Alex Infascelli's Debut Novel 'Now Here Nowhere' Chronicles 1980s Los Angeles

Italian filmmaker Alex Infascelli, a three-time David di Donatello winner, has published his first novel, 'Now Here Nowhere' (HarperCollins, July 1, 2022). The autobiographical work recounts his arrival in Los Angeles in 1988, fleeing Rome's winter and 'glorified ruins.' The 224-page book follows his journey from aspiring musician to working at Mickey Rourke's jewelry store (whose proceeds funded the IRA), then at an animation studio on La Brea Avenue for a cartoon by Matt Groening, and finally at Propaganda Films, where he directed music videos. He met Prince, Courtney Love, and Kurt Cobain, and synchronized clapperboards for Nirvana's Live at Paramount concert in Seattle. The novel includes encounters with Ray Manzarek at the Whisky a Go Go and a shaman predicting his storytelling destiny. The title plays on 'now here' and 'nowhere,' reflecting the tension between presence and absence. The book features an embedded soundtrack from The Doors, Pink Floyd, Jane's Addiction, Pearl Jam, Elvis Costello, and Nirvana. Infascelli's car changes—a pea-green Buick, a purple Volkswagen van with fur and Persian rug, a sugar-paper International Scout II—mark temporal ellipses. The narrative culminates with his return to Rome at Christmas to tell stories.