Paolo Nutini, The New Scottish Star

I'm blogging again about Paolo Lutini and after you listen to the podcast there is an exercise from Speakup in Class, any question, please get in touch through www.speakup.com.br or e-mail me carlosrn36@gmail.com 

Paolo Nutini, The New Scottish Star

Source: Speak Up

Language level: Basic

Standard accents: British and Scottish

The New Scottish Star

Everything about Paolo Nutini is impossible. His name is Italian, but he’s Scottish. He has the looks of a teenage pop star, but sings like a 1960s soul man. His record company told him to change his name, if he wanted success, but he refused. Last year he released a debut album, These Streets, which was a hit, and he is currently in the middle of a sell-out tour of the United States. The magazine Rolling Stone named him one of its “Ten Artists to Watch.”

FISH AND CHIPS

Paolo, who turned 20 in January, grew up near Glasgow, in the town of Paisley, where his parents own a fish and chip shop. His grandfather, Jackie, introduced Paolo to music and encouraged him to sing; Paolo wrote the song “Autumn” in his memory. Paolo says. “He was a big music lover. He loved boogie woogie piano and adored opera.” Jackie died when Paolo was about 11 years old, but he would have loved the passion and soul of his grandson’s voice.

Last summer the family visited their ancestral home Barga, a small town in the Northern hills of Tuscany, where Paolo gave a free concert. He announced, “I’m playing here in my nonno’s opera house, unbelievable! I’ll try to put on a show for you, if I can stopgreetin’.” (Greetin’ is Scottish slang for “crying.”) Paolo’s songs are autobiographical; his album These Streets is a diary of his last three years. For example, the songs “Last Request” and “Rewind” recount problems with his girlfriend, whereas the title track, “These Street,” recalls his first, homesick days in London.

GOING HOME

“In my head i see a vineyard in Italy. I’ll build a recording studio there. That’s the plan…though I’ll have to return to Scotland now and then, just to keep my sanity.” If his voice doesn’t pay for that vineyard, his looks will: he has signed a contract with prestigious London agency Storm Models.

The Barga Connection (no audio)

High in the Tuscan hills, Barga is a town full of surprises. Visitors, who ask for directions, or perhaps a cup of coffee in a bar, get a big shock when the local people reply in broad Scottish accent. If it’s August in Barga, there is another big surprise: The Fish and Chip Festival.

Fish and Chip in Italy? Well, thousands of families emigrated from the area during the famines of the late nineteenth century. For example, Paolo’s great-grandfather took the Nutini family to Paisley where he opened their fish and chip shop. Over the years, many of the emigrants’ descendants have returned to their home town and brought Scottish traditions with them.

Speak up in Class

PAOLO NUTINI (C2)

TASK 1. Speaking. With your partner(s) discuss these questions.

a)   What kind of music do you like? Why?

b)   What kind of music do you hate? Why?

c)   How often do you buy CDs, or iTunes? Why?

d)   Do you think downloading music for free is morally unacceptable? Why (not)?

e)   Do you know Paolo Nutini? If so, do you like his music? Why (not)?

 LISTENING

TASK 2.  Prediction. You are going to listen to an interview with Paolo Nutini. Before you listen, discuss these questions with your partner, and make some notes. If you don’t know/aren’t sure, guess!

a) How old is Paolo Nutini, under or over 30?

b) Where is he from, and what is his connection (if any) with Italy?

c) Since when has he been interested in music?

d) Did his career start on television, on the radio or at a live concert?

e) What is Paolo’s ambition for the future?

TASK 3. Listening for Overall Comprehension. Listen to all of the recording and answer the question from TASK 2. You do not need to write long sentences, as the answers are short.

TASK 4. Prediction #2. Before you listen to all of recording again, work with your partner and decide if these statements are TRUE or FALSE. If you don’t know, guess.

a) Paolo’s first album came out in 2007.

b) His family own a pizzeria in Glasgow. 

c) His grandfather loved music and beautiful women.

d) If David Sneddon hadn’t been late for the civic reception, Paolo wouldn’t have been discovered.

e) Paolo was chosen randomly from 300 people to sing.

TASK 5: Listening for Detailed Information: Listen to the whole recording and check your answers from TASK 4. How many were correct?

READING AND VOCABULARY

TASK 6. Reading for New Vocabulary. There are some interesting words and phrases in this recording. Read all of text carefully and find words/expressions to compete these sentences. The words/expressions are order.

a) Prince William was recently in Australia on an official tour representing the British monarchy, taking the place of his grandmother, Queen Elisabeth II. He was the _________   __  _______ at numerous events, including a barbeque lunch in Flowerdale.

c) I always thought that Benetton was a big company ________  by a board of managers and directors until I found a website which listed the biggest family ________ companies in the world, and Benetton was one of them!  (same word used twice)

d) One of my friends seems to think that  Paolo Nutini was born and raised in Italy,

 but  ______   _________   __________ , he was born in Scotland and is of Italian descent. I could be wrong, though.

e) My husband and I normally like to plan our free time and tend to book things like concerts, restaurants and hotels well in advance. This year, though, we were sitting at home watching television when we heard that there was a free concert which had just started in Jardim Botânico starting half. We decided to go  _____ _______  ________   ____  ____  _________. I’m glad we did because it was great.

f) “How is your new project going?” “Well, to tell you the truth, we haven’t really started yet. We’ve got the deigns, we’ve got the financing, and we really want to ____  ___  ____   ______ but we’re being held back by bureaucracy: we’re still waiting for that last piece of paper!

WEBQUEST

TASK 7. Writing. Visit this website and write a brief biography of someone famous. You could devise a quiz and and test your classmates! 

  http://www.famouspeople.co.uk/