Europe! Beware of Italians – Grillo

Beppe Grillo inspiring his audience. Photo Credit: Federico Gatti

People in Europe should beware of Italian political follies spreading over the Alps. But don’t worry: comedian and activist Beppe Grillo, Italian himself, will give you the necessary antibodies (and a fair amount of hilarity) to repel them.

His imposing figure and his greying beard make him look like an ordinary grandpa. But despite his age – 62 – he still oozes energy and enthusiasm. And that’s what Grillo brought to the 02 Shepherds Bush Empire in London last Wednesday, when he performed ‘Incredible Italy’ abroad for the first time.

In his two-hour-long monologue Grillo had jokes to expose everyone, from Italian ministers and members of the Parliament to European politicians. He spared neither journalists nor entrepreneurs.

He even claimed to have discovered the reason why English girls have one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy: “They go out wearing skimpy skirts, no pantyhose and it’s minus three…they become deadened from the waist under and don’t even realise what’s going on.”

After making fun of the British sense of humour and of the size of English bedrooms, he moved on to Italian business with engrossing satire of the issues that are currently afflicting the Bel Paese: justice (or lack of it), economy, showgirls entering politics and questionable political behaviour.

Grillo, who is also the most popular blogger in Italy, warned his audience of the chance Italian viruses might spread in Europe as well. “While people were mocking us,” he said, “we invented fascism and the banks and exported them.”

“The Germans laugh at us,” he added, “but they are also being colonised by the ‘ndrangheta’ as the mafia is called in the Southern region of Calabria, through control over real estate.”

The “pimp-strategy”, as he called the mixing of outlaw behaviour and politics, might well sweep Europe. “I soon expect Angela Merkel to have an affair with an underage [boy], Brown to go to dinner with a criminal and Sarkozy to see transvestites,” he forecast provocatively.

Grillo’s show was not just a bittersweet rant, however. He also presented a positive alternative to Italy’s outdated policies. “Our problem is that our ruling class is formed of 70 year-olds, who are not able to move with the times and fully understand the possibilities of new technologies,” he said. Thanks to the web people have now the power to participate directly in the decision-making process and control the work of politicians.

Grillo is the perfect example of a successful social networking manipulator. He started a blog in 2005 and used it to spread alternative information. He then launched popular initiatives such as the V-day (Fuck off-day) to protest against issues that concern Italian citizens, garnering a lot of support along the way.

Young people from his ‘Movimento 5 Stelle’ (‘Five Stars’ movement), which encourages the use of new technologies in local councils, have already won praises from European institutions for implementing energetic programmes which are environment friendly and cost-effective.

Time Magazine nominated Beppe Grillo ‘European Hero of 2005’ and in 2009 Forbes ranked Grillo seven in their most popular bloggers shortlist. For all our non pasta-eaters, don’t worry: his blog is available also in English and Japanese. Enjoy!