American Tastes are hard to figure!

[Joe Fagan]

Mind you, I *am* an American and proud of it~~~ but so many things
about our tastes in music really puzzle me. I recently had occasion
to order something from the British Amazon organization and I was
quite impressed with the array of Lanza Cds that were available and
actively promoted. I live not too far from Philadelphia in the States
and I am always amazed that even the majority of Philadelphians do not
know of their famous heritage : Lanza! I would expect this from
younger people but even older natives often do not know about him. It
is not difficult to understand why Mario sought Europe for refuge when
things went sour: He has always been loved there and I suspect he is
more popular there today than in the US. Strange indeed! Anyone have
theories about this??

[Jan Hodges]

Joe wrote<

Mind you, I *am* an American and proud of it~~~ but so many things

About our  tastes in music really puzzle me. I recently had occasion To order something from the British Amazon organization and I was Quite impressed with the array of Lanza Cds that were available and Actively promoted. I live not too far from Philadelphia  in the States And I am always amazed that even the majority of Philadelphians do not Know of their famous heritage : Lanza!  I would expect this from Younger people but even older natives often do not know about him. It Is not difficult to understand why Mario sought Europe for refuge when Things went sour: He has always been loved there and I suspect he is More popular there today than in the US. Strange indeed! Anyone have Theories about this??> Yes Joe..There is a saying that goes "A prophet has no honour in his own country" I think this might explain the general attitude to Mario in the US Regards Jan

[Shawn]

American tastes are hard to figure. However there's been a general
decline in tastes everywhere, arguably.

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[Mike McAdam]

I found that whenever I visited England over the years, Mario Lanza
records were always displayed prominently, shop clerks knew of him and
more than a few could discuss his recordings semi-intelligently. The
British were always mad on Lanza and were loyal to him through thick
and thin. In my opinion, I feel that, after the Student Prince
debacle, America pretty well forgot about him and, by the time he re-
surfaced to attempt a comeback, they had moved on (and Rock 'n' Roll
had moved in). My pals mocked me as a teen for listening to Lanza. I
cared not. Funny, I play his records for youngsters now and they are
always amazed at how a sound such as his can come from a human
being....then they go back to listening to Avril Lavigne, Britney
Spears or the latest winners (?) churned out by "American Idol". Go
figure!
M.

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[Shawn]

Interesting. I've found that still quite a number of older people I
speak to here know about Lanza. Young people of course are an entirely
different matter :-|
I am pretty young and consequently none of my peers really appreciate
classical music. When I play opera for them they like it but then, as
you say, go right back to listening to this mainstream stuff. That's
what they've been raised on so I guess it's hard to break free from
it! :-P I also get mocked for listening to Lanza/opera/classical but I
don't care either. ;-D They don't know what they're missing!

I am trying to convert my cousin who is slightly younger than me. He
likes Pavarotti in a very casual way so I played a bit of Lanza for
him and he was amazed. I also played Corelli's monstrous "Di quella
pira" for him and he loved that too, so maybe he'll come around. I
guess it's just hard for people to get past the stodgy, snobby
stereotype of opera. It doesn't have a beat and lyrics you can pick
right up and "groove" to, LOL. Oh well.

[Muriel]

A few years ago, while in Rome, I was looking for a poster of Mario,
as I saw many offered on quite a few American subjects. I did buy one
depicting the film, "Roman Holiday" starring Gregory Peck and Audrey
Hepburn. Curious, I asked several venders if they had any of Mario
Lanza. Mario Lanza? I explained that he was a famous Italian/American
tenor who had lived his last years in Rome (in what is now the Chinese
Embassy). No recognition was shown, sadly.

Now, if I had been speaking to a musician, surely he would know of
Mario. At least I would hope so, but the average man on the street in
Rome doesn't seem to be aware of him.

English people have had a great fondness for Mario, but I doubt that
the many CDs are BMG releases. As the copyright on most of his music
has now expired, I'm sure any music publisher can make up a
compilation, and not a definitive one at that. That is what is truly
needed in order to lure serious music listeners to Mario's side. I
know Derek and Armando have tried to attract BMG's attention to this
fact. Others from this forum have written letters as well. We can only
keep trying and one day someone will hear....
Ciao...M

On Feb 4, 9:03 am, Mike McAdam <macadame...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:

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[Thelma]

During Mario's brief career he was in the mainstream, and a huge
star! I know, because I was there.

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[Muriel]

Yes, Thelma, I agree, as I was there when Mario was making films and
giving concerts here in the USA. He was *huge*. I have a feeling that,
if he had returned home and resumed his career here, he would have
again generated a following. The fact that he was away for years and
out of the public eye, people tended to forget him. There were no new
recordings to buy or concerts to attend, and also Rock and Roll had
begun to grab the attention of the teenagers. He might have appeared
on television variety shows, though, which would have been a plus.

The ideal thing would have been for him to study and appear in opera,
where he belonged - perhaps beginning in Italy. He would have gained a
following in US opera houses as well, as Ed Sullivan often had opera
singers appear on his television shows. I know I was aware of the big
opera stars even though I was quite young at that time. Nothing is
impossible to imagine....his voice sold him in every venue.

As far as being popular in his hometown of Philadelphia: remember, he
was not the most gracious boy when he grew up. He had very loyal
friends who would fight at the drop of a hat for him, but there were
also quite a few people he rubbed the wrong way and who remained
unconvinced of his worth. Those people are now mostly gone, so a new
generation needs encouragement to discover him and love him because of
his talent.