You Interview: Arthur Muhlenberg
Read the interview with the author of the Flamengo fan blog on GloboEsporte.com,
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Commander of Urublog, the Flamengo fan blog on GloboEsporte.com, publicist Arthur Muhlenberg recently launched the book "Manual do Rubro-Negrismo racional" (Rational Rubro-Negrism Manual), a collection of texts published on the blog that is one of the portal's most popular blogs, with over 1 million monthly hits.
The author accepted the invitation from the official website team and participated in Você Entrevista, answering questions from internet users.
Watch the interview here.
Official website team – Blog posts tend to have much more impact when they're published and, in a way, also benefit from the impact of comments, which almost complement the posts. Why did you decide to compile your writings into this book, and what was the challenge of selecting just over 60 texts from nearly 1.000 posts?
Arthur Muhlenberg - It's true that blog posts have a strong temporal component. They're almost always written in the heat of the moment and taste better when consumed immediately. These rules might apply to blogs about teams from the rainbow, but I think Flamengo's case is different. The prodigious and ever-historic Flamengo, thanks to its fans and unparalleled morale, has the ability to transform second-round pick-ups of the Rio Cup into immortal epics. With this unique background, even a ragtag person like me can perceive the grandeur of Flamengo and its actions, right down to the tufts of grass stuck between the goalposts of our stars' boots. The decision to write the book came largely from the comments on the posts suggesting publication. After two years of receiving this kind of positive feedback, and even without much faith in the quality of the writing, I sought out a professional to see if publishing a book was even feasible. I contacted editor Jorge Viveiros de Castro of Editora 2 Letras, who offered to critically review Urublog's then nearly a thousand posts. He and his team had the foresight to make the selection, a task I certainly couldn't have accomplished alone. In the end, I thought the selection was good and well-representative of the material published daily on Urublog.
Isis Kezia de Lima Alves de Moraes - Student, Apodi (RN) - Which story stood out the most in your book?
Arthur Muhlenberg - It's very difficult to answer that question, Isis, because I lack the minimum critical distance. Even though I know some texts are weaker than others, I end up finding them all good. But I really enjoy the texts about achieving the PentaTRI that close the book.
Janaina Mascarenhas Correia, 16 years old, student, Taiaçu (SP) - Hi Artur, I love your blog and whenever I can I take a look at them... I would like to know where so much inspiration for those texts comes from, because of all the fan blogs, yours is the best?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Janaina, thanks for the encouragement. The inspiration for these articles is Mengão itself. Its glories, its fans, and the entire Flamengo universe that surrounds us. In my humble opinion, Flamengo is the richest subject there is. An inexhaustible topic.
Darcio Teixeira da Silva, 28 years old, Paulo Afonso (BA) - With all the cunning you seem to have, when did you feel that red-black tug and become a fan of Fuderosão?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Darcio, I like to think that the original red-black cell was already present when I was just a homozygote. But I vaguely remember some Flemish emotions while I was still floating semi-consciously in the amniotic fluid inside my mother's womb.
Francismar Calefi Mudesto, 29, student, Pará de Minas (MG) - Great Arthur, you defend a rational red-blackness, but have you ever lost something because of fanaticism, yours or someone else's? Hugs!
Arthur Muhlenberg - Francismar, first of all, it's important to remember that the expression "rational red-black fandom" is paradoxical and even contradictory. Flamengo is passion, and when passion enters the scene, rationalism disappears. But fanaticism is truly not a good thing. I often slipped up and put Flamengo ahead of certain social conventions, giving up sharing moments with friends and family to support Flamengo. I regret those moments, but they served as a learning experience. Today, Flamengo continues to occupy a very important part of my life, but fortunately, it no longer prevents me from having a social life within the flexible standards of what they call normality.
Francisco Nascimento, financial analyst, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - Great Arthur, I haven't bought the book yet, but I always follow your column on GloboEsporte.com. I've seen some criticism regarding the vocabulary used in the published texts. As a true Flamengo fan and suburbanite, I really like it and think it reflects what we hear in bar chats and at the Maracanã stadium. I'd like to know how you deal with this criticism and how it influences your work?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Francisco, I receive all kinds of criticism. Some for using unusual words and others for using very popular slang. In other words, criticism can't be used to guide your work, because it's impossible to please everyone. But I always pay attention to it, because it's often useful and helps improve the quality of my work.
Paulo Júnio Moreira de Mattos, 26 years old, civil servant, Florianópolis (SC) Dear Arthur Muhlenberg, first of all, I'd like to tell you that I devour your writing. I love the way you write and express your passion for our Flamengo team. However, I have a question I always ask myself after enjoying reading your posts: don't you feel threatened or afraid of the exposure of yourself, as well as the potential exposure of your family?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Paulão, a famous chant from the stands says that the red-and-black fans aren't afraid to die. I agree 100% with that and I exercise my red-and-black spirit fully and passionately because I know no other way to do it. My safety and that of my family remain the responsibility of the people up there, who to this day have never given me cause for complaint.
Yuri Hildebrand, Student, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - Do you think we can be Brazilian champions this year? Leandro Carlos Lorençatto, 36 years old, Business Administrator, Guaraniaçu (PR) - Forgetting for a moment the passion for MENGÃO, what are the real chances of our team in this Brazilian championship? Ricardo Vinicius Faria de Brito, Industrial Operator, Teixeira de Freitas (BA) - Arthur, what are the chances in your opinion of our beloved Mengão being champions?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Our Master Doutrinador Fuderosão Mengão is having its best campaign since the implementation of the points system in 2009. I have a lot of faith in this group and consider our chances of winning the sixth title exceptional. Let's do our part and let the rainbow team stumble. If they let up, we're in the game.
Josevaldo Crispim, 38, transport assistant, London, England - Arthur, we can say that after Andrade took over Flamengo had 04 reinforcements, namely Alvaro and Maldonado who arrived and Pet and Ze Roberto who were not used by Cuca, for you what is the basic difference between the Flamengo team trained by Cuca and the Flamengo team trained by Andrade?
Arthur Muhlenberg - The main difference was the addition of Maldonado, Álvaro, and Pet. And, of course, the winning star Andrade.
Antonio Jose Capella Junior, 35 years old, port inspector, Navegantes (SC) - Good afternoon, Arthur - Do you believe that Simon's mistake in the Fluminense-Palmeiras game was just what Palmeiras wanted to blame for their drop in performance and incompetence on someone else? What is your opinion on Belluzzo's disqualification from the championship? Best regards and on to the sixth title!!
Arthur Muhlenberg - This whining about referees is ridiculous, and every year there's someone crying and blaming someone else for their own mistakes. I have no patience for it. And in my opinion, Beluzzo missed an excellent opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Raphael Barbosa Medeiros, 28 years old, lawyer, Cuiabá (MT) - In your humble opinion, who was the best full-back in Flamengo's history? Leandro Peixe-Frito or Júnior?
Arthur Muhlenberg - That's a tough question, my friend. You'll break me. But I think I can sit on the fence on this one. After all, Leandro played on the right, and Capacete dominated on the left. I consider them both the best I've seen play for Mengão.
Rodolfo Paes de Farias, 23 years old, programmer, Imbituba (SC) - I'd like to know who your biggest idols are in Flamengo's history and if it was because of any of them that your passion for Mengão began. I was lucky enough that Lico was born on the same street as me, and when I was little, I got a Flamengo jersey from him, and that was enough to make me become a Flamengo fan?
Arthur Muhlenberg - I wouldn't need any idol to love Mengão. But I was incredibly lucky; I was able to follow Zico from the beginning. So, you don't need anything else, do you agree, Rodolfo?
Jorge Souza dos Santos, 46 years old, Journalist, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - How do you view the lack of a private stadium for Flamengo?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Jorge, I don't really care about that. To be honest, I don't care at all. In all honesty, Flamengo has the Maracanã, the most important stadium in the world, because we've occupied 80% of its capacity over its 59 years. If you look at Inter Milan and AC Milan, neither has its own stadium. Chievo and Siena, on the other hand, have stadiums. Do you think anyone in Milan cares about that? Flamengo's greatness transcends mere real estate assets.
Geraldo Luiz de Souza Alves, 28 years old, student, Brejo Santo (CE) – The Rio de Janeiro championship, considered the most glamorous in Brazil, how do you see the smaller teams being so weak? Is it a lack of sponsorship or even a lack of championship structure?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Lack of funds, mainly because the smaller Rio de Janeiro teams can't maintain good rosters year-round. It's not a lack of sponsorship; it's the lack of dates that squeeze the Carioca into a semester. Unfortunately, regional teams are losing ground across the country. They'll certainly disappear in the future.
Douglas Freitas, 22 years old, accountant, Três Lagoas (MS) – How do you view the fact that Flamengo is the team with the biggest fan base in Brazil and yet is unable to use this factor to become the richest team with the most money to hire and compete on equal terms in the Brazilian championship and the Copa Libertadores?
Arthur Muhlenberg - With tremendous sadness in my heart, Douglas. But also with hope, because I know that once full professionalism—for managers and not just athletes—is implemented at Flamengo, everything will change, and our fans will be even more important from an economic standpoint.
José Eliadef Santiago Fahd, 21 years old, Student, São Luis (MA) - Hi, how are you? I would like to know how I can buy the Manual of Rational Rubro-Negrismo in São Luís (MA).
Arthur Muhlenberg - Zé, I don't know if the book is available in your city yet, because Editora 7 Letras only distributes the book in Rio and São Paulo. Distributors are responsible for delivering the book to other cities. But if the Manual do Rubro-Negrismo Racional hasn't arrived in Ilha Rebelde yet, you can buy it directly from the publisher's website: www.7letras.com.br
Read more:
Arthur Muhlenberg launches "Manual of Rational Red-Blackness"
Red-Black Citizen offers exclusive edition of Arthur Muhlenberg's book
The author accepted the invitation from the official website team and participated in Você Entrevista, answering questions from internet users.
Watch the interview here.
Official website team – Blog posts tend to have much more impact when they're published and, in a way, also benefit from the impact of comments, which almost complement the posts. Why did you decide to compile your writings into this book, and what was the challenge of selecting just over 60 texts from nearly 1.000 posts?
Arthur Muhlenberg - It's true that blog posts have a strong temporal component. They're almost always written in the heat of the moment and taste better when consumed immediately. These rules might apply to blogs about teams from the rainbow, but I think Flamengo's case is different. The prodigious and ever-historic Flamengo, thanks to its fans and unparalleled morale, has the ability to transform second-round pick-ups of the Rio Cup into immortal epics. With this unique background, even a ragtag person like me can perceive the grandeur of Flamengo and its actions, right down to the tufts of grass stuck between the goalposts of our stars' boots. The decision to write the book came largely from the comments on the posts suggesting publication. After two years of receiving this kind of positive feedback, and even without much faith in the quality of the writing, I sought out a professional to see if publishing a book was even feasible. I contacted editor Jorge Viveiros de Castro of Editora 2 Letras, who offered to critically review Urublog's then nearly a thousand posts. He and his team had the foresight to make the selection, a task I certainly couldn't have accomplished alone. In the end, I thought the selection was good and well-representative of the material published daily on Urublog.
Isis Kezia de Lima Alves de Moraes - Student, Apodi (RN) - Which story stood out the most in your book?
Arthur Muhlenberg - It's very difficult to answer that question, Isis, because I lack the minimum critical distance. Even though I know some texts are weaker than others, I end up finding them all good. But I really enjoy the texts about achieving the PentaTRI that close the book.
Janaina Mascarenhas Correia, 16 years old, student, Taiaçu (SP) - Hi Artur, I love your blog and whenever I can I take a look at them... I would like to know where so much inspiration for those texts comes from, because of all the fan blogs, yours is the best?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Janaina, thanks for the encouragement. The inspiration for these articles is Mengão itself. Its glories, its fans, and the entire Flamengo universe that surrounds us. In my humble opinion, Flamengo is the richest subject there is. An inexhaustible topic.
Darcio Teixeira da Silva, 28 years old, Paulo Afonso (BA) - With all the cunning you seem to have, when did you feel that red-black tug and become a fan of Fuderosão?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Darcio, I like to think that the original red-black cell was already present when I was just a homozygote. But I vaguely remember some Flemish emotions while I was still floating semi-consciously in the amniotic fluid inside my mother's womb.
Francismar Calefi Mudesto, 29, student, Pará de Minas (MG) - Great Arthur, you defend a rational red-blackness, but have you ever lost something because of fanaticism, yours or someone else's? Hugs!
Arthur Muhlenberg - Francismar, first of all, it's important to remember that the expression "rational red-black fandom" is paradoxical and even contradictory. Flamengo is passion, and when passion enters the scene, rationalism disappears. But fanaticism is truly not a good thing. I often slipped up and put Flamengo ahead of certain social conventions, giving up sharing moments with friends and family to support Flamengo. I regret those moments, but they served as a learning experience. Today, Flamengo continues to occupy a very important part of my life, but fortunately, it no longer prevents me from having a social life within the flexible standards of what they call normality.
Francisco Nascimento, financial analyst, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - Great Arthur, I haven't bought the book yet, but I always follow your column on GloboEsporte.com. I've seen some criticism regarding the vocabulary used in the published texts. As a true Flamengo fan and suburbanite, I really like it and think it reflects what we hear in bar chats and at the Maracanã stadium. I'd like to know how you deal with this criticism and how it influences your work?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Francisco, I receive all kinds of criticism. Some for using unusual words and others for using very popular slang. In other words, criticism can't be used to guide your work, because it's impossible to please everyone. But I always pay attention to it, because it's often useful and helps improve the quality of my work.
Paulo Júnio Moreira de Mattos, 26 years old, civil servant, Florianópolis (SC) Dear Arthur Muhlenberg, first of all, I'd like to tell you that I devour your writing. I love the way you write and express your passion for our Flamengo team. However, I have a question I always ask myself after enjoying reading your posts: don't you feel threatened or afraid of the exposure of yourself, as well as the potential exposure of your family?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Paulão, a famous chant from the stands says that the red-and-black fans aren't afraid to die. I agree 100% with that and I exercise my red-and-black spirit fully and passionately because I know no other way to do it. My safety and that of my family remain the responsibility of the people up there, who to this day have never given me cause for complaint.
Yuri Hildebrand, Student, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - Do you think we can be Brazilian champions this year? Leandro Carlos Lorençatto, 36 years old, Business Administrator, Guaraniaçu (PR) - Forgetting for a moment the passion for MENGÃO, what are the real chances of our team in this Brazilian championship? Ricardo Vinicius Faria de Brito, Industrial Operator, Teixeira de Freitas (BA) - Arthur, what are the chances in your opinion of our beloved Mengão being champions?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Our Master Doutrinador Fuderosão Mengão is having its best campaign since the implementation of the points system in 2009. I have a lot of faith in this group and consider our chances of winning the sixth title exceptional. Let's do our part and let the rainbow team stumble. If they let up, we're in the game.
Josevaldo Crispim, 38, transport assistant, London, England - Arthur, we can say that after Andrade took over Flamengo had 04 reinforcements, namely Alvaro and Maldonado who arrived and Pet and Ze Roberto who were not used by Cuca, for you what is the basic difference between the Flamengo team trained by Cuca and the Flamengo team trained by Andrade?
Arthur Muhlenberg - The main difference was the addition of Maldonado, Álvaro, and Pet. And, of course, the winning star Andrade.
Antonio Jose Capella Junior, 35 years old, port inspector, Navegantes (SC) - Good afternoon, Arthur - Do you believe that Simon's mistake in the Fluminense-Palmeiras game was just what Palmeiras wanted to blame for their drop in performance and incompetence on someone else? What is your opinion on Belluzzo's disqualification from the championship? Best regards and on to the sixth title!!
Arthur Muhlenberg - This whining about referees is ridiculous, and every year there's someone crying and blaming someone else for their own mistakes. I have no patience for it. And in my opinion, Beluzzo missed an excellent opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Raphael Barbosa Medeiros, 28 years old, lawyer, Cuiabá (MT) - In your humble opinion, who was the best full-back in Flamengo's history? Leandro Peixe-Frito or Júnior?
Arthur Muhlenberg - That's a tough question, my friend. You'll break me. But I think I can sit on the fence on this one. After all, Leandro played on the right, and Capacete dominated on the left. I consider them both the best I've seen play for Mengão.
Rodolfo Paes de Farias, 23 years old, programmer, Imbituba (SC) - I'd like to know who your biggest idols are in Flamengo's history and if it was because of any of them that your passion for Mengão began. I was lucky enough that Lico was born on the same street as me, and when I was little, I got a Flamengo jersey from him, and that was enough to make me become a Flamengo fan?
Arthur Muhlenberg - I wouldn't need any idol to love Mengão. But I was incredibly lucky; I was able to follow Zico from the beginning. So, you don't need anything else, do you agree, Rodolfo?
Jorge Souza dos Santos, 46 years old, Journalist, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - How do you view the lack of a private stadium for Flamengo?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Jorge, I don't really care about that. To be honest, I don't care at all. In all honesty, Flamengo has the Maracanã, the most important stadium in the world, because we've occupied 80% of its capacity over its 59 years. If you look at Inter Milan and AC Milan, neither has its own stadium. Chievo and Siena, on the other hand, have stadiums. Do you think anyone in Milan cares about that? Flamengo's greatness transcends mere real estate assets.
Geraldo Luiz de Souza Alves, 28 years old, student, Brejo Santo (CE) – The Rio de Janeiro championship, considered the most glamorous in Brazil, how do you see the smaller teams being so weak? Is it a lack of sponsorship or even a lack of championship structure?
Arthur Muhlenberg - Lack of funds, mainly because the smaller Rio de Janeiro teams can't maintain good rosters year-round. It's not a lack of sponsorship; it's the lack of dates that squeeze the Carioca into a semester. Unfortunately, regional teams are losing ground across the country. They'll certainly disappear in the future.
Douglas Freitas, 22 years old, accountant, Três Lagoas (MS) – How do you view the fact that Flamengo is the team with the biggest fan base in Brazil and yet is unable to use this factor to become the richest team with the most money to hire and compete on equal terms in the Brazilian championship and the Copa Libertadores?
Arthur Muhlenberg - With tremendous sadness in my heart, Douglas. But also with hope, because I know that once full professionalism—for managers and not just athletes—is implemented at Flamengo, everything will change, and our fans will be even more important from an economic standpoint.
José Eliadef Santiago Fahd, 21 years old, Student, São Luis (MA) - Hi, how are you? I would like to know how I can buy the Manual of Rational Rubro-Negrismo in São Luís (MA).
Arthur Muhlenberg - Zé, I don't know if the book is available in your city yet, because Editora 7 Letras only distributes the book in Rio and São Paulo. Distributors are responsible for delivering the book to other cities. But if the Manual do Rubro-Negrismo Racional hasn't arrived in Ilha Rebelde yet, you can buy it directly from the publisher's website: www.7letras.com.br
Read more:
Arthur Muhlenberg launches "Manual of Rational Red-Blackness"
Red-Black Citizen offers exclusive edition of Arthur Muhlenberg's book