David Bret on Lanza
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Derek McGovern
Jun 1, 2014, 12:04:49 PM6/1/14
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(Please note: I wrote the following some time ago, but have delayed
posting it until now because of the inevitable brouhaha I knew it
would cause at its subject's blog site: ttp://www.davidbret.co.uk/blog/.
However, having since read the disgusting and completely unwarranted
attacks there against numerous decent people, including several
members of this
site, I've decided to post it anyway.)
I recently read the first six pages (online at amazon.co.uk) of David Bret's newly released Mario Lanza: A Sublime Serenade, and if their contents are any indication of the accuracy of the rest of the book, then the Lanza legacy is in for another rocky ride.
Without providing any sources for his claims, Mr Bret informs us that, among other things, Mario Lanza was a criminal gang leader in his youth who robbed trucks, that as a teenager he was "sexually attracted only to women who were of the same age as or older than his mother," and that throughout his life Mario was incapable "of holding a conversation in any language but English."
[Strange that he was never arrested for said crime in the first instance; that, secondly, his boyhood friends are on record as noting his amorous enthusiasm, as a teenager, for girls of his own age; and that, thirdly, one can can listen to him speaking fluently in Italian on this very site!]
Bret also appears to have conducted interviews through a spiritual medium with Lanza's maternal grandparents, for he assures us that Mario's father, Antonio, "was not the virile hunk [Maria Cocozza's] parents had hoped she might settle down with" (p 2).
In the same breath, and without any apparent sense of irony, Bret states that the supposedly feeble Antonio may have committed statutory rape against Maria, since "it has been suggested that they were dating before he left for Europe [in 1917], which of course means that had their union been consummated, under State law Antonio could have been arrested...".
Naturally, Bret doesn't tell us *who* "suggested" this about Antonio and Maria. And can anyone seriously imagine Maria's stern Italian father allowing her to date a man eight years older than her when she was still underage? But I had to laugh at the qualification of "had their union been consummated." This is a favourite device of Bret, as a reviewer in the New York Times pointed out last year when discussing his book on Clark Gable:
"How does Bret, the author of numerous celebrity biographies, know so
much about Hollywood stars’ sex lives? Judging by this new book’s
convoluted wording, he really doesn’t. 'Clark Gable: Tormented Star'
hedges its bets with lines like 'Indeed, unlikely as this seems, the
two may even have been lovers,' and 'It was alleged that a threesome
took place.' The effect is 'Hollywood Babylon' lite."
(From http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/books/review/Calhoun-t.html?_r=1)
In fact, in his haste to incriminate poor old Antonio through innuendo, Bret can't even get Maria Cocozza's age right. On page 2, he tells us that "[She] was only a little over 16 years [Mario's] senior" -- which would make her birth year 1904 -- and then on page 3, he contradicts himself by stating that she was 16 in 1919!
As any reputable Lanza biographer could have told Bret, Maria was born in June 1902, making her a little over 18 and a half when Mario was born.
I can only imagine what other newly discovered anecdotes and sterling examples of Mr Bret's "research" await in the remaining 250-odd pages of the book.
Cheers
Derek
I recently read the first six pages (online at amazon.co.uk) of David Bret's newly released Mario Lanza: A Sublime Serenade, and if their contents are any indication of the accuracy of the rest of the book, then the Lanza legacy is in for another rocky ride.
Without providing any sources for his claims, Mr Bret informs us that, among other things, Mario Lanza was a criminal gang leader in his youth who robbed trucks, that as a teenager he was "sexually attracted only to women who were of the same age as or older than his mother," and that throughout his life Mario was incapable "of holding a conversation in any language but English."
[Strange that he was never arrested for said crime in the first instance; that, secondly, his boyhood friends are on record as noting his amorous enthusiasm, as a teenager, for girls of his own age; and that, thirdly, one can can listen to him speaking fluently in Italian on this very site!]
Bret also appears to have conducted interviews through a spiritual medium with Lanza's maternal grandparents, for he assures us that Mario's father, Antonio, "was not the virile hunk [Maria Cocozza's] parents had hoped she might settle down with" (p 2).
In the same breath, and without any apparent sense of irony, Bret states that the supposedly feeble Antonio may have committed statutory rape against Maria, since "it has been suggested that they were dating before he left for Europe [in 1917], which of course means that had their union been consummated, under State law Antonio could have been arrested...".
Naturally, Bret doesn't tell us *who* "suggested" this about Antonio and Maria. And can anyone seriously imagine Maria's stern Italian father allowing her to date a man eight years older than her when she was still underage? But I had to laugh at the qualification of "had their union been consummated." This is a favourite device of Bret, as a reviewer in the New York Times pointed out last year when discussing his book on Clark Gable:
"How does Bret, the author of numerous celebrity biographies, know so
much about Hollywood stars’ sex lives? Judging by this new book’s
convoluted wording, he really doesn’t. 'Clark Gable: Tormented Star'
hedges its bets with lines like 'Indeed, unlikely as this seems, the
two may even have been lovers,' and 'It was alleged that a threesome
took place.' The effect is 'Hollywood Babylon' lite."
(From http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/books/review/Calhoun-t.html?_r=1)
In fact, in his haste to incriminate poor old Antonio through innuendo, Bret can't even get Maria Cocozza's age right. On page 2, he tells us that "[She] was only a little over 16 years [Mario's] senior" -- which would make her birth year 1904 -- and then on page 3, he contradicts himself by stating that she was 16 in 1919!
As any reputable Lanza biographer could have told Bret, Maria was born in June 1902, making her a little over 18 and a half when Mario was born.
I can only imagine what other newly discovered anecdotes and sterling examples of Mr Bret's "research" await in the remaining 250-odd pages of the book.
Cheers
Derek
Derek McGovern
Dec 5, 2009, 9:54:01 PM12/5/09
to Mario Lanza, Tenor
The URL for David Bret's blog didn't come through in the above post,
so here it is again:
http://www.davidbret.co.uk/blog
You may need to take a shower after reading it.
so here it is again:
http://www.davidbret.co.uk/blog
You may need to take a shower after reading it.
Shawn
Dec 5, 2009, 10:09:58 PM12/5/09
to Mario Lanza, Tenor
I.....I just don't know what to say..... o_O
Maybe I'll think of something later.
For now, I'll just list my emotions: surprise and disgust, with a
little anger and sorrow thrown in.
Maybe I'll think of something later.
For now, I'll just list my emotions: surprise and disgust, with a
little anger and sorrow thrown in.
Message has been deleted
Derek McGovern
Dec 5, 2009, 10:46:20 PM12/5/09
to Mario Lanza, Tenor
Hi Shawn: Well, I can't honestly say I was surprised; having read
Bret's book on Callas, I pretty much expected something like this.
Some of the comments that he's made on his blog over the last five to
six months represent the most disgusting material I've ever read on
the internet. He even stoops to making jokes about the private parts
of an 83-year-old female member of the Rense forum. At least five
members of this forum have been attacked, in addition to quite a
number of people from the other two Lanza forums.
There's been a lot of talk recently about a class action defamation
suit being launched against Bret for a number of the personal attacks
he's made on his blog, and my legal understanding is that such a case
would have a very good chance of succeeding. Just look at any random
page of his blog, and you'll see why.
If anyone reading this has been attacked by Bret, and would like to do
something about it, I recommend in the first instance lodging a
complaint with the director of the company that provides him with his
website. That person is Ian Carrott, and his e-mail address is support
[at] doyourownsite.com . (The "Terms and Conditions" of Bret's web
server expressly forbid defamation.)
Bret's book on Callas, I pretty much expected something like this.
Some of the comments that he's made on his blog over the last five to
six months represent the most disgusting material I've ever read on
the internet. He even stoops to making jokes about the private parts
of an 83-year-old female member of the Rense forum. At least five
members of this forum have been attacked, in addition to quite a
number of people from the other two Lanza forums.
There's been a lot of talk recently about a class action defamation
suit being launched against Bret for a number of the personal attacks
he's made on his blog, and my legal understanding is that such a case
would have a very good chance of succeeding. Just look at any random
page of his blog, and you'll see why.
If anyone reading this has been attacked by Bret, and would like to do
something about it, I recommend in the first instance lodging a
complaint with the director of the company that provides him with his
website. That person is Ian Carrott, and his e-mail address is support
[at] doyourownsite.com . (The "Terms and Conditions" of Bret's web
server expressly forbid defamation.)
Shawn
Dec 5, 2009, 10:52:47 PM12/5/09
to Mario Lanza, Tenor
Maybe I thought that the pool of Lanza nonsense had been drained
before now. Apparently not..
before now. Apparently not..
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Jan Hodges
Jun 1, 2014, 12:12:26 PM6/1/14
to
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Hi Derek,
I said I wouldn't say any more on the Bret matter but I think you were right to let us know what was going on with him. Now everyone can have a say if they want to and then I suggest we just get on with ignoring him.
Regards Jan | |||
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Derek McGovern
Dec 6, 2009, 2:57:25 AM12/6/09
to Mario Lanza, Tenor
In that case, here are a few more howlers for you, Jan.
I listened to Bret being interviewed on Lanza on BBC Radio
Cambridgeshire (a regional station) back in October. Among his
offerings:
"Not many people know this [you bet they don't!!], but there were only
a few hundred people at the Hollywood Bowl [when Lanza sang there in
1947]."
Actually, Mr Bret, there were nearly 3900 in the audience.
"Mario Lanza wrecked every house he ever lived in."
Strange that the Villa Badoglio in Rome was still standing in 1986,
when I visited!
"Mario's youngest son died of HIV."
No "*believed* to have died from HIV", as asserted in his book, mind
you; no, the good "Doctor" Bret stated this as a fact.
He then tore into poor old Betty. The less said about that, the
better.
The interviewer then played "So in Love" from the Lanza on Broadway
album as an example of Mario's "golden voice" -- which I thought was
vaguely appropriate given the interviewee.
I listened to Bret being interviewed on Lanza on BBC Radio
Cambridgeshire (a regional station) back in October. Among his
offerings:
"Not many people know this [you bet they don't!!], but there were only
a few hundred people at the Hollywood Bowl [when Lanza sang there in
1947]."
Actually, Mr Bret, there were nearly 3900 in the audience.
"Mario Lanza wrecked every house he ever lived in."
Strange that the Villa Badoglio in Rome was still standing in 1986,
when I visited!
"Mario's youngest son died of HIV."
No "*believed* to have died from HIV", as asserted in his book, mind
you; no, the good "Doctor" Bret stated this as a fact.
He then tore into poor old Betty. The less said about that, the
better.
The interviewer then played "So in Love" from the Lanza on Broadway
album as an example of Mario's "golden voice" -- which I thought was
vaguely appropriate given the interviewee.
Message has been deleted
leeann
Dec 6, 2009, 9:05:23 AM12/6/09
to Mario Lanza, Tenor
This ridiculous author seems to market his stuff through manipulating,
goading and poking people. While it's sometimes hard to know whether
to take out the would-be schoolyard bully or walk away, I'm betting
this is one time when walking away is a safe bet.
One thing for sure, any schoolchild age, 10 years to university
postgraduate will tell you--you can stamp your feet and insist that
what you wrote is true, but no footnotes, no documentation--no
credibility. And the professional world--if you think you're
presenting new material or breaking new ground, those footnotes better
be LONG. And that's that.
And in any event, this book sounds like pure fiction--and pretty bad
fiction at that. The question is whether sales will be sufficient to
cause damage to the Lanza legacy. It would appear that thinking
readers generally see this guy's books for what they are--
sensationalist garbage.
I agree with Jan Hodges--looking forward to when people have time to
get into the new set. On one very benign note as we approach
Christmas. I am so pleased to have the version of O Holy Night
included in that set. It is the one that set the standard for this,
perhaps my favorite carol, all my life--I just didn't know it was
Lanza--live and learn :-)
goading and poking people. While it's sometimes hard to know whether
to take out the would-be schoolyard bully or walk away, I'm betting
this is one time when walking away is a safe bet.
One thing for sure, any schoolchild age, 10 years to university
postgraduate will tell you--you can stamp your feet and insist that
what you wrote is true, but no footnotes, no documentation--no
credibility. And the professional world--if you think you're
presenting new material or breaking new ground, those footnotes better
be LONG. And that's that.
And in any event, this book sounds like pure fiction--and pretty bad
fiction at that. The question is whether sales will be sufficient to
cause damage to the Lanza legacy. It would appear that thinking
readers generally see this guy's books for what they are--
sensationalist garbage.
I agree with Jan Hodges--looking forward to when people have time to
get into the new set. On one very benign note as we approach
Christmas. I am so pleased to have the version of O Holy Night
included in that set. It is the one that set the standard for this,
perhaps my favorite carol, all my life--I just didn't know it was
Lanza--live and learn :-)
Lou
Dec 6, 2009, 10:13:05 AM12/6/09
to Mario Lanza, Tenor
On Dec 6, 10:05 pm, leeann <leeanngha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> One thing for sure, any schoolchild age, 10 years to university
> postgraduate will tell you--you can stamp your feet and insist that
> what you wrote is true, but no footnotes, no documentation--no
> credibility. And the professional world--if you think you're
> presenting new material or breaking new ground, those footnotes better
> be LONG. And that's that.
>
Vince Di Placido
Dec 6, 2009, 2:07:03 PM12/6/09
to Mario Lanza, Tenor
I have been on the end of a few insulting Bret blogs & it is not
pleasant at all (that is a major understatement by the way), granted
after pointing out my unhappiness to David Bret he removed the blogs,
now that is appreciated, but they shouldn't have been written in the
first place!
I have no problem with someone defending their reputation or artistic
integrity but David Bret's blogs have a tone that is above & beyond
any acceptable levels of normal argument or discussion that I know.
His Blogs become highly personal, insulting & his use of sexuality &
bodily functions is just not appropriate at all! Granted he pays for
his web space & it is a personal blog BUT he must be capable of a
better tone of discourse... If someone criticises or insults me I try
to be resonable & argue my side or explain what my intention was in
the matter that has been criticised but David Bret's style of defense
is something that I just don't appreciate or understand, it is just
plain innapropriate & is an over reaction to the original point or
criticism & before you know it it becomes an ongoing vendetta & the
insults just keep coming... It just all seems like a silly waste of
time...
pleasant at all (that is a major understatement by the way), granted
after pointing out my unhappiness to David Bret he removed the blogs,
now that is appreciated, but they shouldn't have been written in the
first place!
I have no problem with someone defending their reputation or artistic
integrity but David Bret's blogs have a tone that is above & beyond
any acceptable levels of normal argument or discussion that I know.
His Blogs become highly personal, insulting & his use of sexuality &
bodily functions is just not appropriate at all! Granted he pays for
his web space & it is a personal blog BUT he must be capable of a
better tone of discourse... If someone criticises or insults me I try
to be resonable & argue my side or explain what my intention was in
the matter that has been criticised but David Bret's style of defense
is something that I just don't appreciate or understand, it is just
plain innapropriate & is an over reaction to the original point or
criticism & before you know it it becomes an ongoing vendetta & the
insults just keep coming... It just all seems like a silly waste of
time...
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