by Roberto Rizzo
The historic Buscemi in Corso Magenta has announced its permanent closure for early 2023. The signs that wrote an era are largely forgotten today
Now, after fifty years of honorable service, Buscemi has announced its closure in which he has sold records, and which records (including CDs) to thousands of enthusiasts, What is left in Milan for the few who still seek physical support to listen to music? Little, very little. The Stoic Psycho, specializing in every nuance of alternative rock that resists in the fortress on Via Zamenhof, having long since abandoned the splendor of the previous headquarters on Via De Amicis; the weird (there is everything but also nothing, to tell the truth) Firmly of Via Fara, built on the ashes of refrigerator; the historic second-hand department stores like that Discomanic (Navigli) and metropolis (in via Esterle, crossing via Padova); discriminators (Navigli again), shop with jeweler prices and electronic music over Lucky coincidence in Corso di Porta Ticinese.
“Those who still buy physical music are a niche of enthusiasts. Otherwise it’s a finished market.”, explained Mario Buscemi himself, who with his shop in Corso Magenta has satisfied the thirst for music of more than a generation. Undeniable: Streaming is a great inventionFor around ten euros a month, but also free of charge against advertising, the platforms bring every discography to our mobile phones, PCs and car radios. Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.
Before streaming, there was a time, at least a few decades, the 80’s and 90’s correspond to the domestic hi-fi boom, the real driving force behind the proliferation of vinyl, cassettes and then CDsduring the The record shops were the landmarks of a different urban topography. Now forgotten signs that were the target of collectors and enthusiasts, as well as those looking for the Sanremo compilation or the record that won the festival bar. What a time when it was difficult to get in straight from Buscemi on Saturday afternoon. Requesting or buying a 33 or 45 rpm made all the difference: Mario Buscemi and his collaborators confirmed or denied the sophistication of the disc with a simple glance. Record stores, also narrated in “High Fidelity”, the novel manifesto by Nick Hornby (born 1995)were not only places for shopping, but above all meeting places where bands were formed, friendships between enthusiasts and maybe even love stories were born.
It seems strange that Buscemi is closing today, but just meters from its old windows that overlooked Bar Magenta was its competitor Bigi. A narrow and long room, less equipped than its rival but with its own function: what was not found at Buscemi was at Bigi and vice versa. Record stores were so popular that In 1997 Antonio Albanese shot a scene from the film “A man of fresh water” in the Rasputin, a sign in Viale Montenero. The craziest store in Milan was New Zabriskie Point in via Santa Maria della Valle, behind via Torino. Peppered with punk and hardcore material it was directed by a mythical figure of Milanese punk, Stiv Valli. The problem was Valli’s strange notion of opening hours. A Russian roulette. The most common scene was dozens of people patiently awaiting the arrival of the owner in front of the drawn shutters. New Zabriskie inherited the legacy of Headquartered in Piazza San Giorgio, one of the very first punk haunts of the late ’70s, New Kary inevitably found itself trying to please a clientele asking for Sex Pistols and Ramones although the manager was very pushy on a new band’s first album, U2.
In Via Dogana there were transex specializing in metal. Metalheads who also found all their favorite bands in Mariposa, which for years had two locations: on the mezzanine floor of Metro Duomo and first in Corso di Porta Romana, then in Corso Lodi. Strangely enough, Mariposa was full of two opposite genres, metal and danceto a listening room reserved for DJs. But if an unfortunate one asked, for example, about “Renato Zero’s latest album,” he was immediately burned with disgrace. Not even those of shone with sympathy Phonographic media in Corso di Porta Ticinese, from 1984 to 2005 heavily specialized initially in New Wave and Post Punk, then in electronics if it was independent music. Today at the same address is the aforementioned Serendipity. The low level of manager sympathy has remained the same since the days of supports.
In the eighties Via Marghera was already a street with restaurants and pizzerias. Between spaghetti with clams and margherita, there was the tiny Bseparate discs. Today there is a piadineria in its place. The stroll in the center had fewer than fixed stops musical message (Corso Vittorio Emanuele) e memories (in the gallery). Two megastores before megastores. Glossy shops frequented mostly by casual buyers, those who buy a record each year, usually Vasco Rossi or Michael Jackson, to give away for Christmas. The hyperpublished had a short life then Virgo (Duomo) and French Fnac (via Torino), opened when the world of music carriers was already changing. It was the late 90’s and the music would never be the same.
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December 04, 2022 ( edit December 04, 2022 | 15:40)
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