beppe grillo comedy isnt pretty

Beppe Grillo: Comedy isn't Pretty

One of the main inspirations I had for creating this site came from

the the blog of the Italian comedian Beppe Grillo. Italy has a long

tradition of social critique being delivered by comedians. Unlike

their American late night equivalents these comedians dive headfirst

into real issues and use their bond with the common man and their

insight to the absurd to mobilize Italians to speak out against

political abuse and cynical party and religious rhetoric.

However, Italy also has a well documented history of revolving

alliances between government officials, the Catholic Church, mafia and

anti-communist secret societies. Once Silvio Berlusconi (who has been

linked to all of the above) came to power in the mid-90s these

comedians, while hugely popular, were effectively banned from the

public airwaves. Berlusconi is not only the founder of the right wing

political party Forza Italia, he is Italy's richest man and owns a

media empire that controls 3 of the 6 major Italian television

networks.

Once banned Grillo and his fellow comedians began taking their shows

directly to the public. They tour the country in local theaters and

began using the internet as a means to stay in touch with a wider

public. Today Beppe Grillo's shows are almost universally sold out and

his blog is not only the most visited website in Italy, with 1500-2000

comments a day, it is one one the most visited blogs in the world! His

is an important voice and the fact that his site has become THE place

to go for both political insight and humor is a true inspiration for