26 March 2013
Ciao, Tony!
Back in high school, the last of four, DB and I bonded over James Bond, Kodachrome, mail order camera stores and Italian movies. Our friendship has survived cultural differences and distances not to mention a fit of jealousy on the occasion he photographed my girlfriend topless in his parent's pool. 30 years later I'll admit my jealousy was more about his talent --He took better pictures of my girlfriend than I ever could.
Instead of 'awesome,' DB and I used, "Ciao, Tony!" to express anything we thought was cool. This was from a long forgotten Italian heist movie where, for the duration of the film, beautiful Italian women shout, "Ciao, Tony" to the hero. I still use it but mostly keep it to myself nowadays -- It's too hard to explain.
DB's good about sending me clips from obscure foreign films. I posted about Mina and Trad Italian way back in 2008 - Before some of you were born. She's not singing in DB's clip but I love everything about it. The car, the hotel, the clothing...I've always thought God was Italian. I don't think he's at the Vatican. I believe he's hanging out in a hotel somewhere on the Amalfi Coast in a white linen suit and drinking a chilled Umbrian white while nibbling at a bruschetta. I believe if that sportscar in the clip pulled up, God might say, "Ciao, Tony!"
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6 comments:
You are most kind, Tintin. You have always had a vintage Italian movie continuously playing in your head.
Ah, yes, I remember her suit: a red maillot-style one-piece, but with a sort of quasi-bandeau top, very popular at the time (as it still is). Because of the style, she simply had to lower herself into the pool for the shot. A rather G-rated one at that...
-DB
DB-chivalry lives!
DB - Same excuse 29 yrs ago and I still don't buy it.
Tintin,
You must die a little bit everytime that insipid Subway commercial comes on where some poor sap imagines he is transported to Rome on a Vespa after eating some sort of Italian themed sandwich. I know I do.
These days Italy has more than its share of talented pop singers. It is hard imagine a time when one singer so thoroughly dominated the scene.
What was the name of the Italian heist movie? I saw it as a child but can never remember the name..
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