Twenty-seven issues of Tapiroforo. The birth of Valerio Staffelli, Milanese, born in 1963, began in 1997. He is Antonio Riccis Glovo, the person in charge of the birth of the South American mammal of yellow lacquered resin: the golden tapir. Which, as the creator of Striscia la Noteia explained, “is the implementation of the deified Golden Calf”. It was therefore born as an idol that today, due to a vocation crisis, is venerated in one of the many secular shrines that we have chosen as a guide: television.
The first tapir is never forgotten. Who did he give it to?
“Do you want to laugh? I don’t remember anymore, maybe Baudo, maybe someone else. After more than 2000 services, it’s easy to forget…».
For the record, it was Giancarlo Magalli after RAI leadership denied him leadership of “Domenica in”. How did he come to «Strip»?
“Oar! The aircraft carrier of the Mediaset fleet was at anchor and I approached it like a naval pioneer, went on board and proposed to the admiral himself, Antonio Ricci».
Nice picture. Rather prosaic?
«At that time there was a correspondent who was acting crazy and left, so after a conversation Antonio said to me: “Okay, let’s try”. As I greeted him in hopes of a quick call, he added, “What do you understand? Go to Rome immediately, then I’ll tell you what we’re going to do”. The morning of the following day I was at the house of the then President of Rai Enzo Siciliano, who, when he saw me, didn’t say a word, ignored my questions and himself opened like lightning towards Viale Mazzini. The only detail, quite painful, had closed my hand in the door of the armored car. I howled like a coyote until he stopped and gave me back the link. That was my baptism during the release of Striscia 1996/97».
The most difficult tapir?
«After Balotelli in Great Britain. Already driving on the left had turned things upside down, then he was driving a fully camouflaged car at lightning speed, every time he left practice I was making insane attempts to catch him. But then we managed to “reward” him at a Chinese restaurant in Manchester. With one final brawl, of course, but less with Mario and his friends than with the local Chinese who didn’t understand what happened».
The Bitterst Tapir?
«Perhaps the most “painful” for Fabrizio Del Noce, then director of Rai1, the broken nasal septum really hurts. Another is the Tapiro in Scalfaro, we discovered that he wanted to take advantage of his position as a prominent politician to get his daughter the blue car too. He started a horrible fight to avoid the tapir and even managed to beat up a girl of the troupe».
Even Mike Bongiorno didn’t take it well…
“Not even Ricci, when he found out that Mike was angry and hadn’t understood the irony of the delivery, but then when he saw the video, Antonio called me with a laugh: ‘Very funny'”.
Sgarbi was rude…
“Vittorio was angry, he broke it on my head and caused a head injury. Then a month later I saw him again on Radio24, he hugged me and told me it was for a show.”
Nice way of making a show… Maybe it was the same impulse that enlivened Del Noce when he broke her nose with the microphone. did you see each other again
“After 13 years of trial he was still convinced he was winning, he even told me once when I happened to meet him in Rome. Instead, he made a fool of himself for losing the case.”
Even former Bank of Italy governor Antonio Fazio wasn’t very diplomatic…
“He said to the escort, “Beat him a bit so he can get out of the way.’ We were all speechless, both I and his men, he didn’t pay, he answered the order. Luckily there were only a few idiots».
Who is the sportiest footballer and who is looking forward to it the most?
“Ibra was the sportiest, very ironic. The nicest without a doubt Antonio Cassano. The rosiest Maldini both as a player and as an ex».
And among the singers?
‘Gianni Morandi, always ironic and friendly; the rosiest Grignani».
The malicious one?
“Usually the politician hopes to use the Striscia pulpit for his election campaign, but that doesn’t quite work out.”
Will Belén be attracted more because her beauty and media exposure help the ratings?
“No, it’s highly decorated because it combines all the colors between weddings, breakups and slip-ups”.
What does she say to those who have accused her of sexism because of the tapir in Amber?
‘That means you haven’t seen the report. I asked Ambra what happened, I didn’t make fun of her, on the contrary… I didn’t like what happened after the birth, she – who joked during the service – would have explained it and the waves should calm down, instead he let the situation rise”.
Confess: never exaggerated, never surpassed in “harassment” on the street?
“Harassment? We satire, we insinuate doubt, we don’t arrive with the truth in our pockets, we joke about what people do in life, that’s all.”
Anyone suggest preserving the tapir?
‘The truth is, anyone would like it. Once, after the delivery, Prodi asked me if he could have another one: “One for the house in Bologna and one for the one in Rome”».
when is she excited
“If I can’t make the delivery.”
Who gets in trouble?
‘My wife, if I don’t do what she wants. It’s always a good fight but we’ve been together for over 30 years.’
Have you ever thought about changing jobs?
“It’s hard to find something as adrenaline pumping as Striscia, but now that we can also document theft and pickpocketing we’re combining business with pleasure. If Antonio then retires me, I will face the problem».
Do they pay you for every tapir that delivers or has a land line?
‘They’ve been paying me in tapirs for a decade now…’.
But when did she deserve to get a tapir?
“Good question, ask my children.”
Which teenager was that?
“I was born in Milan and grew up in Sesto San Giovanni, a diverse and dangerous city in the 70’s. Luckily, my love of the sport has always kept me out of trouble.”
The school? Lazy or Nerd?
“The classic sentence was: Valerio is a smart boy, but he doesn’t try very hard and wants to make his companions laugh, but this isn’t cabaret.”
What did your parents teach you?
‘My father was a textile merchant and my mother a clothing merchant, they had two shops in the “Stalingrad of Italy”. They have always encouraged my passion for the world of entertainment and it was my mother who kickstarted my career when, at the age of 14, she introduced me to the owner of a private radio station. That’s where it all started.”
He joined “Striscia” in 1997 at the age of 34: what did he do first?
«During my apprenticeship I was available for everything: private radio, cinema, television. On television I have worked with personalities such as Abatantuono and Smaila, with whom a beautiful friendship was formed».
How is Abatantuono?
“Diego is my older brother, I spent the first few years of this job with him, generous with advice, he is a beautiful person from head to toe. Like me, he loves to eat and drink well and philosophizes ironically about the quirks of our fellow human beings, an evening with him is always great ».
And Antonio Ricci?
“He’s a joker, someone who still enjoys his job and an impressive writer. In 27 seasons with him, I never got bored.”
Are you spending your holidays with Fiorello, are you friends, how is it privately?
«Rosario is a champion, we should see him on Rai1 as much as possible, he is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, he must be protected! Privately, he wakes up early like me, on vacation, when our families have slept, we have done sports and then went shopping in the supermarket, like two housewives ».
Where does the chutzpah come from?
«From my Neapolitan origins, I am half-blooded Neapolitan on my father’s side; that’s the recipe.’
The luxury you allow yourself?
“From time to time I go out to eat in starred restaurants with my wife.”
Most transgressive thing he’s done?
“Agree to dress up as a bearded woman for Striscia’s 30th anniversary ad. Antonio thought I was embarrassed and instead I surprised him».
Is there a day in his life that he would like to relive?
“When I played at the San Siro for Milan’s 100th birthday, there were 65,000 people around and on the pitch to the right of my footballing legend, Franco Baresi, and only players wearing the Rossoneri colours. Another unforgettable day was when I rode the track alone with Valentino Rossi».
The nightmare?
“You come close to an assassin pirate and you don’t have the tapir in your pocket. It really happened, I did it with an advice from Ricci who told me: “Draw it on a piece of paper, you will see that it will be good anyway”. And so it was.’