#but i think the italian broadcasters have the best

[ferraris-gf]

need people to tell me more f1 nicknames cuz i think they’re so fun

[sunder-the-gold]

Listen, please understand that people like me are doing our best to see things from your perspective. You are a cis white male living in a deep-red flyover state. I get that you don't exactly have a lot of motivation to support BIPOC or 2SLGBTQ+ people. But you also need to see that we aren't asking you to support us, but at least you could stop helping people who want us dead?

I think the part that confuses me the most is that this shouldn't even be a hard choice. If you want to broadcast what a hardcore rad-trad right-wing ultra conservative you are… Then OKAY I guess?? You do you. But how exactly does reblogging R-slur filled posts from Bronys like r4cs0 and takashi0 help you do that? I would think that reblogging from people who jerk off to clop porn would be the opposite of what a conservative would do!

So all we are asking is that you unfollow and block a group of people who sexually objectify characters from a children's cartoon show. And then you can go back to bragging about how hard you are going to vote for Trump in November. This seems like a win-win to me.

Hey, @r4cs0, @takashi0, you've got cowardly anonymous character-assassins making the rounds.

I haven't even seen or registered r4cs0's name in forever, and I'm fairly sure I haven't reblogged anyone saying the word "retarded".

But God save us from mean words, because the Far Left sure don't restrain themselves from wishing death and rape on anyone who opposes them.

Really hilarious how Anon wrings their hands about other people disapproving of their life-style while turning around and trying to shame you for what they claim is yours.

(It sure wasn't Bronys who made a mockery of the Last Supper at the Paris Olympics. Exchanging Jesus Christ's message of self-sacrifice and forgiveness for Dionysius' debauchery and hedonism.)

Yet I'm supposed to be the conservatively religious bigot, according to Anon! As though what I'm trying to conserve isn't the American tradition of freedom, as laid out in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution.

The same document that Frederick Douglas was also told (by Marxists) was written by rich white slavers to keep the black man down, until Fred actually read the document and spent the rest of his life championing it as the best model by which all men could enjoy legal equality, liberty, and peace.

Anon also doesn't want me to treat non-'white' people poorly, but they want to make absolutely sure that I know that they see me as 'white' and that I should see myself as 'white', too. Who's the racist?

Which 'white'? I've got no Anglo-Saxon or Germanic heritage in my Irish/Italian mix. And that's setting aside how much the Irish-Americans and Italian-Americans hated each other before I came to be, as a fourth-generation unhyphenated American of the USA.

Anon, I only give a shit about my skin color because I biologically cannot gain a tan for any protection from the sun... and because your political cult think I ought to be shamed and punished for the accident of my birth.

I think Europeans demonstrated great capability by conquering the majority of the planet, and if God's not real and there's no truth but Power, then "might-makes-right" is as legitimate a morality as any other.

But God is real so thankfully He used the imperialism of mere mortals to spread His message of mercy and love so far and deep into the anglosphere that appealing to such virtues seems to Anon like a good way to convince people to do what Anon wants.

Those arguments certainly proved good enough in the anglosphere to bring an end to the Western slave trade, while the Islamic slave trade continues to this day in open-air markets in Libya.

Anon should try appealing to those virtues in Islamic nations and see how far it gets them. Maybe as far as the roof and then the short trip back down to ground-level.

How about in China? Try asking the people of Tibet or the Uyghur Muslims about Communist mercy. Ask the people of India and Pakistan how China respects their dependence on the water of the rivers flowing into their borders from China.

[aew-kun-age-regression]

Regressor!Angel Dust Headcannons

A/N - I wrote these at like 3am so please bare with lol. I tried my best to keep mentions of triggering things vague.

Warnings - Although I kept it very vague there is a mention of kink, plus a gun is mention.

Vent regressor all the way.

I think he can switch between regressing quite young, maybe 2-4 and to and older headspace, thinking about 8-10.

He's such a good big brother to Niffty and Charlie when in an older headspace.

I saw this on someone else's Angel Dust Headcannons and I haven't been able to forget about it. Alastor is Angels Caregiver.

If Angels had a hard day, once he's in his room fat nuggets will bring his pacifier to him. (I have a very specific image in mind that I will draw at some point)

When in his younger headspace he prefers to crawl or stay sitting because he's so tall it makes him a little upset as he doesn't feel 'small'

If he is not being supervised he will cause so much chaos with Cherri. Like seriously love her but she would be such a chaotic babysitter.

When regressed his Italian accent becomes more prominent.

He has a pink bunny blanket/plush which he always carries around with him. (Listen if he can carry like 6 guns discreetly, he can carry a plushie. 😌)

^ When I say always I do mean always, even when he's not regressed.

For some reason I see him and regressed!Vaggie not getting on. Constant bickering.

Angel likes to tease her

Gets Husk to read him bedtime stories. (This is literally just based on the fact that I think Keith David's voice is very calming)

Absolutely loves art and crafts. Loves mess. If that mess interferes with him (paint getting on him) he will cry, he hates that.

Everyone struggles to give him rules. They cannot say no to him- Alastor is able to establish some basic ones but even he struggles. (He will not admit that by the way.)

Angel has to be reminded to watch his language about 100 times a day.

This kid needs naps. He will say he doesn't, he's lying.

When in his younger headspace will gladly sit quietly with Alastor I'm his radio tower whilst Alastor broadcasts something. Angel likes hearing Alastor talk in the background as he plays with some toys quietly.

2-4 age range -> calm little one.

8-10 age range -> the most chaotic little gremlin there is.

Him and Sir Pentious get on surprisingly well when regressed.

He is very (understandably) defensive over regression and it not all all being aligned with kink. He will get angry at anyone who even thinks otherwise.

Loves teethers!!!

He doesn't like hugs unless he initiates it. (The exception to this is Charlie and Niffty)

↑ to be fair though he is normally happy to do so, he loves cuddles.

He has such a sweet tooth-

Husk keeps a pink sippy cup behind the bar at all times for him. (Apple juice is normally the go to drink)

Most of his Regression stuff is packed away until he wants it. (Toys are in a toy chest ect)

He periodically gets self conscious and guilty over his regression. Alastor or Husk will have to sit and talk to him so he knows it's okay and he's allowed to just be small.

[pigeonrobespierre]

Soo today I decided to look further into whathever happened to the I Giacobini screenplay - buckle in, I did my best to include as much info as I could find!!

"I Giacobini" (the jacobins) is an Italian screenplay from 1962 based on Federico Zardi's homonymous drama and it is, as of today, a lost media.

The cause for the disappearance of the screenplay from the RAI (Italian national public broadcasting company) archives is either reconduced to the lack of care for the preservation of medias at the time or to the theory which believes the cause to be due to political circumstances.

According to Wikipedia (eh):

...while Italy was in the hands of the Democrazia Cristiana, RAI for the first time broadcast to the public a screenplay «practically entirely aligned with the left and in which Robespierre doesn't come off as a bloody monster but rather like a Che Guevara of reason»

The Democrazia Cristiana or DC (Christian Democracy) was a centrist christian democratic political party in Italy.

The screenplay became largely appreciated by the public, as well as receiving praises from Palmiro Togliatti, exponent of the PCI (Italian communist party) - which happens to be one of the DC 's political opponents at the time.

(source)

Palmiro Togliatti on "Rinascita" wrote that television was bringing a change, since «for the first time it brought a representation of the French revolution inside Italian households»

I went ahead and looked through the archives of Rinascita but found this.

Here I found Togliatti's comment on the screenplay - the below image is a section of it:

The screenplay I Giacobini can be considered an important event of national culture. [...] What matters is that for some weeks a few billions of Italians, have seen and have had in front of their minds a revolution, have been brought to think about about it and to discuss it, seeing it as a political, social and human conflict.

It's then necessary to understand the political contexts of the time both within and outside of Italy:

(source)

...In 1962, under the threat of the cold war, a few months before the Cuban Missile Crisis, a screenplay remarked positively by the leader of a communist party in a NATO country could've raised any kind of reaction.

Thus, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the screenplay is believed to be caused by some archivist involved with the democristian party.

While this is widely believed to be the reasoning behind it there's not much clear evidence and it's likely impossible to investigate since so much time has passed.

About the screenplay: it was broadcast in 6 episodes, of 90 minutes each, between 11th March - 15th April of 1962 (with a rerun in 1963 after which the tapes disappeared).

It originally featured La Marseillaise, La Carmagnole and Ça ira as well as 4 songs produced for the theater play by Gino Negri.

Audio Recording

In 2012 a man came forward with a (illegally) recorded copy of the audio from the screenplay and sent it over to the Rai archives. The studio managed to recover and digitalize the audios of the six episodes - sadly the video recording is still missing.

Funnily enough, the archive page on which the audios were supposedly made public is gone as of today - but I have found YouTube uploads here: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Also here's a doc that wast broadcast on Italian television on the 11th March of 2012, in honor of the 50 years since the first run of the screenplay - (it's in Italian, if anyone's interested I'll gladly sub it/provide a translation)

In short - bless that viewer for pirating the audio in 1962 and lots of hate to whoever lost the tapes..

Maybe I Giacobini was the friends we made along the way 🍊

[blorbocedes]

nico and jenson are legit some of the best f1 commentators/pundits/analysts around. nico is genuinely one of the few f1 pundits in the world who isn't afraid to point things out that teams/drivers might be uncomfortable with. the italian broadcast is always better when he's on it, and for all that people (including other presenters) are like 'haha nico's here to cause fights' he is one of the few people who has the experience and knowledge to properly discuss a topic/situation. so many of the others rely on what the teams are telling them and obviously that's biased. him calling out toto for the merc front wing flexing too much and then asking christian when they're going to have the front wing banned as payback was iconic. his analysis is always so unbiased, i love that he doesn't give a fuck who he might be upsetting, he calls it how it is. so many of the others are too biased to a team or a driver. think karun chandok trying to explain how it was max's fault that lewis missed the apex and took him out at silverstone

come kiss me anon.......

toto: we have paid well for so many years and you're setting us up???

nico: wait lemme stand between you two...

also here's nico explaining to karun what's up re:silverstone. my based commentary king

[aghostrandom]

W.I.T.C.H., interview with the creators

Some time ago, I made a post about "the original Elyon being a guardian," and since everyone was confused, I thought I'd translate the interview from which I read this information.

I don't know if someone else has already done it, but since I didn't find anything online, I decided to do it myself. I will translate the entire interview with the help of an online translator and a friend of mine.

Just remember that this interview was published in April 2021, marking 20 years since the release of the first volume.

Enjoy!

Here the original link in italian: https://heroica.it/w-i-t-c-h-20-anni-barbucci-canepa-intervista/

It is April 3, 2001 when Italian newsstands are hit by a small earthquake, which will soon transform into a hurricane...

The first issue of W.I.T.C.H. is released, a comic magazine that will shatter every sales record in a matter of months, embarking on a quest to conquer the world.

It all begins in Milan, at the headquarters of Walt Disney Company Italy, with an intuition of the then-director of the company's women's periodicals, Elisabetta Gnone, and the talent of two young artists, Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa, whom I have interviewed for you.

Interview with Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa

Let's start from the origins: How was W.I.T.C.H. born?

Alessandro Barbucci: It was 1997, Sailor Moon was still fresh in everyone's memory [the last series had been broadcast in Italy between March and May of that year, editor's note]. And then there were the Spice Girls...

"Sailor Moon was ironic, arrived at the right moment; the Spice Girls were five purely pop characters, worthy of a cartoon - during that period, we were big fans, we even went to see the movie in the cinema!" Alessandro revealed to me.

Elisabetta Gnone, who was then in charge of the women's periodicals at Walt Disney Company Italy, had a great intuition: she realized that there was a missing product for teenage girls, an audience segment that had never been considered by the major company before. When thinking about teenagers, one couldn't ignore what was happening in pop culture at that moment...

Barbara Canepa: During that period, a passionate fanbase for manga was beginning to take shape. it was clear how this new language was able to respond to the tastes and needs of teenagers - not just boys, but girls as well!

In fact, up until that moment, it was believed that girls didn't read comics. It was precisely with shoujo manga (like Sailor Moon, but not only) that this belief began to falter.

Canepa: Exactly. I had already been an avid manga reader since the days of Candy Candy: we're talking about 1986 when Mondadori released the first monthly editions at newsstands. I started reading my first manga at the age of 12, and at 16, I saw Akira (1988) for the first time in theaters. In fact, I was the one who got Alessandro passionate about this style, even though he already had some knowledge of it. We felt that the language of manga was the best way to visually "tell" this story.

Barbucci: Initially, I proposed girls in a steampunk, military style. I was a big fan of Tank Girl by Hewlett and Martin.

In my mind, Hay Lin had already existed for a long time: I had been drawing her since high school, but she was a punk with military boots," Alessandro revealed to me.

Elisabetta Gnone told me that the concept was considered too "masculine," so she proposed the idea of the five witches, which directly connected us to manga. Some people at Disney Italy were afraid that, given the theme, it would veer into Satanism, but their greatest fear was the manga-style big eyes!

Canepa: For them, it was inconceivable to publish a comic even vaguely inspired by manga, which at that time were their direct competitors in the market.

Barbucci: At one point, they considered investing in the relaunch of Daisy Duck by introducing our five characters as anthropomorphic animals. It was an attempt to somehow connect with the Disney universe.

Canepa: Yes, exactly. The project was called Daisy D. and it was intended for the monthly magazine Minnie Mag. The story featured Daisy Duck as a private investigator, accompanied by our W.I.T.C.H. characters, who in this version would have had snouts and gloves, just like Minnie and Mickey! I still have the first page done in watercolors, as we wanted to make it like the pages of Paperinik's Trip...

The scriptwriter, Ilaria Isaia, revealed to me that the inspiration for Daisy D. came from the success of "Minnie and the Magnificent Five," a story published in Minnie & Company in 1993. It featured Minnie in the role of an investigator, solving a mystery connected to five girls. Daisy D. wouldn't have been very different: "It revolved around Daisy Duck as an investigator, called by her friend to investigate mysterious events happening in a college attended by five students with magical powers," explains Ilaria.

Barbucci: Fortunately, nothing came of it.

Canepa: We were well aware that a story starring Daisy Duck wouldn't resonate with teenagers. We needed five normal girls that the readers could identify with...

Barbucci: So, the W.I.T.C.H. characters returned to being human.

For Will's design, Alessandro Barbucci Alessandro Barbucci was also inspired by "Alita" (1990) by Yukito Kishiro.

The graphic style of W.I.T.C.H., while drawing inspiration from manga, remains a hybrid of the West and the East. It doesn't stray too far from certain Disney characters, starting with Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" (1989).

Barbucci: I can tell a funny anecdote about this! As we mentioned, Disney Italy opposed W.I.T.C.H. in every way possible: they particularly disliked those manga-style big eyes. Together with Elisabetta Gnone, we came up with a game, a kind of bet with the top executives of Disney Italy. I drew a series of eyes, including manga characters, Disney characters, and our W.I.T.C.H. characters. Only the eyes were visible, nothing else. "Since you have so much to say about these manga eyes, guess which ones belong to the W.I.T.C.H. characters!" That was the bet: they could no longer complain. Well, they were wrong: they chose the eyes of Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" (1989), the protagonist of the Italian magazine of the same name, directed by Elisabetta herself, and successfully published by them for years. They didn't take it well...

Indeed, Ariel broke the Disney graphic conventions with the proportions of her face.

Barbucci: It was a "graphic shock," something that had never been seen in Disney until that moment. It was certainly a step towards manga aesthetics, with these very large eyes that we later found in the design of many subsequent characters, from Belle and Jasmine to Anna and Elsa.

We remember that you and Barbara worked on the magazine "The Little Mermaid" in the 1990s, just before W.I.T.C.H. started. In the covers drawn and colored by Barbara, I can already perceive some hints of manga style. Was it intentional?

Canepa: Absolutely yes! At that time, I bought Japanese magazines like Newtype and Animage to get inspiration. In one of the illustrations I made, there's Ariel with a straw hat: I think I took inspiration from an image of Nadia from "The Secret of Blue Water" (1990-91), or maybe from some other cover. The close-up of the face, as well as the fluttering leaves [like flowers in shoujo manga, editor's note], the pose of a model on the cover of a fashion magazine... it was all too innovative and "manga" for Disney Italy at that time, which often had something to say about my work! Even before W.I.T.C.H...

The scan on the left is taken from the website www.onlyshojo.com.

Walt Disney Company Italy didn't want anything to do with W.I.T.C.H., as we mentioned. What made them change their minds?

Barbucci: We worked on it secretly for at least a year, even at night. Then, finally, a ray of light... At the time, the main headquarters of Disney would send representatives around to other offices to find out what was being done in the rest of the world. Elisabetta was lucky to come across an American manager who was a big fan of Wicca. [Secretly from the top management, editor's note], she presented W.I.T.C.H. to him: he fell in love with it and financed the project, ordering Walt Disney Company Italy to proceed with its production.

Concept art created by Barbucci and Canepa between 1998 and 1999. Notice the homage to Minnie in the first illustration!

Images provided by W.I.T.C.H. Italia.

The project then gets underway. How did you divide the work?

Canepa: It's hard to say. Officially, Elisabetta wrote the plot, Alessandro created the character design, and I took care of the color and atmosphere. In reality, the three of us worked together on the concept, characters, and the world they would inhabit. We drew inspiration from our personal lives when creating these five girls. The city of the W.I.T.C.H., Heatherfield, is a mix between our hometown of Genoa and San Francisco, which we had visited together. Will shares my birthdate, while Elyon shares Alessandro's. At the time, I was a big fan of frogs, just like Will! Cornelia's cat is named Napoleon, just like mine - I also gave the same name to Elisabeth's cat, the protagonist of the first volume of END, the comic I created with Anna Merli. For Hay Lin's restaurant, we were inspired by a small Chinese "hole in the wall" where we often ate near our apartment in Milan... In short, W.I.T.C.H. was built and conceived based on our personal experiences: friends, memories from adolescence, and more.

Based on these characterizations, I created the character profiles that you can find in the first five issues of the magazine, as well as some internal editorials.

The character of Irma is inspired by Barbara Canepa in terms of design and personality, while Will is inspired by Elisabetta Gnone: with her, she shares an introverted personality and the detail of touching his hair when she is embarrassed.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Elisabetta chose the ethnicities and names of the girls, coming up with the acronym W.I.T.C.H., while Alessandro created the symbols of the Guardians. To draw the Heart of Kandrakar, Alessandro was inspired by a pendant, a unique piece that I was very attached to and still possess to this day!

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Lastly, I'll reveal something you may not know: I was the one who designed the Witch's transformed costumes! I remember when Elisabetta jokingly scolded Alessandro, telling him to draw them less provocatively... (laughs). As for their everyday costumes, Alessandro created them, often drawing inspiration from his and our friends.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Another significant responsibility of ours was to form a team of artists who would work on W.I.T.C.H. alongside us. In fact, Alessandro and I couldn't have done it all by ourselves: W.I.T.C.H. was becoming a massive and important project, especially since it would be released on a monthly basis! Therefore, we conducted courses at the Disney Academy: Alessandro taught how to draw the Witch, while I taught manga techniques, coloring, and graphic design.

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

Did you encounter any other issues with Disney Italy during the production?

Canepa: There were some controversies, but at that point, the project was already underway. There were several delays, actually: the first issue was supposed to be released on Halloween in 2000. I remember that they criticized the covers: they didn't like the white background, and in the first cover, they didn't like the difference in proportions between Will and the others, which is another typical graphic characteristic of manga.

Barbucci and Canepa created the first five covers of W.I.T.C.H. and the corresponding chapter opening pin-ups.

You create the comic of the first issue: On the third page, there's a very intense panel with Will partially nude (without nipples); she appears like that later during the Sailor Moon-style transformation as well. These are not erotic images, but they certainly deviate from the Disney style. Did you face any issues regarding this?

Barbucci: Strangely, no. Maybe they had already given up at that point...

Scans by poochieandotherfriends.it

You left the project after the sixth issue. What happened?

Barbucci: The back and forth with Disney to bring W.I.T.C.H. to newsstands was incredibly exhausting. By the year 2000, we were drained from the continuous meetings, discussions, and delays... Moreover, both Elisabetta and we had realized our potential as authors. She was the first to leave: she left the world of magazines to fulfill her dream of becoming a novelist. And she succeeded greatly, as a few years later, she created the Fairy Oak series of novels, which sold millions of copies worldwide! Barbara and I were already in contact with various French and American publishers. In France, they allowed us to express ourselves artistically in a completely free way. It felt like a dream! There were so many things we wanted to talk about, things that weren't even proposable in Disney: sex, religion, politics... Sky Doll was born during this period. Furthermore, there were legal disagreements with Disney regarding the moral rights of the Witch characters. In short, after a few years with the multinational company, it was time for us to move on to other things. We needed a change of scenery!

The story you had in mind for W.I.T.C.H. was different from what we later read in the issues after your departure?

Canepa: Yes, it was darker, introspective, and more complex. It was a glimpse into teenage life presented through five very different girls. The plot had different layers of interpretation, including ecological aspects. It was certainly closer to manga in terms of themes: there was more focus on the girls' personal lives, their adolescent struggles. There wasn't a clear division between good and evil: the girls would be drawn to the Metaworld and tempted to join, crossing over to the other side of the barricade. Elyon would be the first to succumb, but they would all do so to some extent, even fighting against themselves.

Moreover, the Metaworld was a fascinating place, a natural paradise that was quite different from the medieval setting that Disney eventually created. At the heart of it all was the concept of growth and transformation, which is so dear to adolescence: the girls would have had the ability to transform into fantastic animals! Like teenagers who find themselves caught between childhood and adulthood, the W.i.t.c.h. would have been caught between two worlds, remaining trapped in one or the other, by choice or against their will. It wasn't always clear...

The W.I.T.C.H. transform into adult versions of themselves, adhering to the main theme of many majokko ("magical girl") anime.

Even Elyon, who in the version you have read is the princess of Meridian, was a very different character in our story. She was the Guardian of the Metaworld and had powers related to time, wild nature, and death. She would have tried to bring the other girls to the dark side and then redeem herself: in the last issue, she would have sacrificed herself to save the lives of her friends.

In W.I.T.C.H. #2, you can perceive some traces of the original Elyon, who at a certain point addresses the girls repeating, "Come to me, come to me..." as if trying to lead them to the dark side.

I transferred her main power, the ability to "bestow" death, to the protagonist of END, Elizabeth: with this character, I have done and will do everything that I couldn't do with Elyon, who was initially supposed to have white hair like her.

Barbucci: What was actually realized was a harmless mythology, closer to fairy tales and therefore to the Disney style. There is no mention of witches anymore... We would have focused on a more New Age aesthetic, with references to Wicca, which was very popular in those years.

After leaving W.I.T.C.H., you left Italy for France, from where you embarked on various successful projects, with Sky Doll first. It can be said that you found your dimension and creative freedom. Now that 20 years have passed, what is your relationship with W.I.T.C.H.?

Canepa: It's needless to say that the bond has always been very strong and still is today. It was our own creation for a long time: seeing it succeed worldwide brought joy, but also suffering because we felt disconnected from it.

Barbucci: It was a love-hate relationship, but I must say that it gave me the greatest satisfaction of my life: seeing dolls of the characters I drew being sold in supermarkets!

Some sketches made by Alessandro Barbucci at the beginning of 2021, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of W.I.T.C.H.

Canepa: After twenty years, perhaps it can be said that we have made "peace" with what happened. The hardships we endured have now drifted away with the wind, and that's how it should be. Today, I can talk about W.I.T.C.H. with more tranquility, almost with tenderness. For many years, I didn't even want to face it. Initially, leaving Italy helped, but then W.I.T.C.H. reached France and the rest of the world. Over time, this forced me to look at it with more "serene" eyes, so to speak. If I hadn't left W.I.T.C.H., I would never have created Sky Doll and END, and perhaps I would have never become the director of a French series that, today, celebrates nearly 100 books 12 years after its creation. Destiny, then? I believe so. Fate wanted to take something away from me to give me something else. In hindsight, I truly believe there was a magical thread in all of this... or rather, a true witch's touch! There is a happy ending to it all: today, history reminds us that we are the true creators of W.I.T.C.H. The readers know it, and so do industry professionals. Even Disney, in the end, acknowledged us. Every now and then, Elisabetta, Alessandro, and I talk and, laughing, we say, "What if we got back together and remade W.I.T.C.H. in our own way?" In any case, this remains and will always be the most important project of my life. And to have touched so many hearts around the world... well, there's nothing more beautiful and satisfying. So, thank you all. I was happy to give you these five girls.

For Women's Day 2021, Barbucci drew again the famous pinup from the first issue, Halloween.

Current and Future Projects

Alessandro Barbucci His most recent work is "Le Sorelle Grémillet" where he returns to portraying teenage girls ("it's a bit like how I would have liked to create W.I.T.C.H. back then, but it wasn't possible"). Additionally, Alessandro continues to work on "EKHÖ" and other projects. Follow his Instagram and Facebook to stay updated!

Barbara Canepa For over 12 years, Barbara Canepa has been the editorial director of the Metamorphose series for the French publisher Group Delcourt, with over 100 published books. She has several projects in the works, including "MINA's Diary," where she will serve as the writer, while Isabella Mazzanti will handle the artwork and coloring. The work is a free interpretation of Stoker's Dracula, introducing a new way of conceiving vampires. For the past two years, she has been finishing the writing of 12 volumes of a new jeunesse series, "GREENWOOD," aimed at rediscovering and respecting nature to the fullest. Stay updated on her activities by following her on Instagram and Facebook!

[anniesannex]

You’re so Art Deco

Chapter three

Hey I’m sorry I was gone for a bit but I’m back and I have chapter three!

“So this is the titular Johnny Cage.” Grace smirked as she leaned against the counter.

“You must be (Y/n)’s roommate.” Johnny out stretched his hand as Grace shook it. “Johnny Cage, but you probably already knew that.”

“Grace, and she’s my best friend so you better treat her right.”

“Will do Grace!” He turned to look at you. “You ready to go, Doll?”

“Of course.” He held out his arm as you took it and he led you outside of your dorm building. “Nice car.”

“Thanks Doll. It’s a 1993 BMW 325i convertible. I found it at a junkyard right before I got famous and fixed it up in my spare time ever since.” He opened the door for you as you stepped into the car.

“My daddy always said you don’t want a red, white or black car. White and black because it’s hard to keep clean and red because it gets pulled over more often. Which I learned later wasn’t true.”

“Is that so Doll?” He turned the keys in the ignition. Starting the car and driving off. “What I meant to say up in your dorm is you look gorgeous.”

“Thank you Johnny, I thrifted most of this outfit actually. The only things that I bought first hand are the hair clip, the shoes and the earrings I’m borrowing from Grace.”

“They’re nice. Where are they from?”

“Vivienne Westwood. We both have loved her since we were thirteen. Her parents are more well off then mine so she got a lot of Vivienne which meant I got to borrow a lot of it.”

“I understand. Is there a store in LA?” Johnny asked, genuinely curious.

“I think there is, why?”

“No reason.” Johnny paused. “We’re almost to the restaurant.” You were humming a tune you liked on the radio.

“Oh sick. I love Italian food. It reminds me of when Grace and I would help her Nona cook. I enjoyed it.”

“So you like to cook I see?” Johnny inquired.

“Are you kidding?!” You smiled. “I love it! Sometimes I wished that’s what I majored in.”

“What are you majoring in?”

“Communications and Broadcasting. It’s basically like being a film major but more exhausting and you’re more insufferable.” You laughed. He chuckled with you as he turned into the restaurant. As he backed up to park, he put his hand on your seat and you felt your cheeks flush. “You’re better at parking than I am to say the least. Last time I tried to do that I just gave up and parked a mile away.”

“I’ll have to teach you then.” Johnny smiled as he got out to open your door and help you out. “Damn Doll, Monica Bellucci has nothing on you.”

“Thank you so much Johnny.” He walked with you to the door, opening it as you walked into the place and up to the host stand.

“I’m sorry Miss we’re not taking any-oh Mr. Cage! Right this way!” The host led you two to a table as Johnny pulled out your chair for you.

“And to think people say chivalry is dead.” You smiled as you sat down.

“For someone as gorgeous as you are, I’d move the sun if it was bothering you.” Johnny sat down as her stared at you. “So what do you want to drink?”

“Mind if I get a martini?”

“That’s a very sophisticated drink.” Johnny commented. “I like that.”

“Thank you.” You commented as you read the menu.

“Hi my name is Blair, what would you too like to drink?!” A young girl came up to you two.

“Hi Blair. She’s gonna have a Martini and I’ll do whiskey in the rocks.”

“Okay great I’ll be right back with those!”

“So Johnny are you working on anything right now?”

“I just got the script for a new movie but it’s nothing I’ve ever done before.”

“Really what type of movie is it?”

“It’s a romance.”

“Oh, what is it about?”

“It’s about a set of spies, who hate each other having to do a mission together. So there’s still gonna be action but it’s also gonna be a romance.”

“That’s really cool! I’ll have to check it out when it’s out.” You continued to scan the menu before setting on the lemon ricotta pasta.

“So what are you doing in your classes?”

“Right now I’m taking Art history, Radio and Podcasting, psychology, and cinema history.”

“Oh Radio and podcasting? That’s interesting! Do you enjoy it?” Johnny asked as you grinned.

“It’s so much fun! One of the things I do is I’m the night DJ, luckily all of my tracks are prerecorded or else I’d never leave the station.”

“Yeah I bet.” Johnny chuckled as he looked over you again. “You have such beautiful eyes.”

“You’re really too sweet Johnny.”

“So do you guys know what you want to eat?” Blair asked as she put the drinks down.

“I’ll just have the lemon Ricotta Pasta.” You smiled at her.

“Oh that sounds good! I’ll have the same.” You and Johnny both handed her back the menus. You took a sip of your drink as you started into his blue eyes. “So tell me more about yourself (y/n).”

“Well Grace and I are New Yorkers, we’ve been friends since we were kids, I’m twenty-three, I love cats, I like to read and watch films and television, I like drinking coffee, I love to cook, I love fashion, I have a younger sister, my parents are divorced, and I love music. What about you Johnny?”

“Well I’m from Venice Beach, I also like to read, and also like to watch films and television, I love to act, I’m an only child, I love martial arts, I love cars especially fixing them up, it was something I picked up in childhood, I also love music, I’ve been divorced twice, I have a daughter, I like drinking coffee too, and I’m more of a dog person, but cats are cool.” You listened intently as he told you about himself.

“You know how to fix up cars? My one friend’s dad was a mechanic, I always wanted him to teach me so I can become a car girl.”

“(Y/n) I could teach you, if you’d like. Depending on what car you have and what year it is, it should be easy.” Johnny seemed to be opening up more. “So you and Grace have been friends since you guys were kids?” Johnny Leans in, as he looks deeply into your eyes you can tell he is listening intently.

“Yeah of course, we’ve been best friends since we were five! I genuinely don’t know what I would do without her.”

“I can tell she also feels the same.”

The two of you continued to chat as you sipped on your drinks.

“Here’s your food you guys!” Blair dropped off your food. You guys were so focused on your conversations that you had forgotten you had even ordered. “Sorry about that wait.”

“Thank you Blair.” You both said in unison. “You’re totally fine.”

“Just let me know if you need anything else.”

“We will.” Johnny smiled at her. “You ready to eat? This looks so good.”

“I’m so ready to eat.” You picked up you fork and slowly started to eat. “This is really good.”

“You’re right (y/n), this is really good.” You two ate as he asked you questions. “Do you like to travel?”

“I’d love to if I ever have the money to. I have so many places I want to go to.” You answered honestly. “What about you Johnny?”

“Oh I love to travel. When Cassie was little and I had to film overseas, I’d always bring her something back.”

“That’s really sweet. I’m sure she appreciated them.” You smiled at the thought of him gifting his daughter little things for her to have. “My one friend studied abroad in France. I would’ve loved to go but my dad was sick at that time.”

“I’m sorry (y/n). One day I’ll have to take you to France. Do you know french?”

“I know some. I took it in high school. But I’m rusty.” You two chuckled. “Do you speak any other languages.”

“I know French. And the tiniest bit of Japanese.” Johnny gazed in your eyes again. He seemed to be enjoying the moment. “Do you know any other languages?”

“Well I know some Italian from Grace’s Nona. She’s from Italy.” You paused as you took a bite. “I can read it better than I can speak it though. All her recipe cards are in Italian.”

“Well being able to read in a language is important. I’m impressed, Doll.”

As you guys finished your meal Blair came to your table, her red hair shining in the candlelight.

“Do you guys need anything else or do you want the check?” She asked, brightly.

“Do you want anything else, Doll?”

“I’m fine, but if you want something else I’ll split it with you.” You replied.

“Okay we’ll just take the check. Thank you so much Blair.” Johnny spoke to her. “We really appreciate it.”

“It’s not a problem and I’ll get the check!” She smiled as she walked away. A few moments later she came back with the check and some of those mint chocolate candies. “Here’s this. Have a good night you too!”

“Thank you Blair, have a good night too.” You both smiled at her. Johnny pulled out his card and placed it in the booklet. As you popped one of those candies into your mouth.

“Johnny, I can cover my half. It’s fine.” You fished for your card in your purse.

“(Y/n) I’m not going to let you do that.” Johnny looked up at her.

“Okay if you insist.” You let him cover the check. “If you want I can cover the tip if you want.”

“I got it too.” He smiled as he pulled out what looked to be three hundred dollars.

“Wow, you’re a good tipper too. You can’t get any better.”

“She’s nice, plus I used to be server at one point so I understand the struggle.” Johnny laughed.

“Don’t remind me.” You groaned. “I do not want to think about that right now.”

“So are you a server now or were you at one point?” Johnny asked.

“Yes. It’s awful.” You laughed as he chuckled.

“I understand. I’ll have to book a reservation in your section one night.”

“Oh god. I look so different at work than I do now.” Blair picked up the check as you spoke. “Thank you Blair.”

“Really? I bet you still look gorgeous.”

“Please I look awful at work.”

“I don’t believe that.” Johnny stated. Blair placed down the check again and he put the $300 under his glass. “Have a good night Blair.”

“You too Mr. Cage!” He smiled as he wrapped his arm around your waist.

“So Doll, wanna come back with me and split a bottle of wine?”

“I’d like that.” You spoke as he opened the door for you.

“Then let’s go!” He walked you to his car, opening the door as you got in.

“Thank you Johnny.” He shut your door and jogged over to his side.

“It’s no problem. Anything for you (y/n).” Johnny got into the driver’s seat. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah I should text Grace real quick though.”

‘Hey Pookie! I’m going back to Johnny’s for a bit.’

‘Okay Pooks, have fun. ;)’

‘I will!’

Johnny pulled out of his spot and began driving. One hand on the wheel and the other holding yours.

“Would you want to help me run lines too?”

“Sure. I do have to let you know I’m not winning best actress this year.”

“I think you could, (y/n).” Johnny spoke as he continued to drive. Sometime later you pulled up to his place. It was just as extravagant as you I thought it would be.

“You have a nice house.”

“Thanks Doll.” Johnny parked in his garage and led you into his home.

“Mind if I take my shoes off?” You asked “I Grew up in a shoes-off household.”

“Go ahead, I was just about to ask if you would.”

“I remember when I lived with my mom, she’d said to me ‘bitch don’t wear no shoes in my goddamn house!’ I still live by that.”

“Is your dorm shoes off?”

“Of course!” You chuckled as he walked into his wine cellar.

“Do you prefer red, white, or rosé?” Johnny asked, looking through the bottles.

“Red is perfect!”

“Red it is.” Johnny came out with an expensive looking bottle of wine. “Let’s pop this open and we can start running lines.

“Okay, prefect!” You smiled as he poured you a glass.

“I’ll explain the scene we’ll be practicing. It’s a scene I’ve had trouble with on my own.” Johnny poured his own bottle. “You will be reading for the character, Olive and I will be reading for my character, Theo. We’re spies who hate each other and in this scene you are angry at me because I might have compromised the mission.”

“Okay I can do that.” You smiled as he handed you the script. “So I just read for Olive?”

“Yes.”

“Okay awesome.” You paused as you scanned your lines for the first time. “I can do this.”

“Let me know when you’re ready.” Johnny smiled at you.

“I’m ready.” You smiled back at him before your expression changed. “I cannot Believe you Theo!”

“Of course you don’t.” Johnny rolled his eyes. “It’s always what you want.”

“Theo, you might’ve just compromised our mission! For what? Some girl you wanted to sleep with?!”

“Maybe if you didn’t act like you hated my touch this would be easier!”

“We’re supposed to be pretending we’re married! And that does NOT say that we’re a happy monogamous couple!” You paused to breathe. “I mean Theo, did you think?!”

“You know what Olive?!”

“What?!” You were taken by surprise when Johnny kissed you. Pulling away you stared at him, a pinkish color graced his cheeks.

“I’m sorry (y/n).”

“It’s okay. Do you like want me to go?” You paused, grabbing your phone. “I can like call an Uber. Or something..”

“No, please stay.” You kissed him back.

“Okay. I will.”

[mays-corner]

(This post is a bit random so if you get it you get it if you don't get it it's fine)

It's 2024. I should be going to the disco, which I dislike.

Instead, I decided to hyperfixate on a Welshman.

One thing that baffles me to this day, and trust me it has happened more than once, is has anyone ever tried to protest at least a bit to still have Matt as John? Did no one try hard enough? Or have the attempts failed?

I mean-

I'm a newer fan (even with content crumbs I am a fan) still, so I can't be sure, but I'm amazed that in all these years that have passed, no one ever did anything, and now he can't even play Constantine (I think).

And now, the only role I've seen is him dubbing John 💀

Ignoring this discourse about John, I've decided to search for other roles, movies, and series, and what I've found was interesting, to say the least.

I am becoming passionate about him for various reasons. Other than wanting to revive pre-pandemic activities, I have noticed a pattern: I enjoy searching for things that I only watch. These are some thoughts I had about some things I could not find in Italy:

Hard to find (for example, I'm still searching for "The Halcyon," and the funniest thing about this is that in Italy, it was shown on TV (on an RAI channel, RAI is an Italian broadcaster) during 2017 and it's not available on their platform.

Region-locked content (the DCAU being region-locked is such a crime; we only have House of Mystery, and that's it) or even trying to watch a simple cameo when the entire series is region-locked (the Harley Quinn one). However (and this is good news), while searching for Away (one of his movies to watch), I found Tubi and used a free VPN. It was slow, but it worked, and I watched it.

Expensive (I paid Assassin's Creed Black Flag in installments, so that wasn't expensive, but still...)

It was a play, so they haven't recorded it, but to see and better understand the role he played (in this case, read), I read Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, and it was still effective.

Not even available on Chili (an Italian streaming platform on which you can rent or buy movies), the title only appears but is not available for streaming (lol).

Using Vinted or secondhand shops in general (it’s not the best time for me to go fully secondhand, but I suppose I could find some things there).

At the moment, I've watched just what I could easily find without resorting to piracy (which is ironic, since in Assassin's Creed Black Flag, Matt voices Edward Kenway, a pirate.).

In this list of things I could easily find, we have:

Constantine (thanks to another fan)

Criminal Minds/Criminal Minds Suspect Behavior (I had Disney Plus for a month, so I've watched it from there)

Flypaper, Adverse (Prime Video)

Arrow (Prime video)

Legends of Tomorrow (Netflix and Mediaset infinity)

House Of Mystery (Amazon prime, you have to rent it but still)

While writing this I found that "Layer cake" is on Sky, which I have and Now TV too.

Pocket Money (While watching it I just understood two words out of an entire short and I'm a c2 in English 💀)

Away, Wild Decembers, Armistice, Blood Monkey

So, you might have been asking yourself... Have I gone mad? To search and find for stuff not even available in my own country? In my own continent, too?

But I thought this is what comes with being a fan of someone, even if the career is what it is.

Considering me being unlucky, I was never able to see Matt when he acted and then had premieres at the same time.

Asssassin’s Creed Black Flag? I was 10, a child, lol.

Legends Of Tomorrow? I liked anime, manga and everything japanese.

And the list goes on...

It's nice to see what was like and what I couldn't live, gosh, I'm praying hard that we get to see him act again, I want and I wish to be present, live or not.

I wanted to make a really nice speech but nothing comes to mind, when I get it maybe I'll post it 💀

[skitskatdacat63]

here is the interview!!!! i watched it the other dayyyyy, its spanish press so some things arent translated. Still its very understandable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bZjljwkUPA

Oh my god!!!! Thank you for preventing me from committing murder!!!! I tried looking for it when I originally saw the pics but I didn't think to look for it in Spanish bcs i only saw that it was an interview done by an Italian broadcaster and a German broadcaster. So now I feel a bit embarrassed to see that the vid has 150k views LOL!

This interview is VERY CUTE TO ME!!!! I really like them in this 🥺🥺🥺 I'm so glad they didn't dub over their voices(as is common in a lot of German vids), but with the Spanish questions, I'll have to try my best to translate them 😭 most of it is understandable but some I'm not too sure the context of, and I'd like to gif these or clip it or something bcs its so !!!!!!!

[should-know-better]

https://www.noisyroad.it/interviste/lincontro-con-baggio-e-i-progetti-con-calcutta-intervista-a-miles-kane_48589>

I Google translated this interview :

The meeting with Baggio and the projects with Calcutta: interview with Miles Kane

The news is one of those bombs, and it's Miles Kane himself who gave me the scoop during our interview in a Milanese hotel: he and Calcutta have already recorded a couple of songs together and a band formed by the two of them and Angelica is planned. In short, the dream of every Italian indie kid is about to come true. But the news doesn't end here, including updates on the status of the new long-awaited Last Shadow Puppets album and the story of his special day with Roberto Baggio (with a lot of shiny eyes as he talks about it). Miles is a river in flood, a One Man Band, to quote the title of his latest album, which marks a return to the origins for the English artist.

The last time I interviewed you was in the middle of the pandemic. You told me that the title of your previous album Change The Show came to your mind while you were watching TV and they were broadcasting a confrontation between Biden and Trump. The years go by, but it seems to me that it hasn't changed that much...

(Laughs, ed) Yes, you're absolutely right! We're on point!

Your last album, on the other hand, is a return to the origins: just you and your guitar, just like when you played in your bedroom as a kid. What made you look back?

I don't know, I suppose it's one of those spontaneous things that happen before you start making a new album. I wanted to go back to making heavier songs, and one day I wrote the song One Man Band and sent it to my cousin James (Skelly, frontman of Coral, ed), who then produced the entire album. We immediately realised that that piece had something special. That song had captured exactly the identity that the record would have, you know? And so once the first song was ready, the others cascaded. Every album I write is always very personal, but this one is even more so.

Often artists with a long career behind them when they want to make an album that sounds like their first fail, or in any case you feel that it is pale imitations, also because it is a difficult thing to do. In this case it is not so.

I like what you said: "it's hard to do". It's very true, especially after you've made some album it's hard to have the same kind of energy as the first album. But I think I succeeded with One Man Band, both in terms of energy and quality. I set the bar very high and now I intend to keep it there.

I was wondering: when you recorded the first auditions for the album, did you start playing the guitar of the songs you played when you started?

Yes, I started playing some old 60s pieces, beats, garage, surf guitar, guitars and vocals, with very personal lyrics, which have always been my highlight. I want to keep doing it and improve even more for the next album.

You have a special relationship with Italy: you have many friends here, as well as your biggest idol: Roberto Baggio. How was it to meet him in person?

It was the best day of my life! (His eyes light up, ed) He was fantastic, he welcomed me to his house with his wife and daughter, we sat down and drank wine together for a couple of hours. It was a really powerful meeting on a spiritual level, if you know what I mean. He was really nice to me and that afternoon he really did something to me: something like that will probably never happen to me again in my life and I feel very lucky and grateful for that. I remember very well when I was a 10-year-old boy and I was a big fan of his, then 20 years later you write a song about that and it happens that he listens to it and invites you to his house. It's an amazing story that includes my childhood, being a songwriter and meeting your hero. It's proof that if you really believe it, things come true in the end, even if it certainly doesn't happen often. It still leaves me speechless if I think about it.

Also because he is a very shy character, who has always lived away from the spotlight.

Exactly! And this makes what happened even more extraordinary. No one would have ever expected something like this to happen!

Next item on your to-do list: have Baggio see one of your shows.

Yes, absolutely, I would love to. I hope it really happens one day.

Moving on to English football, I know you're rooting for Liverpool now, but you used to cheer for Manchester United.

My uncle, peace to his soul, took me to watch the games and as a child I was crazy about Eric Cantona and all those players who had a style just like Cantona, Maradona, Baggio... There is something different in each of them compared to all the others, their style, their being totally out of the ordinary. I've always been attracted to characters of this type and I always gravitate to everything that is different from the norm, I don't know if I explain myself.

Are there still players like that today in your opinion?

I have to think about it... To be honest I'm a little out of football now (laughs, ed). Now I follow boxing a lot, that's my favourite sport. I still like soccer, but I'm not a diehard anymore.

The last time we talked, you told me that your dream in the drawer was to make a soundtrack for a movie. Where are we?

Well... it hasn't happened yet as you see (laughs, ed). Although in my side project Miles Kane And The Evils there are instrumental pieces to the Link Wray, Dick Dale, you know that kind of music to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, surf music. That's a project I'll focus on very soon and it's very exciting.

In reviewing your latest album, our editor Enrico Baroni wrote that The Best is Yet To Come would be the perfect theme for the villain of a Guy Ritchie movie. Do you find yourself?

I like it! It would be a dream come true. I love Guy Ritchie! Have you seen his latest series on Netflix, The Gentlemen? She's gorgeous, as far as I'm concerned he can have all my songs he wants.

You also have many friends in Italy: last year you performed at Mi Ami with Angelica.

That's a great festival! I'd like to play there again next time, there was a really nice atmosphere, nice bands in the lineup.

On Instagram you don't hide your fixations for our country: you often share songs by Celentano, photos of your Bialetti mocha and so on.

(Laughs, ed) Yes! All real, all things that I like so much, I don't pretend!

I imagined! In fact, I think that many here are surprised that you have not yet decided to move to Italy.

(Laughs, ed) Right? I think that could seriously be the next phase of my life. Who knows, maybe the time has come for Miles to move to Milan!

You wouldn't be the first: your friend and colleague Nic Cester has been shuttleing between Milan and Melbourne for years now. By the way, where are you with the Jaded Hearts Club?

We've already written a couple of songs, but I'm sure we want to write more. For now it's all still quite in the air...

Speaking of things that are in the air, I have to ask you the question that everyone asks you.

Don't worry, shoot! Is it about The Last Shadow Puppets?

Bingo

Even there things are in the air! It's all inside the magic lamp, waiting for someone to rub it to let the genius out (laughs, ed).

So you won't be able to honour the 8-year interval for a new album.

It would have been nice to succeed and continue the tradition of 8 years, but unfortunately no, there is no material time.

But you already have ideas, have you talked about them?

You know me and Al (Alex Turner, ed) talk about it from time to time, remember what we did together and tell each other that we have to make a new album, but we have to start writing the songs first (laughs, ed).

There is no denying the impact that the Last Shadow Puppets have had on your respective careers. Influences that are also felt in your work or in the last 2 Arctic albums, for example.

You know it's probably something that's inside each of us and that's then reflected in the things we both do for our projects, whether it's the Arctic Monkeys for him or the solo career for me. There will always be that component, it's part of us. There will always be some Puppets influences in his discs, as there will be in mine, unless we start writing a dance or techno album. But the Puppets are what we really are. And I think it's a special thing.

A little while ago we mentioned Angelica. While I'm at it, I also wanted to ask about another Italian artist...

Calcutta! I love him.

When are you going to do something together?

We wrote a couple of songs together. And that's also another thing that's... there in the air (laughs, ed). There was the idea of making a small band with him, Angelica and me. We'll see.

You will sing in English and he in Italian?

We only did a couple of songs for the moment, and it was a bit one and a little the other: he sings in Italian and I in English, a sort of back and forth: it's an experiment but we both can't wait to finish it. We did demos here in Milan.

For this disc you wanted to remove all the strings and make it minimal and simple. In Heal I heard references to Michael Kiwanuka.

Oh wow, interesting!

Did you listen to it at that time?

Probably not specifically, but I'm a fan of his. I really liked his last album and so I take it as a compliment.

Historically there has always been a great connection between rock 'n' roll and fashion. You yourself have a close relationship with the fashion world and have been collaborating with Fred Perry for a long time. Are there other collaborations on the horizon?

Not at the moment, but there are always a couple of options. In the end I do everything by myself, I don't have a stylist, but I'm always open to things like that. The way I dress I want to always express my mood, whether it's with make-up or in a suit and tie or with a glittery glam jacket.

Last question: how do you see the new English scene? Is there really a lack of new working class daughter bands?

No, I think they're always out there. Of course, Brexit has made things more difficult, especially when it comes to tours in Europe. Now it's all much more expensive and therefore more complicated to play for emerging bands in places like France, Spain and Italy.

Do you have any names that you would like to recommend to our readers?

There are many... There's this guy I recorded with whom his name is Tom A. Smith, is a boy from the working class of Sunderland, and he is very good.

[8iunie]

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Måneskin On Redefining Success, Staying Inspired & Honoring Italy

The Italian quartet first exploded onto the scene with a viral cover of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but Måneskin have continued to exalt and evolve vintage rock thrills on their own terms — all on the way to their first GRAMMY nomination. (posted on 19.01.2023)

A dizzy smile spreads across Måneskin vocalist Damiano David’s face as he attempts to capture the group’s fervent energy in words.

"Going into a room where there's silence and going out with a song. Stepping on stage and then the crowd screams for you. Doing interviews where you can talk about how you think about music," he says. "It's such an open art language, such an open world." 

While Måneskin’s inimitable swagger have led to a recent international meteoric rise, the Italian quartet have tapped the glitter and grime of rock’s glory days since forming as teens in 2016. Just a year later, the group made a massive leap, winning the Italian edition of reality competition show "X Factor." But it was Måneskin’s hard rock take on Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ "Beggin'" was inescapable following their 2021 Eurovision win — a smash success that led many eager new fans to dig into Måneskin’s catalog of chart-topping albums in their native Italy. 

That prowess, ability to connect with the full spectrum of listeners, and a raucous live show netted Måneskin a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist at the 2023 GRAMMYs, which take place Sunday, Feb. 5, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET / 5-8:30 p.m. PT. They are also a living rebuke to those questioning rock’s staying power, whose grandiose energy and adventurous fashion begs for a yet wider audience. 

"This combination is really magical. It gives us the opportunity to play something that doesn't exist so much in the charts," says guitarist Thomas Raggi. "We are rock, of course, in attitude, in the music, but we can reach really different people from different places and different ages." 

Global success hasn't changed Måneskin much, as their new record, Rush!, teases. Due Jan. 20, the album only reinforces their bombast via singles like grimy party-starter "Mammamia" and the slinky and suave "Supermodel" — not to mention a guest appearance from Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello on the recently released "Gossip."

GRAMMY.com caught up with Måneskin — David, Raggi, bassist Victoria De Angelis, and drummer Ethan Torchio — to talk about the shock of their GRAMMY nomination, how they’ve evolved into their upcoming new album, and trying to find good espresso everywhere on tour.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.

I want to wish you congratulations on your first GRAMMY nomination. After winning "X Factor" and earning various accolades, has this sort of honor started to feel natural?

Victoria De Angelis: Not really natural, but very cool. It's the craziest thing you can possibly think of.

Damiano David: Of course, when we started, we only thought the biggest thing that could happen was being big in Italy. And then everything happened, so of course our dreams got bigger and of course we thought about it as a possibility in the remote future. Not, like, now. [Laughs.]

That's such a beautiful sentiment. The bigger doors start opening to places that you never could imagine. I can imagine that puts a whole new spin on what it is to be a band, what it is to be a musician.

De Angelis:  It really does. Especially touring and everything, even six months makes so much difference. We look back at the things we did six months before and we say, "Okay, now we can add this, we can change this." It's constantly developing. So that's really inspiring and keeps us in a creative process all the time. 

David: We've had so many crazy things happen these last two years. We played for the Stones. We played with Iggy Pop. We met like 50 percent of our childhood idols. At the end, wrapping it all up with the GRAMMY nomination, it's a pretty huge deal. The whole journey has been remarkable and we're gonna think about it for a long time.

It seems that you’ve remained remarkably close-knit as a band, which must be so important in the midst of that. How have you remained creatively inspired by one another and that you are constantly pushing yourselves as musicians through all the fame and success?

Ethan Torchio: Fame and success, it's just a coincidence. We don't really focus on that. It's part of our life, part of our journey. But it's an important point: We've always been friends with each other, and we've shared half of our lives together.

David: It's very important to us to be close because, otherwise, this project wouldn't be what it is now. We are four [individuals], and we are very human and curious about ideas. It's not just about what we are or we feel inside, it's also what we live outside. I truly think that [embracing] the new and something that has not been created before is part of our mindset.

De Angelis: As you said, being four, we actually inspire one another even more. We are very different personalities and also have very different taste. And being four, the amount of music we can discover, it happens every day. And also we love to go see shows, so maybe some of us go to one show and then we are like, "Hey, I got this idea from this show." Being four, it keeps us in this creative environment where everyday there is something new.

Touring constantly and being away from home can make you question your identity. How do you keep tied to your roots?

David: It's still pretty easy for us because even if we travel so much, we still live in Italy. When you move from your country and you live in another country for five, 10 years, then you start changing the way you live. But now we kind of bring this huge Italian suitcase with us. We're still asking for espresso everywhere. [Laughs.] With very bad results. How we interact between us and with people, our clothes, our style in general, it's always Italian in a certain way.

It's a difficult needle to thread, needing to mold to a comfortable stance wherever you are while also standing out. Being nominated for a GRAMMY must be an extraordinary test of that balance, so it's amazing to hear that you're still like keeping so true to yourselves.

De Angelis: I think that's always been kind of easy for us in some way, because we've always had such a strong and clear idea about our identity and what we like to do. Just look at this: [points to her shirt, which reads Italians Do It Better]. We've been lucky to never experience this kind of issue. On the other hand, what we experienced is that we had a very clear idea and then maybe it was hard to keep it safe and not let other people get into it or change it. But when it comes to what we stand for, we're always very sure about that. 

Talk to me a little bit about that process, then. You all seem to find clever ways to reimagine classic genres and scenes while still honoring their essence. 

David: We've been very, very lucky because our only rule has always been being true to what we like — even if we are very, very different one from each other. Vic [De Angelis] and Thomas Raggi especially have a very rock and roll classic background. I'm more into mainstream and low-tempo music. And Ethan [Torchio] actually listens to everything, from very mainstream music, classical music, to crazy experimental [music]. 

We've always tried to keep the balance between the four of us, and especially in the next album. We really wanted to embrace the difference between the four of us. It has created a personality for the group that also made the four of us very recognizable. People can feel represented from [each of the] four of us and from the group. Every achievement that we get, for us it's not, "Okay, we want this so we have to keep doing the same thing." It's more like, "Okay, we want this because this is our mindset. We have to keep this mindset, not because it makes you win awards but because it makes you recognizable and it gives you an identity and it puts you in a specific place in the market and in the industry.

I'm curious whether your writing and recording processes changed much on your new album, Rush! With first albums, sometimes a band will throw everything at the wall to see if it sticks. On the second one, they might shift things based on audience reaction, and then the third record can either attempt to capture a true self again or push to try even more new things.

De Angelis: It was 50-50, because some of the songs we actually wrote a while ago. There's a song we wrote three years ago, for example, on the record. The whole record was written in different moments. Some of the songs we wrote in the countryside in Italy; we went to this home studio and just jammed all together. And then others we wrote here in L.A., but then we also kept doing them in Japan and in Brazil while we were on tour. 

So it's been really crazy. We can hear the moment we wrote the song and the emotion we had in the moment. And it portrays this whole journey we've been through. I think it's cool that we didn't only write it in one month, but it was through the years. It shows the different faces of our personalities and development.

I wanted to ask about the song "Kool Kids", which you recently debuted live. The lyrics have this self-aware edge, where you poke at the idea of whether rock is dead — I'm sure because you’ve been bombarded by that question nonstop.

David: We talk about rock and roll because it's a part of what we do, but I think that you can apply this kind of thought to every music genre. There's no music genre that is actually ever gonna die because trends are constantly changing. The music is developing and sometimes things become other things or change slightly because of the age where they're living. But I think that what we do [is]  a new way to do rock and roll, but it's not the way to do it. There's many different ways to do it. You can be super classic, you can do rock and roll music even without analog instruments and go full electro while creating rock and roll structures.

Raggi: Nothing really ends. Nothing really starts. Everything changes.

De Angelis: It's always in development. The motion that rock music created and that pushes us to do it is just that sense of rebellion towards the norms, or when people try to put you in boxes or limit you. This kind of human feeling will always exist. And that's the reason why all these musicians through the past years have been making this kind of music — to oppose something and to talk about it.

Why was music the path you chose to express that perspective?

De Angelis: I think we all started as kids so we didn't even think it did that much. It was just something in us that we had to get out in some way, to express. It just came natural for us to do it as music. When we started playing together we were like 14 years old. We were struggling, all of us individually, to find other kids that were as passionate about it and wanted to invest all their time in this. 

It was crazy that we were 13 years old and wanting to be, like, six hours in a rehearsal room every day instead of going out with friends or whatever. But for us it was such a fulfilling experience when we got in the rehearsal room that we just went full in and didn't care about anything else. It just took over us. It was just something so pure that we felt in that moment. The passion came out because we felt we were being ourselves and expressing what we had inside that couldn't come out in other ways. Since then, it has developed in so many ways that it's just who we are nowadays. We couldn't even imagine who we would be without the music.

Raggi: I remember also when I saw my first guitar outside of that guitar shop. No one in my family plays instruments or stuff like that. It was something that just called to me. 

Another thing you are all known for is your sense of style. You always go big! Do you have plans for the GRAMMYs red carpet yet?

De Angelis: We're gonna surprise you. [Laughs.] We won't be boring. Promise. 

Writer: Lior Phillips

Photo: Tommaso Ottomano

[kerorowhump]

do you have a tag for all the changes the italian adaptation made? i'm curious about how much i missed from when i watched it dubbed

I do! it's "ita dub", however I'm still at ep 43 so it's not a complete view yet. The phrases are translated into english (I assume you're italian) but I did my best to preserve the meaning to explain to an english speaking audience what changed.

You definitely missed some stuff, it's not the worst adaptation in the world (it's one of the better ones) but it's not free from flaws, such as softening (changing death into something else), rewriting (occasional unexplained dialogue changes), omitting (every reference to the gundam franchise in the first season, every single reference to demons and god so far, but also extra specific japanese culture things at the director's discretion), lack of continuity and consistency (been told by a friend they call zeroro dororo in a childhood flashback, for example, not to mention the many times they don't mention something, lol), general occasional mistakes or additions.

I'm also trying to keep track of cut scenes by occasionally checking the broadcast to italia 1, but I don't watch all of it, only the clips that give me a hunch they might get cut.

So far, episodes I recommend you watch subbed rather than dubbed are 14, 36b and 140b. Maybe even 16.

Keep in mind I'm not infallible so I haven't checked literally every dialogue of every episode but there's a good amount of stuff in the tag!

Surprisingly I haven't seen the gay stuff cut or softened almost at all yet (we lost one phrase by tamama saying "mr sergeant's heart will turn away from me" but we gained him saying "MY sergeant" which was invented by the dub so you know, you win some you lose some). Speaking of that, for an example of how watching the dub changes your perspective of some episodes, in italian Tamama already knows Angol Mois upon first meeting, in japanese he doesn't. It italian, when Kururu is wrecking havoc and it's Mois' turn, the italian dub almost flips it so it sounds she knows what she's doing, in japanese she just reminds she hasn't had a turn yet. I have them all compiled anyway, no need for me to list them again here!

So ya, "ita dub", and let me know what you think. 😇

[mariacallous]

When Giorgia Meloni, the hard-right leader who is likely to become Italy’s next prime minister, said on Italian TV this month that she opposed adoption by gay couples and that having a mother and a father was best for a child, Luigi, 6, overheard her and asked his father about it.

“I wasn’t able to answer very well,” said his father, Francesco Zaccagnini. “I said they are not happy with how we love each other.”

In recent weeks, Mr. Zaccagnini, 44, who works for a labor union in the Tuscan city of Pisa and is a gay father, went door to door asking friends and acquaintances to vote in Sunday’s elections to oppose Ms. Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy.

“My family is at stake,” he said.

Mr. Zaccagnini and his partner had Luigi and their 6-month-old daughter, Livia, with two surrogate mothers who live in the United States. In her election campaign, Ms. Meloni pledged to oppose surrogacy and adoption by gay couples. As a member of Parliament, she submitted an amendment to a law that would extend a ban on surrogacy in Italy to Italians who seek the method abroad. It has not yet been approved by Parliament.

Italy is already an outlier in Western Europe in terms of gay rights — gay marriage is still not recognized by law — but the possibility of Ms. Meloni taking power has prompted fears among gay families that things might get worse.

In 2016, Parliament passed a law recognizing civil unions of same-sex couples despite opposition by the Roman Catholic Church, which is influential in Italy.

Gay parents remain cut off from the main avenues for adoption, which require a marriage rather than a civil union. And with surrogacy banned and in vitro fertilization only allowed for heterosexual couples, gay couples are effectively forced to travel abroad to become parents, and to navigate complicated — and case by case — paths through bureaucracy, courts and social services.

“We hoped that the country would go forward,” said Alessia Crocini, the president of Rainbow Families, an association of gay families. “But we have a dark period ahead.”

Ms. Meloni has said that civil unions are good enough for gay couples. She has also repeatedly said that she is not homophobic, and that she is not going to alter existing civil rights, but that what is best for a child is to have both a mother and a father. Her surrogacy proposal scared many gay parents, as did her tone and emphasis on what constitutes a family.

“It gives homophobes an excuse and a political support,” Ms. Crocini said.

Ms. Meloni has decried what she calls “gender ideology” as aimed at the disappearance of women as mothers, and opposes the teaching of such ideas in schools.

Ms. Crocini said she worried that her son, 8, saying he has two mothers at school might be considered gender ideology.

She has some reason to think that. Federico Mollicone, the culture spokesman for Ms. Meloni’s party, recently urged the Italian state broadcaster RAI not to air an episode of the popular cartoon “Peppa Pig” that featured a bear with two mothers, calling it “gender indoctrination,” and claiming that young children should not see gay adoption presented as something “natural” or “normal, because it’s not.”

Last year, Ms. Meloni campaigned to make surrogacy a “universal crime,” using a picture of a child with a bar code on its hand.

Mr. Zaccagnini said he was scared his son would see such images and messages if they kept circulating. Despite his instinct to stay in Italy and fight, Mr. Zaccagnini said he had been thinking about relocating abroad.

“My son this year will start reading,” he said. “I need to protect him somehow.”

[charlottecolas]

Muse mimiks Muse

Over time, popular music has had its share of criticism directed in turns towards artists, companies, sometimes even the audience etc., and for different reasons (all the above being intimately correlated it makes perfect sense that no aspect of popular music be completely safe from criticism). This week I want to make my focus on a certain aspect of popular music which has been many times discussed, criticized, or praised, and undoubtably has been one of the cores of the phenomenon: performances. Performances (live preferably) are a mean of mediation, a well-established practice in popular music, that allows mainly (but not only) to connect audience and artists. 

One of the criticisms that can be made in relation to popular music, sometimes even to the point of becoming a scandal, is lip-syncing, or miming performances. Basically, when artists pretend to sing and play live. 

Now, live music today has become an important part of experiencing music as listeners (and consumers), whether that be with concerts, or the development of other types of venues, notably on television. It’s important because it brings the audience an experience and connection with the artists that they can’t get at home. Witnessing a musician play their music in front of you, with the variations it implies, the imperfections that make the charm, and the unicity of sound and experience that is created (unlike with recorded music which is always the same) brings a new kind of communication. Therefore, the audience today puts a lot of importance on the authenticity of mediation, especially when it comes to performances, and lip-syncing now comes with a negative connotation almost always. It will however also be noted that lip-syncing can be useful sometimes for tiring performances that require strong physical implications such as with dancing. However, a reason why we feel cheated most of the time is because we expect and/or are sold live. 

But I was also interested to look at how, not the audience, but the artists themselves might react to lip-syncing or miming, as it is not always the artists who decide. There are cases when management, record labels, or venues (like TV shows’ production) impose their decision on the performers. Some TV shows will require artists to not play live as it is easier for them to broadcast the sound. These instances lead to a clash between the different expectations of on one side the production and on the other, the audience and show the impact medias can have in the distribution of music.

The example I will use to illustrate this case is the performance by Muse on an Italian talk show in 2009 where producers of the broadcast imposed on them to pretend to perform live. The response of the band (clearly not happy with this decision) was actually brilliant as they played along and pretended to perform however, after switching roles (the drummer taking the place of the lead singer, and vice versa, the bassist taking the keyboard and guitar). Funniest part (or saddest, I don’t know, but it certainly says a lot) is that neither the director, audience, nor host noticed what was happening, to the point that at the end of the performance he interviewed the drummer thinking he was the lead singer, and Muse just kept on trolling them. An ironic situation when you know the band has won multiple awards as best live performers. It was also not the first time the band showed discontent with production and management as they once left their label following disagreements and making it clear that they don’t like interference in their music. 

So, performing live can be one of the things that make a music or an artist more authentic, and a question this subject raised for me was: does it impact the production of music? Is the industry more tempted to make songs that are easier to perform live, and therefore will have little chance of disappointing the audience? Or are they willing to sacrifice live performances for more technically complicated sounds that might sell better?

I should mention that Muse were not the first or only ones to do this. Many bands such as Iron Maiden, Nirvana, The Stranglers, Oasis (and the list goes on) have manifested their discontent with imposed lip-syncing on performances in a similar way like by switching roles, playing completely out of time, or straight up just removing the strings on the guitars. 

And while you may not appreciate the bands, you have to appreciate British humor. 

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miming_in_instrumental_performance

[f1]

Charles Leclerc sets sights on winning Ferrari's first F1 drivers' title for 16 years

Charles Leclerc finished runner-up to Max Verstappen last year Charles Leclerc has set his sights on trying to win Ferrari's first Formula 1 drivers' title for 16 years this season. Leclerc, who finished second to Red Bull's Max Verstappen last year, said he believed Ferrari had done a "great job" on their new car, which was unveiled on Tuesday. "The goal is to win, clearly," said the 25-year-old from Monaco. "I am really looking forward to getting back in the car and trying to win that championship." Leclerc drove the car for the first time at the Fiorano test track during the launch. He said: "Last year was a good step forward. We need to do just the same this year and hopefully get that championship. That is the target for the team and for me, too - get more wins, hopefully be more consistent from the first race to the last race." His team radio was transmitted on the broadcast and he said the car "feels good". Team-mate Carlos Sainz is due to drive the car later on Tuesday. The last Ferrari driver to win the World Championship was Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, and the team's history since then has been one of near misses - they came closest with Fernando Alonso in 2010 and 2012 - and disappointment. Their season in 2022 was a major step forward compared with their lack of competitiveness in the two previous years. But although Leclerc established a comfortable championship lead after the first three races, the team quickly fell away, their year torpedoed by strategy errors and reliability problems. The repeated mistakes on race management led to former team principal Mattia Binotto leaving his post and he has been replaced by Frederic Vasseur, formerly of Alfa Romeo-Sauber. Ferrari have unveiled their new car for the 2023 Formula 1 season The Frenchman said: "So far it is intense. You can feel the responsibility. But the most important is to be successful - we have to deliver. The most important is to win and the challenge is in front of us. "When you are at Ferrari coming from 2022, you can't have another objective than to win. "I don't want to stay it will be easy because Red Bull and Mercedes will have the same target and only one team and driver will win. But we need to have this kind of target. We need to bring the mindset to do a better job tomorrow than today and to be always trying to improve the system." 'It's more extreme' The launch was held at Ferrari's Fiorano test track in front of 500 tifosi - Italian fans - and the car will run on track later in the day with Leclerc at the wheel. Ferrari head of chassis Enrico Cardile described the car as "an evolution of the car we raced last year but in reality it has been completely redesigned". He said the nose, front wing and front suspension were completely new, switching to a low-mounted track rod or steering arm from a higher one. The bodywork, Cardile said, "is more a continuation but it's more extreme". Ferrari are expected to have a significant step forward on engine performance this year as a result of fixing the reliability problems of last year. These cost Leclerc potential wins at the Spanish and Azerbaijan Grands Prix, and then forced the team to run the engine detuned for the rest of the season to avoid their recurrence. Engine specifications are frozen in F1 until 2025 but teams are allowed to make changes for reliability reasons. Ferrari have done so and believe they will now be able to run the engine in a higher performance mode. Sources close to the team say this will mean a gain of about 20bhp, or 0.2 seconds a lap compared with the second half of last year. Vasseur said: "Last year, it was not a secret that it was not the best aspect of the season, but we did a good job at the factory and in terms of power we will be there. I think we are in a good place." Assistant team principal Laurent Mekies added: "We have learned some of the things last year the hard way. "We are concentrating on giving our people the best platform to express themselves." via BBC Sport - Formula 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/

[antiques-for-geeks]

Kolchak : The Night Stalker at 50 - The Zombie

This week, Carl will mostly be dealing with a zombie.

Eight weeks is all the BBC’s introduction to Kolchak amounted to. Although all 20 episodes were available, a decision had been taken to show them out of US broadcast order in their late night Mystery Train strand. Maybe, you’d assume, the BBC went for episodes more in the overall theme when bundled with that evening’s short and film, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

Maybe the series curator just liked these episodes best.

Maybe the Director General just threw darts at a board and those were the episode numbers they chose to air. 

When the first Mystery Train appeared at a quarter past eleven on Friday October the 11th 1991, it kicked off eleven with the fifth episode of the Kolchak series, The Werewolf. Confusingly we’d have to wait until October the 25th for the series’ second episode, The Zombie, that US audiences had seen on the 20th of September 1974.

Presenter Richard O’Brien hammed up the episode introductions for the camera on a spookily deserted, low lit tube station where the titular train stood at the platform, shrouded in a generous cloak of smoke to aid the ambiance. Memory plays tricks, however. Watching a clip back today however, the station wasn’t quite deserted. It was full of statues of people doing what people do in stations every day of every week of every month of every year. Going about their business.

A welcoming character, wouldn't you agree?

It strikes you that the Mystery Train might have been conceived to exist in a slice of time behind ours. An empty space between seconds or the beat your heart skipped, A personal fiefdom where O’Brien’s character rules supreme, his subjects frozen in time. Viewers assume they are in on the game, that they are somehow apart from it all, but in reality were just as trapped as the statues littering the platform until the programme concluded.

Or perhaps it was just a TV  show and all this is just imagination running wild. Whichever, The Zombie to made its debut on British television, complete with knowing glance and a suitable quip from O’Brien about the improbability of their being a Haitian Community in Chicago in the 1970s.

Less improbable than the episode, mind.

Plot

There’s a series of brutal murders among those in the Chigaco criminal underworld, which all seem to be linked to the gangland killing of a Haitian man. A Haitian man whose corpse keeps turning up in the Police Department morgue despite being buried following his last visit.

Guests

Darren McGavin and Simon Oakland were joined by :

Charles Aidman - Captain Winwood

Joseph Sirola - Benjamin Sposato

Val Bisoglio - Victor Friese

J. Pat O’Malley - Caretaker

John Fielder - Gordon Spangler

Antonio Faragas - Sweetstick Weldon

Scat Man Corthers (sic) - Uncle Filemon

With

Paulene Myers - Mamalois Edmonds

Earl Faison - The Zombie

Carol Ann Susi - Monique Marmelstein

Ben Frommer - The Monk

Roland Bob Harris - Poppy

The Scoop

Pop : A garbled story about revenge enacted by the victim of a gangland slaying, brought back to life by the power of ...voodoo!

This episode does have some plus points. I enjoyed Carl trying to squirm his way out of a hospital trip when he's discovered snooping about by some Italian mobsters. He’s clearly made many enemies on both sides of the law by this point, and it’s a wonder how he hasn’t ended up encased in a concrete piling on a building site.

There’s also the usual selection of stunt-victims being thrown about - this time with a sound like snapping bread sticks as their spines are crushed.

I also think the zombie makeup itself, at least in the final scenes, is as good as could reasonably be expected for a 70's American TV show. 

And since this is a 70's American TV show and also features several prominent black characters we also get small roles for Scatman Crothers and Antonio Fargas (who plays a flash proto Huggy-Bear gang boss).

Despite this it's clearly a step down from the pilot, and seems a much more rushed affair, both in writing and production value.

It’s also worth mentioning that the presentation of the Haitian community (even if just the criminal community) as chicken sacrificing voodoo practitioners sounds like a rambling, semi-coherent bit of 'word weaving' from a Donald Trump rally.

If the story can't really be coherent, make it pretty.

Tim : This is one of the episodes I didn’t catch when it was broadcast, my only memory of the story being a vague outline from a discussion with Pop the Monday after.

The re-telling wasn’t compelling; "there’s a zombie and Kolchak has to fill its mouth with salt. Oh, and it’s really dark so you can’t make out what is going on."

I felt a sense of urgency to watch it from a completist point of view, but not enough to seek it out at all costs. Years later, I found  myself watching a low quality transfer of it online. And frankly I was confused.

Part of that came down to the crime, not being familiar with the concept of the numbers racket. Obviously, it wasn’t a problem for a late-night US audience in the 1970s.

The other part was that we learned a lot from exposition as opposed to seeing the action. Sure, this can work, but when you notice it’s happening, you know it’s not working. Where we do see action, it’s really empty and a massive step down from The Ripper. The Zombie himself barely appears on screen. Even the scenes he’s in, he feels strangely absent.

And this is where the episode falls down in many respects. If we barely see him, why does he need to be a zombie in particular? Replace him with any strongman and the end result would be the same. The whole voodoo thing feels tacked-on in an attempt  to turn a story without a supernatural slant into a Kolchak episode.

Antonio Fargas and Scatman Crothers, while good to see them, aren't used to the extent of the talents, however the inclusion of John Fiedler as morgue attendant Gordo the Ghoul stands out. Sure he’s corrupt, selling information about the bodies in his charge to reporters, but it’s kind of endearingly so. Fiedler Carol Ann Susi’s character of Monique Marmelstein is also a worthwhile addition, the character is played mainly for comic relief, which is a shame.

Yes, there is some decent world-building going on, which suggests better for the future, But this outing feels underdeveloped or even like the script was just in the wrong series. After the strong start with The Ripper, you can’t help but feel disappointed.

Highlight

Pop : Carl climbing into the back of a hearse in a junkyard at night so he can lay the zombie to rest with some salt and a needle and thread is actually one of the more memorable monster encounters from the series, and pretty well executed. The surprisingly decent zombie makeup and the helpless position Carl finds himself in really add to the tension.

Tim : The scenes with the Chicago mob definitely has the hand of David Chase on their shoulder, but it’s the one where Kolchak has to talk his way out of being killed by crime boss Benjamin Sposato and his trusted acolyte Victor Friese that hits best. The punchy, fast dialogue succeeds in being both amusing and menacing at the same time.

That's supposed to be a zombie under the sheet.

Lowlight

Pop : The Zombie returns to his nocturnal den in the junkyard by bus!

Nobody bats an eyelid, and from Carl's vantage point riding on the back bumper he looks like he could pass for a living person... yet when we next see his skin looks like melted cheese and he is clearly very dead. Inconsistencies like this kill any tension the episode was trying to build.

Tim : The criminal underworld’s characters do feel a little too stereotyped, but it’s not as much a deal breaker as the Zombie itself. While we barely see it, when we do it’s.. mixed. During the morgue scene, it’s represented by a healthy arm and feet painted with blue food colouring under a white linen sheet. The way it looks; it might be one of the Blue Man group under there. If they existed in the 1970s. Which they didn’t.

Updyke vs. Kolchak

Updyke doesn’t appear in this episode - so it’s still 1-0 to Kolchak on aggregate.

Score on the doors

Pop : It’s a bit half baked, but still has some Night Stalker magic 4/10.

Tim : An episode that was still working out what it wanted to be pretty much to the end. 3/10.

As the old adage goes; if you need a zombie taking care of, you're best off doing it yourself.