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Italian food—for thought — 6 Comments

  1. Re: West Side Story. Ah, my era — the JD’s. I watched the video with a bit of a mental sneer, thinking of Laurentis, the lib’s lib. Neo is right-on. It is a typical liberal/post — modern deconstruction of criminal behavior. But it also struck me that to make it work, “Officer Krupke” had to carry a heavy load of irony; the lyrics and the tenor of the music had been virtually make fun of the idea that was being advanced. I. A. Richards wrote that poetry must contain its own irony or be exposed to it. But perhaps the irony also works to prop up the questionable thesis that these are not sick, bad kids, but just misunderstood kids — which creates the poignancy of the tragic dénouement.

    Perhaps such stories of youth couldn’t be other than tragic in our culture. Dying young is virtually an archetype of tragedy, and is certainly the heart and soul of Juvie stories — for example, The Amboy Dukes. Even Nelson Algren’s naturalistic “A Bottle of Milk for Mother” moves towards its end with the inevitability of tragic drama. But this is no character of flawed greatness; just a criminal kid.

    The idea that there is no such thing as a bad kid is undergone revision. In retrospect, the Juvie’s of the 50s with their street — struts and rumbles over turf look rather angelic compared to today’s gangs. I wonder what the modern version of “Officer Krupke” would look and sound like. We’d have to have an ensemble of heavy metal/punk screamers to do it justice.

  2. “music had been virtually make fun of the idea that was being advanced”

    Sorry. My speech recognition software slipped a cog. Or maybe it was my dog’s snoring. Should have read: “the music had to virtually make fun of of . . . . ”

  3. Oh bella Italia! Berlusconi may be a corrupt and chauvinistic Milanese but considering the fragmentation of Italian politics and the fact his main opponents Prodi and now Veltroni have been gutless wonders of the Euro-left, men who barely cast shadows at midday, he’s probably the best bet the Italians have.

  4. “Is the Italian election a portent of things to come in our own? The Obamalike candidate defeated by a 71-year-old on the right?”

    One can always have the audacity to hope…

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