1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much 3 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: for tuning in. Let's hear it for our super producer, 4 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: mister Max Williams. Hello, I have never worshiped Satan. Yeah, 5 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: to your knowledge? Right. Also, you're missing out. Yeah, that's 6 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: Doul Brown. I'm Ben Bollen. What's your position on Satan? Ben? 7 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: Which one? There's ha Satan? Uh, there's also the idea 8 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: of the light Bringer. I feel like the concept of 9 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: Satan from the comic has many aspects, the idea of 10 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: the anti q oh, the Antichrist is the son of Satan. Right. Yeah. 11 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,040 Speaker 1: We did an episode years and years ago about the 12 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: nature and origins of Satan for stuff they don't want 13 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: you to know, and we got a lot We still 14 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:20,680 Speaker 1: have the YouTube video out. We had a lot of 15 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: discourse on that one, because Noel, the devil is on 16 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 1: people's minds. 17 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 2: Well, the devil is in the details, Ben, that's what 18 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 2: they say. Whatever happened to just good old American as 19 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 2: apple pie Satan? When did it have to get all complicated? 20 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,119 Speaker 1: Yeah? What happened to the guy who just went down 21 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: to Georgia? And lost a violin contest. 22 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 2: You know, it is funny that you should say that, Ben, 23 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 2: we are talking about making a deal with the devil 24 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: for violin shop, but not the Charlie Daniels band version. 25 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 2: Turns out there's a historical president for that tune. 26 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: Oh what a setup, nol. Yeah, we are if we 27 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: wanted to do something a little bit halloween ish, a 28 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: bit HALLOWEENI. You can Seweeni a couple of Weeni's little HALLOWEENI. 29 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: Here we have all become enamored with the story of 30 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: a celebrity violinist. A lot of people not in the 31 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: music world may not have heard of this guy, but 32 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: in his day, Nicolo Paganini was a real life bad 33 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: boy rock star, right like you have a past with 34 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: the violin I like phrasing it that way. 35 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:33,959 Speaker 2: Why yes, Ben, Back when I was a small German boy, 36 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 2: I too made a deal with the devil at a 37 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 2: crossroads at midnight to attain my violin prowess. Much like 38 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,519 Speaker 2: Nicolo Paganini, though my deal was a little bit second rate. 39 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 2: I could not shred nearly as well as the man. 40 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 2: He's considered by many. By most who know of him 41 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 2: to be a musical genius. He was also like basically 42 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 2: a rock star guy, you know rock the long kind 43 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 2: of unkempt locks and the un button do you know, 44 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 2: silk shirt showing nip. You know, he was a virtuoso 45 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 2: and some people believe that all of these powers combined 46 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,639 Speaker 2: could result from nothing less than a pact with Satan. 47 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, and we're going to get to how that rumor started. 48 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: But before we do, we've got to dive into his 49 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: origin story. You'll see why we consider this ridiculous history. 50 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: We're also gonna call our buddy Nikki the Devil's Violinist. 51 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: Occasionally no offense to violinist or devils. But this guy 52 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: is born. It's October twenty seventh, seventeen eighty two in Genoa, Italy, 53 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: not the most stable time for Italy in general. He's 54 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: part of a big family, that's right. 55 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 2: He was the third of six children. Be isn't that 56 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 2: like the literal middle child. Maybe that's where he got 57 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 2: the chip on his shoulder to devil worship rie. We're kidding, 58 00:03:57,480 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 2: by the way, these are rumors we're gonna play into 59 00:03:59,520 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 2: a little bit. 60 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: It's fun. We like to have fun here on Ridiculous History. 61 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 2: Third of six children born to Antonio and Teresa nee 62 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 2: Bocardo Paganini. M. 63 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, and okay, so you know how today we call 64 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 1: people helicopter parents if they're always sort of living vicariously 65 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: through their kids and taking them to a million different 66 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: extra curriculars. You know, like, look, that can be really 67 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 1: difficult for the kids, but every so often, you know, 68 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: it results in a tiger woods And that's kind of 69 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: what happened with Paganeti because his mom had decided from 70 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: the jump that this one of her six children would 71 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: be a famous violtist. His father was also really gifted musician. 72 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: He was trying to be a salesman of boat supplies, 73 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,039 Speaker 1: but wow, yeah he wasn't good as like ropes and 74 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: stuff and sales like voting pa finalia yeka. But he 75 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: he unfortunately was not successful with that. He was more 76 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: successful supporting his family and his six kids by playing 77 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: music on the mandolin and also sulling mandolin. So that's 78 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: a pretty good I think that's a pretty good way 79 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: to sell mandolins. Right, You show up somewhere, you get 80 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: paid to rock out on your little and someone's like, 81 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: I'm so inspired, and then you say, guess what buddy, 82 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: you can also buy a mandolin. I love the gentle 83 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:30,840 Speaker 1: sound of a mandolin, and there's. 84 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:35,840 Speaker 2: Nothing more cliche le Italian in a music cue than 85 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 2: a fast picked mandolin, you know, perhaps by Captain Corelli himself. 86 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:42,840 Speaker 2: You know it's funny though, Ben, I mean, you may 87 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 2: not know this. I bet you probably do, But anyone 88 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 2: out there who doesn't, it's for you. A mandolin is 89 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 2: tuned exactly the same as a violin. That's where the 90 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 2: olin park comes from, except it has dual strings. The 91 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 2: high strings are tuned in unisons and the low strings 92 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 2: are tuned in octave. So that's what gives you that 93 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 2: really nice, full sound. And while I did not have 94 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 2: the same level of shred in common with Paganini, I 95 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 2: too had a bit of a helicopter. 96 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: Parent situation growing up. 97 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 2: Though it was my father who stood over me assiduously 98 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 2: as I practiced violin and would give me a good 99 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 2: swat with a bow if I messed up. Yeah, that 100 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 2: part true, It is very true. It was not the 101 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 2: best relationship. Made me resent the violin, but I eventually 102 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 2: moved on to you know, taking that parleying that into 103 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 2: other things that I enjoyed very much. 104 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: Like guitar, playing in bands and all of that. 105 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,480 Speaker 2: So I've forgiven my papa for this transgression, and not 106 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 2: to be apologist, but he came to it in his 107 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:41,599 Speaker 2: own way. 108 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: He wanted me. 109 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 2: To be a very skilled and perhaps famous violin as 110 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 2: that did not transpire. I instead became a skilled and 111 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 2: mildly Internet famous podcaster. 112 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: And I today I learned I knew about the tuning, 113 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,719 Speaker 1: but I did not know about the etymology of mandolin 114 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: and violin. That's very interest. Thank you for that. So 115 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 1: Paganini is training on the mandolin first, and he's doing 116 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: it when he's five. A couple of years later, he's 117 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: stepping up to the violin, and his dad is his teacher. 118 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: Similar kind of to your situation. His dad is also 119 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: figuring out, look, let's be honest, folks, it's the late 120 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: seventeen hundreds. Child labor is very highly normalized and approved of. 121 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: So by the time this kid is eleven, his dad 122 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 1: puts him on the mean streets of Judoah to play, 123 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: to play violin. 124 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, for the public. He's already pretty good by then. 125 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 2: He gets sent at the age of thirteen to study 126 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 2: with the famous violinist and teacher Alessandro Rola, But when 127 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 2: he arrived, Rolla decided that Paganini was already so skilled 128 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 2: up that he really couldn't teach him much, so instead 129 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 2: he referred to him to his own teacher, the teacher's teacher, 130 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 2: Ferdinando Pier, and because of his abilities, he was then 131 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 2: again passed on to another teacher, Pierre's teacher, the teacher's 132 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 2: teachers teacher, Yeah, Gasparo Jiretti, the grandfather teacher, like the 133 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 2: final boss of violin teachers. 134 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: That's that's how swatsy with a boat too, That's how 135 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: the story goes. There is a perspective that we're putting 136 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: a spin on here in our research, because we know 137 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: that he definitely went to all three of those teachers. 138 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 1: But as we'll see, our buddy Nick is kind of is. 139 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 1: There's no kind of about it. He's a source of legend. 140 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: So a lot of times you'll hear stories about his 141 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: progression phrased in this way, right like, instead of just 142 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: saying he had three different teachers who knew each other, 143 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:53,959 Speaker 1: they'll say, oh, he's too good, and he was too 144 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: good again, and then finally he met the master. He 145 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: was too too good again again. Just like a Kanye West. 146 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: In March of seventeen ninety six, Genoa is massively destabilized 147 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 1: because the French invade northern Italy. As a result, the family, 148 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: the Paganini family, relocates to their country home near Bolzanetto. 149 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: And there was a silver lining here. This is really 150 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: interesting to me for such a public facing guy. While 151 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: his family was basically on lockdown exile to the country, 152 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: Paganini picked up a guitar. At some point he became 153 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: obsessed with the guitar. It was one of his favorite 154 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: instruments ever, and he never did a public performance. He 155 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: decided probably from the jump, that guitar was for him 156 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: and maybe his friends had maybe his lovers if he 157 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 1: thought they performed. Well, that's fair. 158 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's interesting in guitar, you know, on the other hand, 159 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 2: to it completely different than the violin and a whole 160 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,560 Speaker 2: other set of skills, you know, definitely a string instrument 161 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 2: held in the same way as the mandolin, the whole 162 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 2: other universe of tuning and technique. So this guy really 163 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 2: was super super you know, just primed to be a 164 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 2: brilliant musician. 165 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:19,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, and then guitar tunes, as you said, a 166 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: whole other bag of badgers. This is at least part 167 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 1: of the reason he is primarily known as a violinist today. 168 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: Later people would the public, I mean, would learn about 169 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 1: his virtuosity with the guitar. In seventeen ninety seven, he 170 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: and his father Paganini Senior go on tour, and little 171 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:46,960 Speaker 1: Nikki builds a reputation with every single concert he does. 172 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 2: Because, like I said of the aforementioned shredding, the guy 173 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 2: tosses his hair around and like rends his garments practically. 174 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 2: I mean, I bet you he at some point did 175 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 2: the move where he slides on his knees across the 176 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 2: stage at that level of flair. 177 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: You know. 178 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 2: The only historical classical music analog that I can think 179 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,679 Speaker 2: of that reminds me of him as Ben who. 180 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:11,080 Speaker 1: Is that Franz list list? 181 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:17,199 Speaker 2: Domania RAN's list was similarly a big, showy, flashy performer 182 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:21,160 Speaker 2: and had women like literally throwing their pantaloons at him. 183 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 1: Often considered the first analog to the rock Star and 184 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: Shout Out Phoenix. 185 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 2: Very much so, and also the very delightfully schlocky sixties 186 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 2: film list of Mania. But I would definitely say that 187 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 2: Paganini is in the running for another proto rock star. 188 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:41,959 Speaker 1: Oh for sure. Yeah. In eighteen hundred, he and his 189 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: father traveled to Livorno, where Paganini plays in more concerts, 190 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: and his dad again tries to be a salesperson for 191 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: boding paraphernalia. You can probably hear me rolling my eyes, 192 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 1: and that's just because he had to make a living. 193 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:03,679 Speaker 1: No one knew what was going to happen to Paganini 194 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: at this point. He's like seventeen years old. He's already 195 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:12,359 Speaker 1: making waves. But you know, sometimes the brightest stars burned briefest, 196 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,360 Speaker 1: and we didn't know that he was going to be 197 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: this amazing musical force. In eighteen oh one, he's eighteen 198 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:24,679 Speaker 1: years old and he is appointed first Violin of the 199 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: Republic of Luca. No, maybe could tell our fellow ridiculous 200 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: historians a little bit about the prestige of being first 201 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 1: violin in these kind of groups. 202 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 2: Just means you're the best. You know people how they 203 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:42,719 Speaker 2: call it first chair. You're just the number one hot 204 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 2: sh shredder the conductor's hand at the very beginning. You 205 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,319 Speaker 2: certainly do. You also are the person that provides the 206 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:54,400 Speaker 2: initial tuning pitch for the entire orchestra. It's a big 207 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:57,320 Speaker 2: deal and oftentimes you're the person that gets the solos. 208 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 2: I mean, they'll have like featured artists that come in 209 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:01,439 Speaker 2: and do so, but like, yeah, the first of first 210 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:05,720 Speaker 2: chair violinist is a very important leadership position in any orchestra. 211 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:09,079 Speaker 1: Do you know who I love in any orchestra? Or 212 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 1: we are immensely fortunate to have the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra here, 213 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: and I go pretty often because I just dig the 214 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: vibe of the place and it's by a museum that 215 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:24,680 Speaker 1: I go to already. And my favorite, one of my 216 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:31,720 Speaker 1: favorite performers, just just for their energy is always the 217 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: percussionist in the group, who have you don't have beat 218 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,199 Speaker 1: me here, Max, who don't have shit to do? For 219 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 1: like eight to ten minutes, and then it's time for 220 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:46,000 Speaker 1: the symbols, right, it's time for the big drums, and 221 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:49,000 Speaker 1: they just go tambourine shake is one of my favorites, 222 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: and they so tambourine shit. You're right, I love the 223 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: I've only seen this in real life a couple of times, 224 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: but I did see a person who was, you know, 225 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: on the miscellaneous percussion, but they were on a song 226 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 1: where they just had some triangle business going on. And 227 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,320 Speaker 1: they just triangle is an important part of the orchestra, 228 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: but they just stared at the sheep music, you know, 229 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: stock still absolutely like a like a scarecrow Halloween statue. 230 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: And then when their time came, they hit that ding, 231 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 1: and they hit that ding perfectly, the occasional clippity clop. Yeah, 232 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: I think I saw a really great video. I think 233 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,280 Speaker 1: it was I think I'm describing this correctly. 234 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 2: It was a percussionist who has waited exactly what you're described, 235 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 2: been waiting in that moment, and then hit the big 236 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 2: skin drum, big bass drum with a mallet and it 237 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 2: bounced it out of his hand and hit somebody in 238 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 2: the back of the head. 239 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 1: Paganini would never now well, I mean he might, he 240 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: might have lost himself in the music, you know, the 241 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 1: moment that he wanted. He didn't let it go because 242 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: he was Paganini. You're right right, And a substantial portion 243 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: of Paganini's income came from freelance. See even when he 244 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 1: had the prestigious roll of first violin. This sounds like 245 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: a meteoric rise to fame, but the success story was 246 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: not perfect. It hit some discordant notes. I know, Pagadidi 247 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: didn't just act like a rock star on stage. He 248 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: had all the vices of a rock star from you know, 249 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: the Halcyon era of the nineteen seventies. He loved gambling, 250 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:34,800 Speaker 1: he loved romancing people on a very short term basis. 251 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,880 Speaker 1: How's that for diplomacy. I think it's good he did. 252 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:44,920 Speaker 2: Indeed, he was no stranger to diabolical rumors from the start. 253 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 2: It sounds like a plot lifted directly out of the 254 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 2: incredibly good TV series Hannibal. Rumors ran a muck about 255 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 2: his having murdered a woman and used her intestines as 256 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 2: violin strings and imprisoning her soul. 257 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: With the instrument. Right, that's just for fun. 258 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 2: It is true that early violin streams were made from 259 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 2: gut material. Kata are often made from kat guts, so 260 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 2: you could, in fact harvest to human beings guts. 261 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: And I'm not joking. 262 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 2: This is in fact a plot of an episode of 263 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:20,200 Speaker 2: Hannibal where there's a murderous violin maker. 264 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, and keep in mind to folks, of course, this 265 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: is kind of our Halloween episode. So we're talking about 266 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 1: these scary rumors. But keep in mind back in this time, 267 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: pre social media, rumors were spread word of mouth and 268 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: usually just some often by the way by people who 269 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: are making a joke and then someone else took it seriously. Uh, 270 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: satire sometimes gets lost in the game of telephone. People 271 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: like to gab it. Ben. 272 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 2: Actually, you know what, here's a good chance to plug 273 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 2: our sister podcast stuff they don't want you to know. 274 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,000 Speaker 2: And an episode we've got that just came out about 275 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 2: info hazards, the idea that an idea can infect you 276 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 2: and be spread around like a disease. So rumors, one 277 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,280 Speaker 2: could argue, are info hazard. 278 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, they're mimetic. That's a really good comparison, and that 279 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: is I really enjoyed that conversation me too. I think 280 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 1: we both still kind of have a stage high off 281 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,639 Speaker 1: of it because we recorded that yesterday. 282 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 2: We did, and we just in general on that show 283 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 2: and sometimes on this show, we just really love thought experiments, 284 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,119 Speaker 2: and there are so many fascinating thought experiments, including the 285 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:32,440 Speaker 2: idea of Rocco's basilisk that we discussed in that episode. 286 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:35,960 Speaker 2: So do check that out if you're not an initiate 287 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:37,560 Speaker 2: into the world of stuff I Don't want you to know. 288 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:49,159 Speaker 1: And do check out some more Paganini rumors. So this 289 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,840 Speaker 1: guy is a mysterious dude. We'll talk a little bit 290 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 1: more about his very singular appearance and the vibe he cultivates. 291 00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: But he wanted these rumors. He invited these to them, 292 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:04,880 Speaker 1: you could say, as often as he solicited his lovers. 293 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 1: Another rumor on the streets was that he his violin 294 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: emitted the screams of women when he performed on stage. 295 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,840 Speaker 1: And you can read contemporary historical figures who go to 296 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:25,200 Speaker 1: AINI Paganini concert, not a Panini concert, have a Panini 297 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: at a Paganini. I'm into the idea of a Panini concert. 298 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: You know what I mean is that just like a 299 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:35,239 Speaker 1: parade of sandwiches. Well, Panini is an Italian sandwich, if 300 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: I'm not mistaken. 301 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 2: So perhaps and the refreshment counter at a Paganini concerto, 302 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,640 Speaker 2: one could enjoy a Panini. 303 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: I think women were screaming in the audience, by the way, 304 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,359 Speaker 1: like I said, it was a total like BEATLEMANI at 305 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:49,919 Speaker 1: type situation. 306 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 2: Ben I put a link in the chat. I just 307 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 2: really would love you to see this image. I thought 308 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:58,639 Speaker 2: that I remembered seeing something like this, but it is 309 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 2: such a cool painting, or like an etching kind of 310 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 2: thing of Paganini ripping into the violet. It his fingers flying, 311 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 2: and his silhouette on the wall is the devil. 312 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I've seen this one. I love it. I 313 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: feel like this would be Paganini approved as well. The 314 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 1: devil virtuoso. 315 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 2: Well, Ben, don't you think he had I mean it 316 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 2: was a little bit dangerous. I guess he was in 317 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 2: a part of Europe. It was the eighteen hundreds. They 318 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,359 Speaker 2: weren't burning people at the stake anymore. It was just 319 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 2: a little bit you know, unclean, you know, kind of 320 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:34,120 Speaker 2: maybe the rumors, but I would think, uh, he would 321 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:38,160 Speaker 2: lean into this stuff because it's just absolutely fabulous. I mean, 322 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 2: no pr is bad pr And like, I gotta go 323 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 2: see this devil, the demon possessed violinist. 324 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:49,199 Speaker 1: Yeah, and for a long time the violin was regarded 325 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: by certain aspects of the European population as an instrument 326 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,400 Speaker 1: of the devil. Right. That's part of why we get 327 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:59,479 Speaker 1: the American folklore about the devil playing the fiddle. So 328 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: it's not necessarily surprising that rumors about a deal with 329 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,920 Speaker 1: the devil will start circulating, at least for fun, when 330 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 1: someone's really good at the violin, and some people even 331 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 1: took it a step further and they said, maybe Paganini 332 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: is the devil himself. That was for the record several 333 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,200 Speaker 1: of his exes who said that da da da da, 334 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:25,920 Speaker 1: but the one of the first, one of the first rumors, 335 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: and I think this is what the drawing that you 336 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,360 Speaker 1: shared shows us. One of the first rumors came out 337 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 1: of a concert in Vienna where one audience member swore seriously, 338 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 1: from what we can tell, that they had seen the 339 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 1: devil helping Paganini play on stage. And then other people 340 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: started saying, I saw Paganini on the street, but when 341 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 1: he isn't performing, he's rocking horns and hooves. 342 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I can picture it too, Ben, can't you you know, 343 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:00,719 Speaker 2: like sort of doing that rooting, sort of bull wind 344 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 2: up thing with his right hoof as he you know, 345 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:06,120 Speaker 2: cocks his head like rips it on the violin. 346 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 1: I totally see this. Yeah. Somebody said lightning struck the 347 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:15,600 Speaker 1: end of Paganini's bow during a performance and fire from 348 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: his fingers as he rossened up his bow. Man. I 349 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:33,120 Speaker 1: love that Charlie Daniels song All Hard if your great cool? 350 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:35,879 Speaker 1: Yeah great too, big influence. 351 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:41,160 Speaker 2: I would have to argue on the band Primus. 352 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 1: Also with every song, every Primus song sounds like Devil 353 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: went down to George. Also, uh, looking back, I think 354 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,359 Speaker 1: that was uh for for many kids, that may have 355 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:57,159 Speaker 1: been their first introduction to rap cadence. Yeah met Dam Dad, but. 356 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:04,800 Speaker 2: Also auctioned Yeah Going Once, Going twice fun tune though 357 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:06,679 Speaker 2: holds up. I will say then that you should if 358 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 2: you have, if you likely you have only heard bits 359 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 2: of it. I do recommend listening to it in one 360 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:13,640 Speaker 2: sitting because it is a it is an it's about really, 361 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:14,600 Speaker 2: it tells it sale. 362 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a it's a long form narrative. It's pretty good. 363 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,359 Speaker 1: I'm gonna listen to it after this again. So uh. 364 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: One thing was for sure, though, All of these rumors 365 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:31,359 Speaker 1: about a cult or infernal activity came about as satire 366 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 1: or as an attempt to explain just why this guy 367 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,280 Speaker 1: was so good. His skill on the violin was unparalleled. 368 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: He was one of the first solo violinists. This is fascinating, 369 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: some of the first solo violinists to perform in public 370 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: without sheet music. Instead, he chose to memorize everything, and 371 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: he was cool with some of his contemporaries. You know 372 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 1: other people who are professional violinists. If he liked a 373 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:03,200 Speaker 1: compass somebody made, then he would do his own cover 374 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:05,359 Speaker 1: version of it, and he would just kind of, you know, 375 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 1: go Charlie Daniels with it, because he's since he doesn't 376 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 1: have sheet music, he's just running around the stage, you 377 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:13,679 Speaker 1: know what, you know what I mean, like a nineteen 378 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:16,239 Speaker 1: seventies got lead guitarist. 379 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:20,879 Speaker 2: Exactly, like what's that guy's name, Angus from ac DC, 380 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,919 Speaker 2: always kind of hoofing around, you know, like with his 381 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,399 Speaker 2: foot out, kind of jumping, doing the little Marty McFly 382 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:27,119 Speaker 2: kind of dance. 383 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, and still he's got a pretty serious gambling problem. 384 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 1: So he's he Being a famous musician, as we can 385 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 1: unfortunately assure you, does not always make you a wealthy person. 386 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: Well that's right, I was going to say earlier. 387 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 2: The reason he needed to supplement his income with freelance, 388 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 2: you know, solo violin gigs, is because being a first chair, 389 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:53,560 Speaker 2: while prestigious and depending on the orchestra, doesn't typically pay 390 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:54,679 Speaker 2: a whole heck. 391 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 1: Of a lot. It is not a life of luxury, no, yeah. Yeah, 392 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 1: And add to that lose in Paganini's case, he's losing 393 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:09,359 Speaker 1: a lot of his disposable income because he loves the gambling. 394 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 1: You know, he serves at the pleasure of the fates 395 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 1: and fortune, and he loses a lot. He pawned his 396 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:19,440 Speaker 1: own violin one time because he just had to get 397 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: out of this gambling debt. A French merchant came and 398 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: saved the day they lent him. I don't know, have 399 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 1: you heard of this. You're more familiar with violins than 400 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 1: I am. Have you heard of a Guarneri violin? I haven't, 401 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: but I'm. 402 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,760 Speaker 2: Sure it's just like a maker's mark kind of situation, 403 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 2: you know, like a very like you know, I mean, 404 00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 2: the big famous one is Strativarius. Those are still around 405 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,159 Speaker 2: and incredibly sought after and incredibly expensive. But I do 406 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,879 Speaker 2: know that, like, really serious violinists often will have instruments 407 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:52,439 Speaker 2: that are worth tens of thousands of dollars and have 408 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:56,400 Speaker 2: to be insured for super high amounts. Oh, because they're 409 00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:58,880 Speaker 2: one of a kind, you know, handmade, And that's likely 410 00:24:58,920 --> 00:24:59,879 Speaker 2: what the deal was with this. 411 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 1: I'm not familiar with that particularly. Okay, Well, this this guy, 412 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: French merchant, you don't think of him like the upper 413 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:09,440 Speaker 1: middle class kind of Let's call him kindly a kindly 414 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:14,239 Speaker 1: French merchant lent Paganini a violin, said, you know, I 415 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: know you got to play this concert. I believe in music, 416 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 1: you know, give me a plus one to your concert. 417 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: I could borrow my violin. And after he heard Paganini play, 418 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: he was so moved that he gave Nick the violin. 419 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:31,120 Speaker 1: He heard a play and he said, oh dang, all right, bro, 420 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: you keep it. We don't know too much more about 421 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: how stuff worked out with that French merchant, but we 422 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:44,960 Speaker 1: do know that Paganini was what I call a known lothario. 423 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:51,320 Speaker 1: He had many many intimate intimate partners, intimate partners after 424 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:55,640 Speaker 1: dark experiences. He was a busy boy off stage. He 425 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,680 Speaker 1: did get busy off stage again. 426 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,280 Speaker 2: This this plays into the whole kind of mythos of 427 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 2: like the rock star. 428 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:04,879 Speaker 1: However you may look at that. 429 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,000 Speaker 2: Lifestyle, it definitely is a thing, and this guy lived 430 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:13,080 Speaker 2: it many sexual partners. Amid all of those partners was 431 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:16,480 Speaker 2: at least one who was considered kind of the love 432 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 2: of his life type figure, a singer named Antonio Bianci, 433 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:23,720 Speaker 2: who he met in Milan in eighteen thirteen. They would 434 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 2: do concerts together throughout Italy and had a son together. 435 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:31,920 Speaker 2: Named Achili Tiro Alessandro born on July twenty third, eighteen 436 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:37,679 Speaker 2: twenty five in Palermo, baptized at Saint Bartolomeo's And they 437 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 2: actually never officially legalized their partnership. 438 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,920 Speaker 1: Let's just say they had an entanglement a situationships. They 439 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: didn't do that. 440 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:52,200 Speaker 2: Situationship came to an end April of eighteen twenty eight 441 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 2: in Vienna. And then for a little bit of context 442 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 2: around this part of the world or this part of Italy. 443 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:02,320 Speaker 2: If anyone's seen the second season of The White Lotus, 444 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 2: the HBO series about the you know, the resort and 445 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:09,400 Speaker 2: all of the crimey wymy shenanigans that ensue. 446 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: They go to Palermo. 447 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:13,439 Speaker 2: Yeah, and then it is an island like off of 448 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:16,560 Speaker 2: the coast of I can't remember exactly. 449 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:17,399 Speaker 1: Maybe it is Milan. 450 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,199 Speaker 2: I think it is where the actual resort is, but 451 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,040 Speaker 2: the Palermo part is where the is where they go 452 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 2: for the kind of finale, the big climax. 453 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:30,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, Palermo is the capital of Sicily and Vienna. Austria 454 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 1: is so not too far away. But when things don't 455 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,119 Speaker 1: work out for them, they're in Austria. That's where it ends. 456 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:42,160 Speaker 1: If we're jumping around in time a little bit here, 457 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:47,360 Speaker 1: as is our right, as is our want. Paganini becomes 458 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:52,239 Speaker 1: a violinist earlier in eighteen oh five for the how 459 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: would you say this, Bacciochi court, Sure, yeah, maybe put 460 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,800 Speaker 1: a little more stank on it, but Ciocchi, all right, 461 00:27:57,840 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: I don't want to be that guy in Taco Bell 462 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: asked for a case Sudi. 463 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:03,639 Speaker 2: Do that in honor of my father. He did it 464 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 2: all the time. I've carried on that legacy of cringe. 465 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: So this guy is he's a court violinist. He's still gambling. 466 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:15,119 Speaker 2: You know. 467 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 1: It's the early eighteen hundreds. He is giving private lessons 468 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:28,360 Speaker 1: to the husband of Alisa Bonaparte, who is Napoleon's sister, 469 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,920 Speaker 1: and her husband is named Felice. And while Paganini is 470 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 1: teaching this guy to play violin for a decade, by 471 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: the way, he's also sleeping with Alisa. 472 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 2: What a cat rest scallion, scally wag, yeah, lout rake yeah. 473 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 1: And he he has to hit the road jack at 474 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: a as a result, the heat's getting too much, so 475 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:02,120 Speaker 1: he returns to touring. Like you said, Genoah, he's popular 476 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: with local audiences, but he's not super well known to 477 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: the rest of Europe until his first big break in 478 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 1: eighteen thirteen concert in Milan. This is where he gets 479 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: a huge following. This is where rumors start spreading about 480 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:21,479 Speaker 1: his spellbinding powers and is packed with the forces of evil, 481 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: by the way, rumors that he never publicly rejected. 482 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,480 Speaker 2: That's what I'm saying. It would make sense, you know, 483 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 2: if he was not a feared for his you know, safety, 484 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 2: why not lean into it. It's a it's a point 485 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 2: of interest. I would certainly want to want to get 486 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 2: in on this particular satanic panic. 487 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:42,120 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, And that's just what it was, right, 488 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 1: perhaps not as dangerous as the Inquisition, right, if it 489 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:50,760 Speaker 1: was just a it was a naughty boy who is edgy, 490 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 1: who is Alice Cooper esque original Edge Lord. Yeah yeah. 491 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: And he leaned into it because he composed what is 492 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:03,720 Speaker 1: often described just a fiendishly difficult set of variations called 493 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: the Witches l'astrega. Yeah, yeah, just so, and he rocked out. 494 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:13,200 Speaker 1: This gave him the attention of other prominent, perhaps more 495 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:16,800 Speaker 1: conservative musicians across Europe. Yeah. 496 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 2: The thing that was neat and sort of unique about 497 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 2: Paganini was that he didn't you sheet music because he 498 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:27,600 Speaker 2: memorized all of his stuff, which gave him the freedom 499 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 2: to do all of those stage theatrics that we were 500 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 2: talking about, like you know, swaying quite literally rocking the 501 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 2: f out, and he started to attract the attention of 502 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 2: other prominent, yet more conservative musicians across Europe who maybe 503 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:45,760 Speaker 2: looked a bit of skance. 504 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 1: At his shenaniganry. 505 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:50,480 Speaker 2: One of his early encounters with Charles Philippe Lafonte and 506 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 2: Lewis Spohrer birthed a very intense rivalry. 507 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: Yes, which continued for quite some time. He was friends 508 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 1: with other musics, but not friends with all of them. 509 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 1: He was old, but like his vibe. Yeah yeah, not 510 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:09,880 Speaker 1: everything is for everyone. You know. One guy who did 511 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: like him was the Pope. I guess that's a flex. 512 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 1: In eighteen twenty seven, Pope Leo twelve gave Paganini the 513 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,280 Speaker 1: Order of the Golden Spur, which was a big deal 514 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 1: in the day. We must not have heard the devil rooms. 515 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:25,440 Speaker 1: What do you think about that? You know, I wonder 516 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 1: about that one too. Honestly, maybe that was a maybe 517 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 1: he just got co signs from both sides of the aisle. 518 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,520 Speaker 2: I guess, so you know, it's better to have him 519 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,280 Speaker 2: in our corner, right, for when the infernal line comes 520 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 2: down and starts taking names, his fame begins to truly 521 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 2: spread across Europe. He goes on like a proper rockstar 522 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 2: concert tour that began in Vienna in eighteen twenty eight, 523 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 2: stopped in every single major European city in Germany, Poland Bohemia, 524 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:58,040 Speaker 2: running until February of eighteen thirty. 525 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:02,400 Speaker 1: One, when he played in Strasberg. Yeah, and then he 526 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:07,080 Speaker 1: moves on with more tours around Paris and Britain. He 527 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:14,800 Speaker 1: gets pretty much unanimous critical acclaim because he's just good. Yes, Yeah, 528 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 1: he's a badass. He's a bad mamma jammer. As long 529 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: as he could, as long as he could get on stage. 530 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 1: He was no stranger to chronic illness. We're going to 531 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:30,600 Speaker 1: dive into that in a second, but we know that 532 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: being a relatively sickly child and sickly adult and also 533 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 1: frequently touring probably had an effect on his health. And 534 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:46,840 Speaker 1: then it didn't help that he also got syphilis as 535 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:51,040 Speaker 1: early as eighteen twenty two. The treatment he was given 536 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 1: for syphilis was mercury and opium, which are, by the way, yeah, 537 00:32:56,760 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: not things you should take even if you don't have syphilis. 538 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean opium, you know, okay that you probably 539 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,360 Speaker 2: have a good old time with that, But mercury, they 540 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 2: kind of went on to figure out that that stuff 541 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:12,080 Speaker 2: made you crazy. And if I'm not mistaken, soda syphilis, yeah, 542 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 2: given enough time to metastasize. By the way, Ben, it 543 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:18,320 Speaker 2: always occurs to me when we're talking about people like this, 544 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:22,200 Speaker 2: whether they be great performers or speakers or whatever, and 545 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,240 Speaker 2: the thought that crosses my mind is are there recordings? 546 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,719 Speaker 2: And the good news is kind of yes, you know, 547 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 2: we haven't really pushed this home, but be kind of 548 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:36,040 Speaker 2: leaning more on his performance skills so that he was 549 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,080 Speaker 2: a composer. Yes, he wrote all his music. He wrote, 550 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 2: He wrote original music, which required the level and skill 551 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 2: that he had, and so there would be you know, 552 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:48,480 Speaker 2: some people wouldn't be able to pull this stuff off. 553 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:51,680 Speaker 2: You can find wax cylinder recordings in the British Library, 554 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,480 Speaker 2: thought to be one of Paganini's only pupils. Actually I 555 00:33:56,520 --> 00:34:00,280 Speaker 2: think his only pupil Camillo Sivori, and then include his 556 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 2: Witch's Dance and Savori, who also composed in the style 557 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:05,040 Speaker 2: of Paganini. 558 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: The second violin can share you. 559 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:11,760 Speaker 2: I am not seeing if there are any actual pugany 560 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:13,839 Speaker 2: because I guess he couldn't really do recordings until early 561 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:16,920 Speaker 2: nineteen hundreds, and we lost him just before the technology 562 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:17,799 Speaker 2: I think came into it. 563 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:21,600 Speaker 1: You know what, Let's play just briefly so everybody can 564 00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:26,040 Speaker 1: hear it. Let's play a little bit of a Paganini composition. Yes, 565 00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:34,400 Speaker 1: so here's a snippet of the Witch's dance. The violinist 566 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:41,040 Speaker 1: shakes the hand, yeah, all right, the conductor's warming up, 567 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:49,640 Speaker 1: all right, he's doing his own weird hand thing. So 568 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:53,439 Speaker 1: there's multiple people played. You got to wait for our guy, 569 00:34:53,800 --> 00:35:11,240 Speaker 1: the first violin to hop in. Here he comes. Oh yeah, 570 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:14,799 Speaker 1: So in like the seventeen eighteen hundreds, this would be 571 00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:17,520 Speaker 1: like Harry and Jimmy hendrixh one hundred percent listening to 572 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 1: those runs. 573 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 2: I mean he also kind of created some unique stylistic 574 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,080 Speaker 2: touches of his own that we'll get to in a minute. 575 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:29,080 Speaker 2: But those are called like those really fast runs, glissando 576 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,600 Speaker 2: kind of things. It's very, very difficult, and if anyone 577 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:35,840 Speaker 2: has ever had a sibling or maybe themselves tried to 578 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:39,600 Speaker 2: take up the violin, it sounds horrible unless you're really 579 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:40,360 Speaker 2: really good. 580 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:47,320 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, because unlike unlike your favorite guitar, the violin 581 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:48,240 Speaker 1: doesn't have frets. 582 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,520 Speaker 2: You gotta man, it's a very small fingerboard, you know, 583 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,400 Speaker 2: and you know when you first start. I started playing 584 00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 2: Suzuki violin, which also leans heavily into memorization, which I 585 00:35:58,719 --> 00:36:02,280 Speaker 2: thought was interesting. It tapes little little pieces of tape 586 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:03,920 Speaker 2: on the on the fret, on the front board, on 587 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:07,200 Speaker 2: the fingerboard, so that you know where the main notes are. 588 00:36:07,239 --> 00:36:09,400 Speaker 2: But once you start getting more advanced, you start to 589 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,680 Speaker 2: shift your hand around and like shift up and up 590 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:15,360 Speaker 2: and up, and sometimes do things called like double stops, 591 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,239 Speaker 2: where you'll play two strings at a time and make 592 00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:20,040 Speaker 2: these like little kind of mini chords and. 593 00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:23,319 Speaker 1: All on this tiny piece of physical real estate. It's 594 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:26,759 Speaker 1: funny the memorization, which I do believe is impressive, just 595 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:29,640 Speaker 1: the muscle memory of it. It reminds me of when 596 00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:35,320 Speaker 1: I ask my accomplished trombonist friends to show me without 597 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:38,759 Speaker 1: the trombone what a note looks like, and they have 598 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,279 Speaker 1: it down and it looks really cool when they just 599 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:44,359 Speaker 1: stretch their arm to a certain degree and say this 600 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:48,880 Speaker 1: is this and this, uh so shout out to trombodis 601 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:50,719 Speaker 1: I don't think you get enough love, and you're an 602 00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:55,560 Speaker 1: important part of the crew. How did Paganini get so good? Well, 603 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:01,759 Speaker 1: going back to that small fingerboard conversation, he was a 604 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:13,480 Speaker 1: very very flexible guy. He was basically gumby on stage, 605 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:20,839 Speaker 1: and later historians and researchers would wonder whether this came 606 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:26,000 Speaker 1: from something called Eller's don Lois syndrome or possibly more fans, 607 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:29,560 Speaker 1: which people speculate Abraham Lincoln might have had as well 608 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:30,799 Speaker 1: because of the word. 609 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:34,719 Speaker 2: Jefford Cox from the bands Deer Hunter has been very 610 00:37:34,719 --> 00:37:37,880 Speaker 2: open about his mar Fans syndrome. He's a very tall 611 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:41,960 Speaker 2: and lanky fellow and it has actual health consequences with 612 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:43,960 Speaker 2: it does result in sort of a very tall and 613 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:45,160 Speaker 2: skinny frame. 614 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:48,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, And whether you have Mark fans or Eller's down 615 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:53,000 Speaker 1: los we have a lot of speculation that this condition 616 00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:57,120 Speaker 1: may have been part of how he was able to 617 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:02,279 Speaker 1: go at the violin with such phenomenal speed and not 618 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:06,239 Speaker 1: always have to change his position. His fingers were just 619 00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:10,480 Speaker 1: super flexible, which meant that he could hit these huge 620 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,080 Speaker 1: stretches and these runs with relative ease. 621 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 2: You know, I'm not gonna dox anybody, but we do 622 00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:18,560 Speaker 2: have a close friend both of you. You and I'm 623 00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:21,239 Speaker 2: mutual who has dollars dan Low's And it is not 624 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:24,239 Speaker 2: some sort of debilitating I guess there maybe are our 625 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:27,080 Speaker 2: stages of it, but what it typically results in is 626 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:30,200 Speaker 2: just a very stretchy and flexible skin. 627 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's kind of a gumby situation. And bro, if 628 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:37,800 Speaker 1: you're listening, you know, we're saying that out of affection. 629 00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:41,240 Speaker 1: And I love when that guy explains it to people. 630 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:45,400 Speaker 1: It's always like he's got his presentation down, pat, you 631 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:48,800 Speaker 1: know what I mean with the super flexible stuff. Also 632 00:38:48,880 --> 00:38:53,920 Speaker 1: it helps fight wrinkles, right right, Yeah. 633 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:57,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, the friend that I'm talking about has a perpetually youthful. 634 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:02,200 Speaker 1: Glow and also youthful fun vibe. I love that guy, 635 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:09,439 Speaker 1: all right. So Paganini widely employs the special effects of 636 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:13,439 Speaker 1: the violin world. He's got a high speed left hand pisocado. 637 00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:17,600 Speaker 1: He barely touches the strings to make some ghosty sounds, 638 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:22,680 Speaker 1: and the pisocados where the upper fingers of the left 639 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:26,239 Speaker 1: hand plucked the string while the lower ones hold down 640 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:26,760 Speaker 1: the notes. 641 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 2: Sort of pitsicado in general is just plucking the violin, 642 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:33,240 Speaker 2: but he's doing a form of pitsicato. That's like even 643 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:36,520 Speaker 2: more advanced, I think is borderline of his own design. 644 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:39,120 Speaker 2: So what he would do is he would be plucking 645 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:41,720 Speaker 2: with his left hand, which is the hand you typically 646 00:39:41,719 --> 00:39:43,840 Speaker 2: push down the strings on the left hand. Yeah, and 647 00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:45,640 Speaker 2: then he could also be he sort of like a 648 00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:48,400 Speaker 2: hammer on on a guitar, where you pull up on 649 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:50,640 Speaker 2: the string and it makes a plucking sound. But he 650 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:53,920 Speaker 2: would combine that with hitting it with the bow in between, 651 00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:55,160 Speaker 2: and then aven plucking. 652 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:55,600 Speaker 1: With the right hand. 653 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:59,520 Speaker 2: And there are some really really fancy, showy violin pieces 654 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:04,200 Speaker 2: that incorporate that technique and the ghostly harmonics that you 655 00:40:04,239 --> 00:40:07,000 Speaker 2: were describing. There's a really beautiful piece was when I 656 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:09,879 Speaker 2: was at my kind of advanced dist in violin called 657 00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:16,719 Speaker 2: the Chardash. It's a very famous you've heard heard. 658 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:17,680 Speaker 1: Anyway. 659 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:19,960 Speaker 2: There's a whole part in it that uses these double 660 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:23,760 Speaker 2: harmonics where you have to so gently touch your pinky 661 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,480 Speaker 2: at an exact fifth interval and just touch it of 662 00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:29,960 Speaker 2: the finger you're putting down the string, and it creates 663 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:36,600 Speaker 2: this really kind of ghostly harmonic sound. They're called artificial harmonics. Yeah, 664 00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:37,400 Speaker 2: and I'm a nerd. 665 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:41,920 Speaker 1: And he also had a lot of these double stops 666 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:47,040 Speaker 1: two notes played simultaneously every way you can imagine a 667 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: bow touching a violin and producing a sound. He did it. 668 00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:55,080 Speaker 1: You know. He basically he knew all the super moves, 669 00:40:55,640 --> 00:41:00,640 Speaker 1: and he had been called by multiple people faultless, beyond imagination, 670 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:07,080 Speaker 1: utterly unique and gifted beyond, you know, beyond mortal KeNH 671 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:12,840 Speaker 1: Because he was such a successful virtuoso, it became a 672 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:15,759 Speaker 1: coup of your own if you were in the audience. 673 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:18,840 Speaker 1: And he cultivated this is what we're talking about earlier, 674 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:24,440 Speaker 1: his appearance. He cultivated a purposely edgy appearance. He wanted 675 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:27,480 Speaker 1: to look like a fan of the film The Crow. 676 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:32,200 Speaker 1: He was pale, he was gaunt, he had eternally messy 677 00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:36,600 Speaker 1: black hair, he was wore a long frock coat. And 678 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:43,839 Speaker 1: because he had an earlier botched operation on his jaw, Yeah, 679 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:46,279 Speaker 1: he had a weird He always had a kind of 680 00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:50,319 Speaker 1: weird expression. So he looked like a spooky guy. 681 00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:54,319 Speaker 2: He did look like a bit of a ghoul, didn't he. Yes, 682 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:57,520 Speaker 2: just a spooky season you know what. I also bet Ben, 683 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:00,560 Speaker 2: I'm picturing a bit of a smell. Oh, come on, man, it. 684 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:02,640 Speaker 1: Was don't know why. I just I picture a bit 685 00:42:02,719 --> 00:42:06,080 Speaker 1: of a of a tour bus smell. In this era, 686 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:10,239 Speaker 1: it was already smelling everything stink, you know what I mean? 687 00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:12,719 Speaker 1: I think that was Oh gosh. We were talking with 688 00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:17,719 Speaker 1: Bahamas about that a while a while ago. Yes, Aj Bahamas, 689 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:21,399 Speaker 1: Jacob's one of our smartest friends. Remember when we talked 690 00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:25,000 Speaker 1: to Moe Raka and he was just talking about mostly 691 00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:26,080 Speaker 1: said the same thing. 692 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:29,400 Speaker 2: He was talking about the seventies in New York City recently, 693 00:42:29,600 --> 00:42:32,800 Speaker 2: the seventies everyone smelled like Bo on the subway. 694 00:42:33,440 --> 00:42:36,080 Speaker 1: It's very, very true. This is a different time for Bo. 695 00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:39,480 Speaker 2: And I'm just thinking our boy Agannini was a bit 696 00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:40,120 Speaker 2: of a stinker. 697 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:42,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I hate to profile. I don't know why, but 698 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:45,560 Speaker 1: he's got the look. He does have the look, the unkempt. 699 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:49,120 Speaker 1: I bet that Frock coat. Bet it didn't get laundered 700 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:51,879 Speaker 1: too frequently. Yeah, how many Frock coats did he have? 701 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:53,240 Speaker 1: That's all? 702 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:54,880 Speaker 2: Did he even have a closet? At this point, he 703 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:56,280 Speaker 2: seemed like he was a bit of a transient. 704 00:42:56,520 --> 00:42:59,400 Speaker 1: Well, in eighteen thirty six, he goes back to Paris 705 00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:03,400 Speaker 1: to set up a casino and the casino fail. That 706 00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:07,200 Speaker 1: goes well, right now, okay, yeah, it fails terribly cartoonishly. 707 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:13,000 Speaker 1: Dare I say ridiculously. It left him in financial dire straits. 708 00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:14,000 Speaker 1: Not the band. 709 00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:16,239 Speaker 2: You don't have no microwave of it. You know that 710 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:19,960 Speaker 2: song drops a slur very casually. I did not realize 711 00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:21,600 Speaker 2: it until very recently when I was I was trying 712 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:23,400 Speaker 2: to show my kid in the video because it was 713 00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:28,160 Speaker 2: that classic early MTV computery video. And then the second verse, 714 00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:30,800 Speaker 2: I mean to be fair, it is sort of playing 715 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:33,320 Speaker 2: a character who would use that word five. 716 00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:37,560 Speaker 1: But it's not good. It does not age well, no, no, no. 717 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:41,960 Speaker 1: And then we've got what's the name of that? Is 718 00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:44,600 Speaker 1: it money for nothing? Money for nothing? Is it chicks 719 00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:47,880 Speaker 1: for free? Or checks for free? I think it's money 720 00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:50,840 Speaker 1: for nothing and chicks for free, chicks for free? Okay, 721 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:53,600 Speaker 1: let us know, let us let us know. Dire straits. 722 00:43:54,400 --> 00:43:58,880 Speaker 1: They're still kicking around, and because the casino is ruined, 723 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:03,800 Speaker 1: he has to auction off a bunch of his personal effects. 724 00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:07,080 Speaker 1: So if he had multiple frock coats, he doesn't anymore. 725 00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:10,959 Speaker 1: He has to auction off his musical instruments to make 726 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:15,520 Speaker 1: good on his losses. He leaves Paris for Marseille in 727 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:19,640 Speaker 1: eighteen thirty eight during Christmas. Then he travels to Nice 728 00:44:19,719 --> 00:44:23,720 Speaker 1: in the entire time, his medical condition is getting worse 729 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:27,560 Speaker 1: and worse and worse. It's eighteen forty. The local bishop 730 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:32,440 Speaker 1: sends Paganini a priest to perform the last rites, and 731 00:44:32,520 --> 00:44:36,520 Speaker 1: Paganini is pissed off. He pretty much says, come on, guys, 732 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:41,680 Speaker 1: I'm not dead yet. Why are you here? And he 733 00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:44,200 Speaker 1: turns the priest away because he says, you know, I'm 734 00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:49,480 Speaker 1: not gonna die yet. That's the official explanation. But for 735 00:44:49,560 --> 00:44:53,360 Speaker 1: people who believe the rumor that he was the Devil's violinist, 736 00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:58,320 Speaker 1: they thought he had already sworn allegiance to infernal powers 737 00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:04,560 Speaker 1: and as such could not take last rites in the church. Anyway, 738 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:06,840 Speaker 1: it looks like the bishop who sent the priest was 739 00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:11,240 Speaker 1: onto something, because Paganini dies a week later, May eighteen forty, 740 00:45:11,360 --> 00:45:16,000 Speaker 1: May twenty seventh, eighteen forty. He's just fifty seven years old. Yes, 741 00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:20,600 Speaker 1: he died as he lived fast and loose. Oh that's 742 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:23,440 Speaker 1: a heck of a way to describe internal hemorrhagy. I 743 00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:29,040 Speaker 1: know exactly, internal hemorrhaging. Indeed, was this a complication from 744 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:33,839 Speaker 1: his syphilis? It had to be a culmination of multiple things. Yeah, 745 00:45:33,880 --> 00:45:40,080 Speaker 1: you know, we talked about genetic conditions syphilis, tuberculosis, whatever 746 00:45:40,120 --> 00:45:45,719 Speaker 1: else he picked up in his adult adventures. It's a 747 00:45:45,760 --> 00:45:50,080 Speaker 1: weird pause. Try for the diplomacy here, folks. Uh, yeah, 748 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:53,400 Speaker 1: his This is how we know that he had this 749 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:58,560 Speaker 1: association with the devil. The Catholic Church denied his body 750 00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:03,920 Speaker 1: a Catholic burial in Genoa, but the Popa loved him. 751 00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:08,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, but Papa, Papa, where are you in his hour 752 00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:08,479 Speaker 2: of need? 753 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:13,200 Speaker 1: Where is burial? Need? Where is job rule? It took uh? 754 00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:17,839 Speaker 1: But the okay like his fans though, are the equivalent 755 00:46:18,040 --> 00:46:26,880 Speaker 1: of barbs? Is that the Nicki minaj fans. 756 00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:29,680 Speaker 2: Or whatever bars in the behive or swifties in Behi Bayhive. 757 00:46:29,719 --> 00:46:31,800 Speaker 2: There's another what do you know what they called chapel 758 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:35,759 Speaker 2: ron fans. I don't know that was too new. Chaps, 759 00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:39,360 Speaker 2: the Chapsters. Charlie xc x O G fans are angels 760 00:46:39,360 --> 00:46:40,600 Speaker 2: because Charlie's angels. 761 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:43,319 Speaker 1: You know, I get it. Well, he had this kind 762 00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:45,000 Speaker 1: of fandom. You know, what do they call it? What 763 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:47,319 Speaker 1: can we give him a name? Then the Ninis I 764 00:46:47,440 --> 00:46:54,640 Speaker 1: like that? Yeah, Oh, the Pagans, the Pagans followers. There 765 00:46:54,719 --> 00:46:57,160 Speaker 1: we go. I believe the guy didn't think to start 766 00:46:57,200 --> 00:47:02,399 Speaker 1: a cult of Paganini. I I had a little harder guy. 767 00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:04,839 Speaker 1: I think he was a one on one kind of guy. 768 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:06,600 Speaker 1: I think that's probably true, you know what I mean, 769 00:47:06,719 --> 00:47:10,719 Speaker 1: and probably with people he's trying to sleep with. That's what. Yeah, 770 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:15,920 Speaker 1: it took anyways, fans the Pagans uh. They spend four 771 00:47:16,120 --> 00:47:19,880 Speaker 1: years lobbying the Catholic Church and appealing to the Pope 772 00:47:20,239 --> 00:47:23,960 Speaker 1: to let this guy's body be transported back to Genoa. 773 00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:27,600 Speaker 1: He goes on a posthumous tour, he's taken to Genoa. 774 00:47:27,719 --> 00:47:33,000 Speaker 1: He's still not buried. He's finally buried in eighteen seventy six, 775 00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:37,360 Speaker 1: so many years after he dies, he is buried in 776 00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:39,240 Speaker 1: a cemetery in Pharma. 777 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:42,920 Speaker 2: You know, this reminds me of remember when James Brown 778 00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:47,279 Speaker 2: passed away and like he went unburied for months. I 779 00:47:47,320 --> 00:47:49,960 Speaker 2: want to say, he died on Christmas Day of whatever 780 00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:53,279 Speaker 2: year that was, and they kept his body like in 781 00:47:53,320 --> 00:47:56,239 Speaker 2: a freezer or something, or like a refrigerator in his 782 00:47:56,360 --> 00:47:58,719 Speaker 2: own on his own property, I want to say, because 783 00:47:58,719 --> 00:48:00,879 Speaker 2: there were a lot of legal issues his a state 784 00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:03,200 Speaker 2: and all of that, but it was the weirdest thing, 785 00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:05,160 Speaker 2: like they did. There was a whole like what's the 786 00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:07,880 Speaker 2: deal with James Brown's burial very similar. 787 00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:11,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this is only one story of a musician 788 00:48:12,239 --> 00:48:16,799 Speaker 1: rumored to have sold their soul to the devil. We 789 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:19,960 Speaker 1: know that Paganini's body was finally reinterred in a new 790 00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:23,479 Speaker 1: cemetery still in part in eighteen ninety six. He has 791 00:48:23,560 --> 00:48:28,799 Speaker 1: found peace. We cannot speak to any direct proof of 792 00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:34,400 Speaker 1: supernatural affiliation, but we can say some people genuinely believe 793 00:48:34,560 --> 00:48:37,360 Speaker 1: he had made a deal with the devil because he 794 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:41,239 Speaker 1: was just that good. So if you want an obscure 795 00:48:41,800 --> 00:48:45,880 Speaker 1: Halloween costume, or if you don't want to dress up, 796 00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:47,919 Speaker 1: just mess up your hair, put on a long coat 797 00:48:47,920 --> 00:48:52,160 Speaker 1: and tell people you're Paganini for Halloween exactly. I mean, 798 00:48:52,239 --> 00:48:53,000 Speaker 1: fun costume. 799 00:48:54,160 --> 00:48:56,279 Speaker 2: There was one thing in the Beetlejuice movie, the New 800 00:48:56,280 --> 00:48:58,319 Speaker 2: Beetlejuice movie, that I thought was kind of cute. I 801 00:48:58,320 --> 00:49:00,880 Speaker 2: had a little ragged on It's okay, it's fine, but 802 00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:05,680 Speaker 2: the young Lydia Dietz's daughter character played by Jenna Ortega, 803 00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:10,440 Speaker 2: dresses up as Marie Currie for Halloween, and like she's 804 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:13,360 Speaker 2: got like sort of like like bags under her eyes, 805 00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:16,200 Speaker 2: like it's meant to represent like radiation poisoning. I love 806 00:49:16,239 --> 00:49:19,319 Speaker 2: the idea of deep cut historical Halloween cousin. I think 807 00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:21,000 Speaker 2: Paganini would be a good one. 808 00:49:21,160 --> 00:49:23,080 Speaker 1: That's a cool Yeah, it's a cool idea. The more 809 00:49:23,120 --> 00:49:25,759 Speaker 1: I think about more I like it. I love obscure costumes. 810 00:49:26,200 --> 00:49:29,839 Speaker 1: Not only really backfired once. I don't think we knew 811 00:49:29,840 --> 00:49:33,880 Speaker 1: each other. I dressed as HH Holmes and I looked 812 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:37,640 Speaker 1: I did it Orange Star No, uh, the serial Killer 813 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:41,560 Speaker 1: from the Devil with the White City. I was thinking 814 00:49:41,600 --> 00:49:46,480 Speaker 1: of John. Sorry, different different homes. But HH Holmes. Please 815 00:49:46,520 --> 00:49:48,360 Speaker 1: read The Devil in the White City if you haven't, 816 00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:52,719 Speaker 1: It's just a fantastic book. HH Holmes, real monster, kind 817 00:49:52,719 --> 00:49:56,399 Speaker 1: of a deep cut. And here's why I backfired. The 818 00:49:56,440 --> 00:49:59,439 Speaker 1: one person other than my girlfriend at the time who 819 00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:06,400 Speaker 1: recognized was super not chill No was very excited that 820 00:50:06,520 --> 00:50:10,960 Speaker 1: they've met someone dressed as HH Holmes and wanted to 821 00:50:11,160 --> 00:50:13,960 Speaker 1: hang out. What does that say about this person? Not 822 00:50:14,120 --> 00:50:18,600 Speaker 1: not I get you know. First suppressions are the measure 823 00:50:18,719 --> 00:50:21,640 Speaker 1: the within span of a human character. But that lady 824 00:50:21,680 --> 00:50:22,920 Speaker 1: had a creepy vibe. 825 00:50:23,120 --> 00:50:28,080 Speaker 2: Well, speaking of creepy vibes and serial killer fandom. Since 826 00:50:28,080 --> 00:50:30,320 Speaker 2: we're wrapping up this episode and Ben, a huge thanks 827 00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:32,480 Speaker 2: to you for putting together this incredible brief on such 828 00:50:32,480 --> 00:50:37,479 Speaker 2: an incredibly weird and I guess divisive fellow. I did 829 00:50:37,520 --> 00:50:41,200 Speaker 2: want to make a spooky season film recommendation. 830 00:50:41,960 --> 00:50:43,799 Speaker 1: Let's hear it. It is called. 831 00:50:43,719 --> 00:50:48,560 Speaker 2: Red Rooms, and it is a French Canadian kind of 832 00:50:48,680 --> 00:50:53,400 Speaker 2: procedural horror, you know, serial killer type thing, but it 833 00:50:53,480 --> 00:50:57,960 Speaker 2: is all from the perspective of a super fan of 834 00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:01,120 Speaker 2: this serial killer who is on trial, and it does 835 00:51:01,200 --> 00:51:06,480 Speaker 2: some of the most incredible things with there's I don't 836 00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:08,319 Speaker 2: know if anyone's familiar or it have to be too heavy, 837 00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:09,799 Speaker 2: but the idea of Red Rooms is sort of an 838 00:51:09,840 --> 00:51:12,840 Speaker 2: Internet rumor, kind of like snuff films, the idea that 839 00:51:12,920 --> 00:51:16,960 Speaker 2: on the dark Web there exists these murder films that 840 00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:20,000 Speaker 2: you can bid on or watch cams of or whatever, 841 00:51:20,280 --> 00:51:23,719 Speaker 2: and they are largely thought to be mythical. But in 842 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:26,680 Speaker 2: the reality of this movie, they are not mythical. And 843 00:51:26,719 --> 00:51:31,839 Speaker 2: this gentleman has perpetrated multiple of these and you experience 844 00:51:31,960 --> 00:51:34,600 Speaker 2: others watching them, but you don't ever see them. 845 00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:37,040 Speaker 1: You just see their reactions and hear the sound. 846 00:51:37,480 --> 00:51:39,720 Speaker 2: And I swear ben it is one of the most 847 00:51:40,120 --> 00:51:45,160 Speaker 2: stunning and haunting horror type films I've ever seen. It's 848 00:51:45,239 --> 00:51:46,840 Speaker 2: up there to me with like a Silence of the 849 00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:49,560 Speaker 2: Lambs type situation. I highly I can't recommend it enough. 850 00:51:49,880 --> 00:51:52,200 Speaker 1: Do check it out, folks. I will do the same 851 00:51:52,320 --> 00:51:57,720 Speaker 1: and let us know your favorite Halloween films and rewatches. 852 00:51:58,200 --> 00:52:01,440 Speaker 1: I'm all, it's always Halloween in America in my opinion, 853 00:52:01,520 --> 00:52:05,000 Speaker 1: so I'm always yeah, so I'm always watching horror films. 854 00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:08,759 Speaker 1: The thanks has always ridiculous histories for tuning in, big, 855 00:52:08,800 --> 00:52:13,239 Speaker 1: big thanks to our super producer, mister Max Williams. I 856 00:52:13,280 --> 00:52:16,680 Speaker 1: called him the Ookie Boogieman earlier because I was up 857 00:52:16,719 --> 00:52:20,600 Speaker 1: really late last night and Nightmare Before Christmas came on 858 00:52:21,200 --> 00:52:23,240 Speaker 1: and I just came on, Ben, you have like cable 859 00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:25,120 Speaker 1: or something, what do we talk? Well, not to I 860 00:52:25,280 --> 00:52:28,680 Speaker 1: wrote anybody, you know what I mean, but it popped 861 00:52:28,719 --> 00:52:33,480 Speaker 1: on and I remember distinctly thinking, well, I can't go 862 00:52:33,560 --> 00:52:37,680 Speaker 1: to sleep now, I've got to see what happens in 863 00:52:37,719 --> 00:52:41,359 Speaker 1: this movie that I've watched, you know clearly like thirty times. 864 00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:45,759 Speaker 2: Well, the four K remaster looks fantastic, stunning, right, yeah, 865 00:52:45,840 --> 00:52:46,759 Speaker 2: very very very cool. 866 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:49,799 Speaker 1: A big fan of Night Before Christmas as well. 867 00:52:49,480 --> 00:52:52,520 Speaker 2: And big fan of you, Ben as well as you 868 00:52:52,719 --> 00:52:57,640 Speaker 2: superproducer Max as well. As Alex Williams who composed this theme, 869 00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:03,239 Speaker 2: and huge fans of Christopher Hasiotis and Ease Jeffcoat here 870 00:53:03,280 --> 00:53:04,120 Speaker 2: in spirit oh. 871 00:53:04,160 --> 00:53:07,040 Speaker 1: Our buddy Christopher is going to be performing at our 872 00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:11,239 Speaker 1: local Atlanta Rite Club I Believe on November sixth. It's 873 00:53:11,280 --> 00:53:13,279 Speaker 1: a good show for a good cause. Check it out 874 00:53:13,320 --> 00:53:15,560 Speaker 1: if you're in town. We also want to thank, with 875 00:53:15,640 --> 00:53:20,359 Speaker 1: great reluctance, our pal Jonathan Strickland, who definitely made a 876 00:53:20,520 --> 00:53:24,880 Speaker 1: deal with the Devil but for podcast Yeah, kind of 877 00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:28,719 Speaker 1: a similarly bunk deal to the one I'm met for violining. 878 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:32,160 Speaker 1: Just kidding, Jonathan, You're great. Yeah, we love you, man 879 00:53:32,880 --> 00:53:36,960 Speaker 1: jee UIs Ben You got anything else to say? Happy Halloween? Ah, Yes, 880 00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:41,240 Speaker 1: Happy Halloween. Indeed, we'll see you next time, folks. 881 00:53:48,040 --> 00:53:51,840 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 882 00:53:51,920 --> 00:53:54,080 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.