MARCO POLO didn't speak Italian. Not really. He is the most famous traveler of all time- a guy I grew-up dreaming about, convinced that I owed my ability to fit-in with so many varied lifestyles to a yet-to-be discovered family relationship between Mark and me.
Christopher Columbus? Sure, he was good, but come on- nobody REALLY believed that the earth was flat. They knew it was round-ish, but for whatever reason, kids are still taught that in 1492, people thought the world was a pancake. It just isn't true.
But just think about a 17 year-old Marco Polo, hitting the Silk Road on the way to China, being exposed to all of those unknown cultures, fitting-in so well that the Great Kahn entrusted young Marco to serious diplomatic missions. Wow, right?
Seriously, I dream about Marco, with vivid colors and strange sounds still clear in my head after I am pretty sure that I'm awake.
I keep a DREAM BOOK next to my bed and highly recommend that you do, too. In fact, DARIN DIAMOND, my character in THE KING OF DIAMONDS fills book after book with his lyrics, illusions and dreams. That's what his magic is all about- dreams. And? So is yours, man.
Back to Marco- he spoke 'Venento' which (naturally) was a mix of many languages, including Latin, German, French and Spanish. I have read that he even spoke with that funky Castilian 'th' for 's,' a sound you hear your fair share of in my business. Instead of saying "Ciao," Marco's Venento vocab had him saying: "Sciavo Vostro," which, literally, means "I am your slave."
I AM YOUR SLAVE. I like that. Way better than "At your service," or "Your wish is my command," no?
I've started saying "I am your slave," recently, but- in LA, they tend to try to take you up on it. More on that later... or not.
