appreciated Mike Shinoda’s sentence: the voice of Chester Bennington is you.

We are the voice of those who have left us.

In contrast to the shouting, there are those who have chosen silence, no less than a thousand artists: 1,000 UK Artists. 

shout songs

These 1,000 UK Artists have released a 12-track album entitled Is that what we want?

Here are the titles:
1. The
2. British
3. Government
4. Must
5. Not
6. Legalise
7. Music
8. Theft
9. To
10. Benefit
11. AI
12. Companies

These tracks do not contain any of the thousands of entries among which we can mention Annie Lennox and Kate Bush and represent the artists’ protest against the proposed change in copyright law.

The amendment would allow artificial intelligence companies to create their own products using rights-protected work: music, lyrics, etc., without a licence, effectively favouring the so-called training of algorithms without providing any remuneration for authors.

Silence to communicate.

Shall we also add our voice?

Or perhaps I should say let us also add our shout …

NIRVANA UNPLUGGED

NIRVANA UNPLUGGED

Nov 2, 2024 | BOOKS, MOVIES, BOOKS, MOVIES, MUSIC, MUSIC, ROCK, ROCK

Nirvana unplugged in New York, often known as MTV unplugged is first and foremost a high moment in music history to me.

For our very first chat here on the blog, almost five years ago now, I told you about the cardigan Kurt Cobain wore during the recording of this live show.

Then over time we talked a lot about music but never came back to what is really one of the most important memories for me.

First of all it is the memory of an emotion: the first time I listened to Come as you are without even getting to the end I was convinced that I would never like another song again.

Come as you are is perhaps the only one of Nirvana’s most popular songs, performed even during unplugged, I think precisely because of its characteristic intense intimacy.

But every single song performed during MTV unplugged is beautiful.

The cover of The Man Who Sold the World in my opinion beats even the White Duke.

Where did you sleep last night is poignant to the point of almost materialising Kurt’s suffering.

And then Dumb, About a Girl, Pennyroyal Tea … which is your favourite?

Sadly released posthumously Unplugged in New York with every listen reminds us of the pain and loss of an artist who would now be a grandfather, as his Frances Bean became mother to Ronin at the end of September.

Many tales and anecdotes about 18 November 1993 chase each other all over the place, but what we can all still see is Kurt arriving, and after a simple ‘Good evening’ he introduces About a girl by attacking his guitar ride.

The rest is magic, atmosphere, white flowers, candles, drapes and soft lights, like metaphorical arms that welcome us into an immersion of music and sensations, simplicity and depth at the same time, where everything else is stripped away, the whole world is outside, where all that counts is the lightness of a faint breath destined to fade away but which in reality can only remain engraved in the memory forever.

Extreme vulnerability yet disruptive power.

Nirvana Unplugged is one of the gifts I cherish, it is 30 years old today and yet I’m never tired of listening to it again.

I treasure it along with Kurt Cobain Diaries

Nirvana unplugged

and Montage of Heck, which I saw at the cinema earlier anyway.

Nirvana unplugged

On the off chance that you’ve missed something, I recommend catching up: I find it indispensable to understand the deep torment of a Soul torn between the love of music and the pain of life.

I wish I was like you
Easily amused
Find my nest of salt
Everything is my fault

I’ll take all the blame
Aqua seafoam shame

I WANNA TAKE HUGH THERE

I WANNA TAKE HUGH THERE

Jul 27, 2024 | MOVIES, MOVIES, MUSIC, MUSIC

I wanna take Hugh there … pun inspired by the very famous lyrics of a song that needs no introduction:

When you call my name, it’s like a little prayer
I’m down on my knees, I wanna take you there

Impossibile to listen to this song without singing it, a universal song.

Just as Hugh is universally known.

Also this time I would like to talk about the non-original soundtrack.

Here it is.

I wanna take Hugh there.

What can I say?
A fantastic excursus into pop history.

I mention as an example You’re the One That I Want, itself the soundtrack to a film I have seen countless times in my life.

Grease was the first film with friends in the cinema in the place where I was born, obviously love at first sight.

A movie in which cars take on the role of status symbols for the guys, who process them, use them for drive-ins and also for their ‘dates.’

Lo and behold, even the Deadpool & Wolverine scene with the Grease song playing in the background takes place in a car … still a symbol if you will, but a lame one.

And ‘the encounter’ is still physical and related to friendship, but on the level that characterises the whole film: totally insane.

Friendship and madness mingle as elective affinities between this trio who manage to put together a series of crowd-pleasing situations, not to mention cameos.

The third element is Shawn Levy, who gave us that gem Stranger Things. 

Watch out for those other two: Hugh and Ryan interact like two opposite, colourful halves, just like in this little gadget.

I wanna take Hugh there.

They represent well the passing of time, with the desire to always remain themselves, superheroes or nerds, or both.

And at the first notes of Good Riddance you are left with nostalgia: something umpredictable but it in the end is right.

Would you like to tell me something related to any of the other songs?

You can find them directly on Spotify. 

In both cases the songs appear as per the tracklist on the Disney site which sells the two branded LPs.

There is actually more.

Impossible not to mention Hells Bells … I’ll let you imagine as soon as the first notes start.

And then there’s I wanna take Hugh there …
courtesy of Madonna.

It’s not like it’s a no-brainer.

Ryan Reynolds said in an interview that he didn’t know how to ask for it: ‘what do I do, call up and say hello this is Ryan?’

Apparently that’s exactly what happened, but luckily for him, Madonna’s kids like Marvel superheroes too.

I wanna take Hugh there.

How about you?

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.

Archives

Pin It on Pinterest