Dear Aldo Cazzullo, this is a slip that doesn't belong to you
When any journalist writes something stupid, that's it.
When it is the one who does it instead deputy director of the Corriere della Sera, one of the most authoritative newspapers in Italy, then the story changes. Because from a signature like Aldo Cazzullo you expect much more than a joke that smacks of arrogance.
Define the song Sal Da Vinci "The soundtrack to a Camorra wedding" isn't just a musical judgment. It's a blunder. And a rather sensational one, too. And nasty.
A Festival of Sanremo Over the past twenty years, everything has been sung: sublime songs, light-hearted ones, provocative ones, nonsense, poetic lyrics, and others that are decidedly questionable. If one really wanted to conduct a serious analysis, one would only need to take the lyrics of the last two decades and subject them to a simple semantic analysis to discover that the Festival has always been a great reflection of the people, with all the good and bad that this entails.
But the point here isn't whether you like a song or not. Musical taste is subjective, and no one claims otherwise. The problem arises when judgment slips from a musical to a cultural—or, worse, geographical—level, with a juxtaposition that ends up evoking stereotypes that Naples and the South have been battling for decades.
And this is precisely what is surprising, because Cazzullo is not an improvised polemicistHe is a skilled and recognized storyteller. This is also demonstrated by his program on A Special Day, much appreciated by the public.
Yet no one has ever dared to write that his work is a "bad copy" of Alberto Angela, nor to suggest that his historical narratives are morbidly concerned with the themes of fascism or Nazism. These are crucial themes in Italian history, deserving of respect and expertise.
This is why the question arises spontaneously: Why write something like this?
Why would a journalist of that caliber feel the need to slip up on such an easy provocation?
Was it really just a musical judgment? Or was there something more behind it?
Some might even think – maliciously – that the ground is being prepared to downsize the Festival following the latest developments surrounding the next host, Stefano De Martino. Until Saturday afternoon. Sal Da Vinci was a well-known singer, then comes the victory and suddenly it becomes the symbol of the decline of Italian music and of Sanremo? A curious coincidence to say the least.
Let's repeat it: It's legitimate not to like a song.
But moving from personal taste to evoking scenarios that draw in Naples, the Camorra, and the idea that "anyone can do anything" is a huge leap.
Also because Cazzullo writes that “anyone can do anything” and that “even Sal Da Vinci can win Sanremo”.
And then it almost makes you smile:
Maybe it really is true that anyone can do anything.
Se Sal Da Vinci can win Sanremo, allora anche Cazzullo could become deputy director of the Corriere and work on television.
Only in the first case there is a song that the public likes.
In the second, unfortunately, there is only sadness for the slip.
Forever yes.
With a surname like that, how can you not be continually frustrated, resentful, and envious of the most beautiful things in life? Perhaps this explains his completely gratuitous venom against the city, the music, and the most beautiful singing tradition in the world. What would it have cost him to change his surname? Who knows, perhaps he would have been more serene and objective. However, all else aside, he has proven to be a total disappointment. All his supposed expertise is of no use to him if he proves to be a victim of the worst racism and the most vulgar prejudices against Naples and Neapolitans. It would also be pointless to talk about mass actions involving criminal proceedings for defamation, petitions, and boycotts, or even expulsion from the association of journalists, although these are all things he perhaps deserves. In fact, that would perhaps give him too much importance. I only hope he at least has the decency not to show up in Naples again, where, if he ever dares to show up, he should be greeted by a huge, unanimous "farnacchio" from all Neapolitans, just like Eduardo De Filippo's legendary, timeless, audible jeer in the celebrated episode of the film "The Gold of Naples." I hope, then, that the resulting blast will catapult him at least beyond the Garigliano River, and that the enormous roar it will create will be loud enough to be heard all the way back in his native Piedmont. Dear "Deputy Director," a colossal fart will overwhelm you!
I understand Sal DaVinci's defense, but a deeper contextualization is missing: every Festival has different songs, and taste remains subjective. We should talk about the lyrics and not throw out statements that evoke stereotypes without concrete evidence.
I understand the position expressed but remain neutral. The criticism seems well-founded but also exaggerated. We shouldn't generalize everything: Sanremo is diverse and can't become a symbol of just one region. Of course, the association with the Camorra could have been avoided because it sounds prejudiced and forced.