Yesterday night I got the news of the death of Carlo Pedersoli, better known as Bud Spencer.
He was born in Naples in 1929, and had started out as an Olympic swimmer and water polo player.
He was also a car racer and a songwriter – but his CV included a lot of odd-jobs.

Then, after a number of bit parts in Cinecittà, he was offered a role in Dio perdona… io no – a seminal spaghetti western in which he teamed up with Mario Girotti, also known as Terence Hill.
It was 1967.
The year I was born.

Now, it is complicated to explain what the Spencer & Hill team meant for Italian kids in my generation.
This connects with the post I did two days ago, about needing heroes when we grow up.
So, if you don’t mind, I’ll digress… Continue reading →