Macabre lists and affectionate thoughts

When asked about "Bar Centrale", Elisa Isoardi’s programme – revitalised by the regular appearances of Serena Bortone, Gigi Marzullo, Rosanna Lambertucci and Francesco Giubilei (the latest addition) – Google describes it as “a story of Italy starting from the provinces, where news becomes real life”. A life fully lived, recounted and filled with news, inevitably leads to a wealth of material. The editorial team will therefore have its work cut out, navigating this effervescent vitality and the flow of ideas generated by the writing team.

Once again, vitality finds its fulfilment in its opposite, in that well-known state of rest known as eternal, rather than merely instantaneous, as some fear. Add to this picture the fact that early November is drawing near, and season it all with the inevitable starkness of a white panel and a list of names in a tragic shade of red, accompanied by a sort of index of imminent mortality, and the general outrage – the easiest of all outrages – arrives right on cue. The list spans the entire spectrum: show business, sport, journalism, and politics in the highest sense—all at an age that is, statistically speaking, cause for concern. The names appear in order, beginning with Lino Banfi and Renzo Arbore—coincidentally both from Puglia—and concluding, for those who read carefully, with Dino Zoff and Mina.

With just that touch of English that saves the day – hence the list is titled ‘Dead Pool’ – perhaps easily twisted by a Banfi in the mood to retort by reminding the list’s compilers of our shared fate: today it’s me, tomorrow it’s you, as the danse macabre warns. Yet one still feels the urge to defend the list’s compilers. It is true, to put it bluntly, that the list spares readers the pretence of false modesty; yet we trust that, should any of the individuals on the list actually pass from the pool to the grave, the coverage will remain light-hearted while also being wittily comprehensive. No heavy, sombre faces: instead, a flamboyantly telly-style epitaph, accompanied by an affectionate thought for the next name on the list.